Howard Zinn and the Omissions of U.S. History

From NPR:

The Thanksgiving holidays are a time when Americans traditionally reflect how far we've come and the distance we have yet to go. But too often we only scratch the surface of yesterday. One academic who has measured the past in arguably broader terms is Howard Zinn -- historian, social activist, playwright and author of the critically acclaimed A People's History of the United States. Professor Zinn joins NPR's Tavis Smiley to discuss what Zinn contends are some of the great "omissions" of United States History.

Click here to hear the interview.

This interview, originally recorded a couple of Thanksgivings ago, is a pretty good intro to the ideas and work of Howard Zinn, a massive influence on my own thinking about what it means to be an American. The opening riff of this ten minute conversation is about the true meaning of Thanksgiving, but it then goes on to explore some other glaring errors in the US record.

Once you really get into Zinn it becomes excrutiatingly clear that what most Americans are taught about history is simply propaganda which affects the conventional wisdom and public discourse in such a way that almost no one even thinks to question the notion that mighty America is a always a force for good in the world. The reality is that the US has done, and still does, both good and bad, but as long as we are under the illusion that we can do no wrong, the bad will continue: the Iraq debacle, for instance, is not at all an aberration; it's just another American atrocity on a long list that dates back to the Pilgrims.

Think about that while you gulp down your turkey.

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