• raz0rf0x
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    3111 months ago

    Heavens help you if an ancient Greek or Roman author happens to have disliked you…

  • @balancedchaos
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    2111 months ago

    History is written by the conquerors.

    To the victor goes the spoils, as they say.

    • @[email protected]
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      2511 months ago

      Pretty simplistic. There are examples of marginalised narratives winning out.

      some decent examples in this stackexchange thread: https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/5597/is-history-always-written-by-the-victors

      I remember stumbling on more academic criticism somewhere but I’m honestly just too lazy to find it :)

      Really I think the more interesting thing to point out and discuss is that history is written by people, with ideologies, for reasons. When we examine history we need to ensure we try to do so from a variety of perspectives and with an open mind as even the best scholars making their best efforts to be fair will not describe history objectively. That is an impossible task.

      At best we can hope to identify where interpretations are disputed and what the reasons for that are. E.g. lack of evidence, value differences, political motives etc.

      • @balancedchaos
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        711 months ago

        Simplistic, but marginalized narratives were also burned in big bonfires at times, as well.

        • @[email protected]
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          811 months ago

          Sorry I don’t follow. I think we agree that if nobody survives or people are forced to exist in a hostile culture it’s harder for them to propagate their stories.

          But if we go too far we ignore the work of the brilliant people who did manage to preserve their account of events. From Indian perspectives on Indian war of independence vs Sepoy Uprising, to native Americans, Aboriginal Australians, Maori people and so on fighting generational struggles to preserve their recounting of events and be acknowledged.

          • @balancedchaos
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            111 months ago

            Show me where I said all marginalized narratives were burned.

            But also, some WERE burned. Lost to history. Gone. As if they never happened.

            • @[email protected]
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              911 months ago

              I didn’t say that you thought that and I definitely don’t mean to. Are you having a bad day or something? is this a cross cultural communication issue?

              All I’m saying is that history being written by the victors is a bit simplistic and not very interesting in terms of how to understand history. If you’re interested in history I would have thought you’d be keen to look at examples of narratives that refute that popular trope. I meant no offense.

              • @balancedchaos
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                211 months ago

                Fair enough. It’s hard to read tone on the internet. Sorry for that.

                I’ll check out some of your articles/books, sure.

          • @balancedchaos
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            -211 months ago

            You don’t follow my thought process, or you’re being willfully obtuse?

            • @[email protected]
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              811 months ago

              I don’t really know why you replied to my comment with that, nor why you’re being hostile right now

                • @[email protected]
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                  -111 months ago

                  He didn’t, but I will.

                  Sorry, I’m a huge fucking baby and I get so angry I shit my pants when people disagree with whatever opinion I thoughtlessly fire off

                  Dude, gross, keep it to yourself

    • @JayObey711
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      711 months ago

      Damn I guess historians just repeat sources all day without any sense of critical thinking.

  • @bigFab
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    1111 months ago

    Especially recent history. For an instance it took three hundred years for the french monarchy to recognize how Jean d’Arc wasn’t a witch and saved France.

  • Dale
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    411 months ago

    “History is a set of lies agreed upon”

    • Napoleon Bonaparte