What Japanese history lessons leave out - a BBC article

[Oberon]

A while ago we had a conversation on here about how the Second World War is taught in German and Japanese schools. Whilst we had a good overview of the German system, it was a bit harder to get one of the Japanese.
Here's an article on the Japanese history cirriculum and how it differs to other nations:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21226068

Personally I do worry a lot about Japanese history education, that the nation is breeding a generation of people who do not understand why Japans neighbours are so sore about how they were treated by the Japanese in the war, and that may in turn lead to raised tensions and aggression.

[Stealhead]

Interesting article.

Thing is most every nation tells its "clean" version of history.

[Oberon]

This is true, when I went through the education system in the UK there was scant mention of Mers-el-Kébir.

[Sailor Steve]

None of us learns any of the bad stuff in school. The difference is that in most western countries you stumble across it sooner or later. You don't have to go to another country before it's even mentioned.

Fascinating article, Jamie. Thanks for the link.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

None of us learns any of the bad stuff in school

Yet I wrote a paper and did a presentation about the Bataan death march in 5th grade.

Important lessons for mankind to learn

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

I remember when my history class got to WW2 in aroun Jr High/Middle school, and I really didn't learn anything that I didn't already know since I started reading about WW2 way back in the 5th or 6th grade mainly cause I got fed up with "America this, America that, America does everything."

Also Platapus makes a good point, here in the good 'ol US of A we're taught that we won every war we've ever fought without any help from anyone, however not everyone is taught that way it greatly depends on the teacher and the history books that are supplied to the schools too.

[Sailor Steve]

@ CaptainMattJ: You went to school in California. I suspect that Platapus may have gone to school somewhere in the deep south. My late friend Rocky spent a year in high school somewhere in that region, and he told me that it took two weeks to get to the Civil War and two weeks to get to the present. The rest was spent you-know-where.

He also said that his history teacher once said "I know that some of you think I believe that Robert E. Lee was the greatest man ever to walk the face of this earth. That is not so. I am fully aware that our Lord Jesus Christ also walked the face of this earth!"

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

Yet I wrote a paper and did a presentation about the Bataan death march in 5th grade.

Important lessons for mankind to learn

When I said "bad stuff" I was referring to our own atrocities, not ones done to us.

This is true, when I went through the education system in the UK there was scant mention of Mers-el-Kébir.

But did they teach about the foul frenchies launching air raids against Gibralter?

[Platapus]

Thanks for posting that article. Most interesting to see history from a different viewpoint.

And yeah, every nation cherry picks and sugar coats their own history. I guess you can't have the younglings learn the real history of their country until they are older.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Thanks for posting that article. Most interesting to see history from a different viewpoint.

And yeah, every nation cherry picks and sugar coats their own history. I guess you can't have the younglings learn the real history of their country until they are older.

Even then history involves much interpretation you can look at any event from many different views and ones views (nationalistic,liberal,conservative,crazy) also is a factor.

@CaptainMattJ I learned about the tank killing dogs on my own while I was in school.Of course the problem with a tank killing dog is it only works once then the enemy shoots every dog that they see just in case it might be a bomb dog.I also heard that the dogs did not know what tank to attack of course so they where just as likely to run under a Soviet tank as a German tank.

Don't let your schooling get in the way of your education if you are a human that is.For the dogs better to use them as guards than bombs.

[CaptainMattJ.]

Originally Posted by Oberon

This is true, when I went through the education system in the UK there was scant mention of Mers-el-Kébir.

In the U.S we dont spend a terrible amount of time on WW2, we spend, in total, maybe a month covering it, and that is spread out over something around 3-4 history classes (8th grade history, World history, and U.S history for me is when i covered world war two) that essentially teach the exact same thing. For instance, World History teaches the same things, and for the same amount of time, when covering WW2 as U.S history does. i took a WW2 class as an elective, it was horribly easy and i barely learned anything new, except for some interesting little facts here and there, such as how the russians would teach dogs to get their food/reward from underneath tanks, then strap them with explosives and send them at the germans.