If Hitler was on the 20 dollar bill

[Damuna_Nova]

Do the British not teach in school any longer the whole situation they were in during the early 19th century? WOW. YOU might not be, that you can see anyhow, but really....the Nazi's did a number on your country a ways back.

Heh...20th century...not 19th...

And they do teach us about WWII, quite a few times in fact.

[Magrus]

Originally Posted by Damuna_Nova

Heh...20th century...not 19th...

And they do teach us about WWII, quite a few times in fact.

Good point, I meant the 1900's.

Oh, and welcome to SYM.

[Chimaera182]

Originally Posted by Magrus

Americans hide all of the bad things and promote what they find good in times that bad things happened. Especially the government. Did you notice that in the description you posted they mentioned him being an expansionist, but not once mentioned that he sent a whole culture of men, women and children to its death on a forced march by American soldiers by way of plague, starvation and brutality?

I recall being lectured in school about denouncing American heroes. I went off about the fact Columbus wasn't all that great, he was a brutal screw-up. My teacher thought I was deranged to say that about the "American who founded the country". Brainwashing anyone?

I hit my rather dark-thinking mode late in life, after I'd already been repressed so much I shrank into an anti-social ball. So, sadly, I never got to make such brash comments. If I ever get a note sent from the school about one of my kids saying something like that, though, I'd probably cry out of pride and have it framed.

[Darzog]

All countries wash their history books to prop up those that are considered heroes and downplay the accomplishments of those considered the bad guys. For you to imply that America is the only one to do this, or even that we do it more than other countries is prejudicial. Yes we are screwed up, but we don't hold a monopoly in it. Everyone (except maybe Belgium ) has dirty laundry that they cover up.

As to the original topic, I am of Jewish heritage (even though I'm Christian by faith) and Hitler on currency would piss me off. Like most Americans I'm woefully ignorant of history (of my own country and others) and since my courses in history were extremely boring I've never spent much effort in fixing that. So while I know in general things that happened I don't know who or when they all happened.

If what you say about Jackson is true then I would agree that he has no place on our currency. What you are describing goes beyond Washington having slaves (since that was a normal practice at the time I don't fault him for it) or the like because his actions were not just maintaining the status quo but were an escalation of these negative ideals.

[Magrus]

Originally Posted by Darzog

All countries wash their history books to prop up those that are considered heroes and downplay the accomplishments of those considered the bad guys. For you to imply that America is the only one to do this, or even that we do it more than other countries is prejudicial. Yes we are screwed up, but we don't hold a monopoly in it. Everyone (except maybe Belgium ) has dirty laundry that they cover up.

If what you say about Jackson is true then I would agree that he has no place on our currency. What you are describing goes beyond Washington having slaves (since that was a normal practice at the time I don't fault him for it) or the like because his actions were not just maintaining the status quo but were an escalation of these negative ideals.

I never implied it was only America. The fact is I've only spent maybe 3 days of my life outside this country, and I am not qualified to truly judge how another country works on such a level because of that, so I comment on my own country.

Yeah, it's true. The man ordered his soldiers to commit genocide because he wanted the land those people were on and thought they were worthless heathens. Which...is essentially the basis of the founding of America.

[Lestat]

Originally Posted by Darzog

All countries wash their history books to prop up those that are considered heroes and downplay the accomplishments of those considered the bad guys. For you to imply that America is the only one to do this, or even that we do it more than other countries is prejudicial. Yes we are screwed up, but we don't hold a monopoly in it. Everyone (except maybe Belgium ) has dirty laundry that they cover up.

I advise you to do a search on King Leopold II...

And the Museum for Central Africa only recently came with a far more objective exhibition concerning the Belgian presence in Congo.

[Dottie]

Originally Posted by Darzog

All countries wash their history books to prop up those that are considered heroes and downplay the accomplishments of those considered the bad guys. For you to imply that America is the only one to do this, or even that we do it more than other countries is prejudicial. Yes we are screwed up, but we don't hold a monopoly in it.

Of course there is plenty of white washing outside USA, no doubt about it. But there is a vast difference between "a phenomenon exist elsewhere" and "everyone else is just as bad as we are". There is not a school in Germany that pretend the holocaust never happened for example.

Everyone (except maybe Belgium ) has dirty laundry that they cover up.

If this is your idea of history I can see why it would be difficult to make any distinctions between anything.

[Damuna_Nova]

Well, I suppose I would hae the right to scream and shout if Hitler was on currency (I'm not going to go exclusiely with the dollar here, since if it was on a dollar I would neer see it) seeing as I hae some Jewish blood, but actually, to me it seems that christians would make the biggest racket, using it to bolster their "money is the root of all eil" belief.

[Chimaera182]

Originally Posted by Lestat

I advise you to do a search on King Leopold II...

I think Darzog was joking.

Originally Posted by Magrus

I never implied it was only America. The fact is I've only spent maybe 3 days of my life outside this country, and I am not qualified to truly judge how another country works on such a level because of that, so I comment on my own country.

Yeah, it's true. The man ordered his soldiers to commit genocide because he wanted the land those people were on and thought they were worthless heathens. Which...is essentially the basis of the founding of America.

I didn't see you imply it, either; probably just a mistake. Anyway, even people who stay in a country for 3 years can't exactly be qualified to judge how anoher country works.

And by the way, we were fully justified to do it, too. God told us to, just like God told Dubya to invade Iraq.

[dragon wench]

Originally Posted by Dottie

There is not a school in Germany that pretend the holocaust never happened for example.

You are right, in that this is the case now. However, in the years immediately following WWII there was no trace of the holocaust in German school texts.

[Greg.]

History is written by the victors.

Nelson Mandela could be considered a terrorist, but Hitler was considered a great man in Germany at the time. Just goes to show...

[dj_venom]

Originally Posted by GregtheSleeper

... but Hitler was considered a great man in Germany at the time. Just goes to show...

Not by all. I think in the vote for leadership, he/his party received only about a third of the vote, yet after intense pressure the leader of Germany stood aside and let him take over (I may be a bit muddled at the moment, but I think that is how it happened), and even then, not everyone liked him or his ideas, but it was a lot easier to simply go along with it.

[Ravager]

Originally Posted by dj_venom

Not by all. I think in the vote for leadership, he/his party received only about a third of the vote, yet after intense pressure the leader of Germany stood aside and let him take over (I may be a bit muddled at the moment, but I think that is how it happened), and even then, not everyone liked him or his ideas, but it was a lot easier to simply go along with it.

Well, Germany was going through tough times and the moderate parties weren't solving the problem. That left the Nais and the Communists. None of the parties were really getting an edge over each other, and the chancellor of the party in power, Von Papen I believe his name was, went to the President, Hindenburg, and after a lot of persuasion the two f them planned to use Hitler as a puppet chancellor. That went on until Hindenburg died, Hitler became Fuhrer merging the Chancellor and President roles, he passed the Enabling Act, banning all opposition...and there you go...

[TonyMontana1638]

Originally Posted by Ravager

Yeah, you can always put pictures of important people on currency...I was just wondering why they would choose Jackson over anyone else.

I agree, Jackson had a very controversial presidency and I hardly think of him as a national hero.

I agree with this band... I'd boycott twenties, but they're probably the second most important piece of US paper currency behind the 1 dollar bill, so I don't know.

[Darzog]

Originally Posted by Lestat

I advise you to do a search on King Leopold II...

Originally Posted by Dottie

If this is your idea of history I can see why it would be difficult to make any distinctions between anything.

I was joking about Belgium. Lestat always brings his country out as being somewhere great to live without a lot of the problems you see in other "civilized" countries. I was not impying that I know Belgian history or that the comment was serious or accurate. I had hoped the smiley would help get that across.

And as for implying that America is the only country to do it, by focusing only on the instances of American genocide and not even commenting on any other countries' attrocities I view that as an implication that America is worse than others. It was probably not the intent, but I take from it a silent implication.