Does History Ever Tell the Truth?

Question: Does History Ever Tell the Truth!?

Or does it always give you the bumpf from the pov of the victors!?

Director Spike Lee makes an interesting point when he complains about never seeing a Black man in a film about the wars in which America has been involved!.

That said, IMHO Lee tends to victimize some of his echt-Jewish characters, and I wouldn`t want to see this as an excuse for more Black antiSemitism (ie why should we be fighting Iraqis who are brothers!?!?!?!?!?)

We shouldn`t be fighting Iraqis but being `brothers` has nothing to do with it, unless you`re a reckless racist!

But is history ever fair or do we see everything from the victor`s pov!?

I mean, the only time I`ve ever seen the Nazis portrayed as they should be portrayed is in the camp antics of Mel Brooks!. The fact is though the Germans who ran Germany at the time of the Weimar Republic must have looked upon the new regime as `fagela Jews` (Hitler and Goring and Goebbels and Himmler and Riefenstahl)

Agree or disagree!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I reckon some aspects of history contradict modern life!.

I read extensive books, websites and listen to my history teacher in school yet find I have not one reliable source!.

Historians have different points of view, and so do many individuals!.

Apparently the holocaust had no connection to Hitler!? Now I have a major exam to do on it next week and I haven't a clue which side I am on!.

Interesting point you bring up!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Written history is based on what is officially reported sometimes by people who took part and who have an axe to grind,i!.e!. covering up for their mistakes!.
As Bismark said 'whenever I hear the word Culture I reach for my sword'!. I want to do the same when I hear the word 'Historian'!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Historic paradigms,are written by the victors!.Tacitus is the worst,as he portrayed the Brythonic Celts as savage,ignorant people,whereas the truth was totally the opposite!
The most decorated U!.S unit during WW2,consisted of ALL coloured soldiers!.Sorry,I can not remember their name,but I'm sure a film was made about them!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

There's some black men in Vietnam movies, and the movie "Glory" was about a black regiment in the Civil War!. But in general, history is written by those in power!. That's why it's interesting when you stumble upon things written by others!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

yeah, to a large extent i rely on the history that's it speaks the fair!.But there is a factor before history not to being falacious: that's history should be free from tempering!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

History is always written from the victors side not the fallen !?

Have you ever witnessed the fallen (Colonised), write their own history from 1492 !? The truth from the fallen is only new - post Colonialism!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

AW you think they would lie !!!!!

Read about the "Indian Wars" Sometime although no War was ever declared
They dont even spell our names right
Most history about us isnt much more than a comic bookWww@QuestionHome@Com

People alter history to suit the era, the frame of mind, and the belief systems at hand!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

history is more often than not written by the victor so therefor it is the truth as they see itWww@QuestionHome@Com

Written history is often the view of the author and a few other people!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

agreeWww@QuestionHome@Com

can"t believe all you hear,even writers lie!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well, the victors always write the history, generally because the losers are all dead!. No body is going to want a record of history to show they were a despot, so they massage the truth so that they seem "good" and the enemy "bad"!. I'm sure in a few years our children will be learning about how the mighty George Bush saved the poor innocents of Iraq by banishing the evil Saddam, with not a mention of the illegality of the invasion, the oil, the allied casualties, or the unimaginable riches accumulated by Bush and his family and friends as a direct result of the invasion!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Ok, here is a movie that tells an inspiring true bit of history about a black regement in the Civil War!. The title is "Glory"
and there was a black man portrayed as a hero in the movie Pearl Harbor!. I think there are a few more but on to the main question!.
Does History ever tell the truth!? Yes it does sometimes tell the truth, just hardly ever the whole truth!. Why is that!? because nearly no one goes to war thinking God is not on our side!. If they thought that God was against them, they would probably rethink going to war!.

The nararator does a little speech to this effect at the begining of Brave Heart!. "History is told by the victors!. !.!.!." So you should try to read both sides of the story!. Sometimes that is difficult however due to book burnings or other censorships and the fact that the enemy in a war often speaks another language!.

Here is a history that I believe tells the truth!. The Gospel of Luke!. Luke was an Historian of top notch quality and I believe his life of Christ is a truthful one although it still does not give us everything that happened in Jesus' life!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Schmoe -definitely- has the right of it!. Even Historians who try very hard to be as accurate as possible have a difficult time seperating fact from fiction!. And, as the time span gets longer, it becomes even more difficult!.

As for the Middle East!.!.!.!. Of -course- it's a war of anti-semitism!. Read your Bible!. God gave the Holy Land to 'Abraham (Ibrahim, if you're Arabic) -and- -his- -seed-'!. So OK!. Good old Abraham has to go and pork his ol' ladys' handmaiden!. And their son (Ishmael) is the one thru whom the Arabs trace -their- descendency from Abraham!. They're -both- Semitic groups and they both have a valid (from a theological point of view) claim on the 'Holy Land' ?

DougWww@QuestionHome@Com

History is always biased -- whether intentionally or not!.

Like, I remember, when the movie Titanic came out about 11 years ago, and many black people were like, "What the hell!? Where are the black people!?"

Because black people WERE on that ship, but even in entertainment, this sort of thing happens!.

If you wan't the truth (or at least something closest to it) you have to research as many points of view on a specific event, person, etc!. and come to your own conclusions!.

Otherwise, you're just reciting what someone else wrote in some text book!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Disagree
History is all about interpretation and historical movies are inherently inaccurate, they are stories and published as fiction!. Don't try to learn something about history from movies, it'll be wrong nearly every time!. Writer's of fiction take liberties to make stories appealing to viewers!. As for history books published as fact, they generally are accurate as they cannot be called non-fiction without some damn good back up!. There are very few instances of accuracy in movies and fictionalized books!.
A good example of the same history being reported differently and both called fact are these 2 books:
The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang - tells the story of the Chinese holocaust from the Chinese (victims) point of view
The Alleged "Nanking Massacre": Japan's rebuttal to China's forged claims by Tadao Takemoto - tells the same story from the Japanese (perpetrators) point of view
Again, if you want fact look for primary resources and stay away from Hollywood fiction!.Www@QuestionHome@Com