“Is America in Denial About Its History?”
by Kelvin Chin
Life After Life Expert
The current “issue du jour” is racial bias.
And I am not denying that America does have serious race relations issues — look, I have experienced them first-hand growing up in Boston.
But what about:
Anti-Catholic religious bias in politics until the 1960 election of JFK?
Anti-Semitic sentiment throughout the U.S. in the 1930s which was not outraged by how Germany was treating the Jews at the time.
Anti-Japanese and Asian sentiment in the U.S. — long before Pearl Harbor.
Anti-German sentiment in the U.S. — when Hitler rose to power in Europe.
The Puritans, Quakers and Baptists and how they treated each other when they came to the “colonies” in the 1600s.
The Irish and how they were abused when they came to the U.S. during the Potato Famine and afterwards.
The Italians and how they were abused when they immigrated to the U.S. shortly after the Irish influx.
The Polish and how they were abused when they immigrated to the U.S.
The Chinese working on the transcontinental Pacific Railroad, and how they were treated by white Americans — paid 30-50% less than the white workers plus had to buy their own food — and were considered less valuable than the black slaves in America who were seen as having more “skills” for working in the fields, so the Chinese “coolies” were seen as expendable (10% mortality rate on the railroad from setting dynamite charges, etc.) and later sent to other high risk projects (dredging the Savannah harbor).
And yes, the fact that the original inhabitants of the “country of America” were factually (not a matter of opinion or interpretation) victims of systematic genocide started by the Pilgrims in the 1600s, then continued and coordinated on a much broader scale by nationwide governmental decree in the 1800s by sitting U.S. Presidents and members of Congress.
Ask yourself:
Can you think of a racial, ethnic or religious immigrant group that has NOT been abused after coming to America? We have all been subject to such bullying. So, let’s stop making out like only our group has been bullied in our American history.
And what about some basic U.S. history of how important France and Prussia were in helping then General George Washington win the Revolutionary War against the British army? That the notion that he did it (or could have done it) on his own with his poorly funded, hardly trained rag-tag collection of “American” troops is a factual fallacy. A myth. Another baseless narrative creating the false belief in the “independent ability” of the U.S. to be able to “do everything on its own.”
That Abraham Lincoln was initially a supporter of sending the American slaves back to Africa to an area called Liberia. And he was not an abolitionist. Even though he considered it morally wrong, he did not believe in abolishing slavery, because it was sanctioned by the U.S. Constitution. And he did not believe black people should have the same rights as white people.
During the Civil War as a potential compromise with certain border states to avoid their secession and to buy him time to convince them to join the Union, Lincoln allowed slavery to exist in Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware to which the Emancipation Proclamation did not apply.
These are just a few historical “Facts about America” that most Americans are ignorant about.
I think that ignorance (or “denial” for those re-writers of history books who know but choose to forget) of these imperfections contributes to the myth that Americans are somehow superior to citizens of other nations. That Americans are somehow immune to the biases and resulting mistreatments of other human beings.
I think this ignorance has sadly led to a “holier than thou” attitude among many Americans — I would say perhaps even among most Americans — that shuts down the American mind to change, to genuine growth. Perhaps more so even than citizens of other countries.
This is especially unfortunate because America is seen worldwide as the “ultimate experiment” in democracy. And if it isn’t working here, then what can be said about the experiments in other countries that are “learning from” observing America? So, in the end, this pressure to be perceived as the “example to the world” I think has created a systemic myth promoted not only by the government but also by its people, the citizens of America.
Note that I am not talking about “white” America. I am talking about all Americans — white, black, brown, and every other shade you want to pick. Because we have all bullied others at one time in our national and personal histories. If we are being candid and honest, we should all be able to admit that.
So, let’s stop blaming one group for this or that.
Because we have all been complicit in this “big lie” that America is some bastion of perfection and freedom. It simply is factually incorrect. Our history tells us so.
Politicians and committees who select which history books our children study in schools need to change their tune. Not to be ashamed of our mistakes, but to learn from them. To be proud of our accomplishments as a nation, but not arrogant. And to be more focused on what our historical reality has been, so we don’t keep repeating the same bad behavior towards others over and over for another 250 years.
Kelvin H. Chin is a Meditation Teacher, Life After Life Expert, and Author of “Overcoming the Fear of Death,” “Marcus Aurelius Updated: 21st Century Meditations On Living Life” and “After the Afterlife: Memories of My Past Lives.” He learned to meditate at age 19, and has been teaching Turning Within Meditation and coaching others in their self-growth for 40 years. He helps people understand their life challenges through their individual belief systems, and helps them find their own solutions. His past life memories reach back many centuries, and he accesses those memories in his teaching and his coaching in the same way all coaches draw on their own available experiences for perspective and effective analogies. He can be reached at www.TurningWithin.org.