Historical misperception - Essay Example

Historical Misconceptions Historical Misconceptions arise as a result of various reasons. One of them is heroification. Often historical figures are heroified and receive vast textbook and media coverage. Such coverage sometimes fails to mention the 100% truth and only focuses on the known facts. They may also be representing the figures based on a different viewpoint. One example of a historical personality is Helen Keller. Most of the people are aware that she was disabled and overcame her disabilities to influence later generations. However, most might not know she was a socialist. This is because this fact is left out in textbooks. 1) What is the historical misconception? The historical misconception that brewed up in the minds of several Indonesians as well as Chinese immigrants was about the unfortunate events that happened after the Indonesian independence following the end of World War II. Shortly after its independence Indonesia had to face a dreadful event that came in the form of the September 30th movement or the G-30S/PKI. PKI was the Indonesian Communist Party having several Chinese members that had migrated from China. From what has been taught in textbooks, PKI was responsible for the killing of six senior officials from the armed forces and several other people. The September 30th event happened as a result of the killings of military officials and it was deliberately planned as a scheme to carry out mass killings of the PKI members most of whom were Chinese. In reality things were much different and this planning was done strategically by some people who held the authority at the time. The Chinese people who had migrated were much more productive than native Indonesians and so their presence was seen as a threat. If they did not ride them out or kill them the Chinese would soon be influencing Indonesia. Over the surface it seemed like the government were heroes who had wiped out the people who had been involved in the killing of the senior officials. For the Chinese, it gave rise to feelings of antagonism as they now felt that the government was against Chinese. 2) When and how did you learn it? The truth was quite different and it was uncovered by my grandparents who had witnessed the entire events. Also, the rumor had spread throughout the Chinese community in Indonesia. Despite knowing the truth they were powerless to an authoritative government. I was in the 11th grade then and realized how different things are than what they are portrayed. They told me how a small group of people holding the administration during the time used the killings as a scheme to plan the killings of the PKI members. In fact they were being threatened by the presence of Chinese and saw their productive capabilities as a threat to their own influence on the country. They felt that if actions were not taken the Chinese would soon be dominating Indonesia and this is what they did not want. So the September 30th event was especially planned and targeted towards the members of PKI so as to vanish their existence. The government had provoked the natives to kill the members of the PKI hence they were ultimately responsible for instigating the people to carry out the killings. The people had been forced to believe that the killings were done by the PKI members and so did not know what the real truth was. Nevertheless, these chain of events made the government a hero in the eyes of the natives and stimulated feelings of anger and antagonism among the Chinese community who now thought that the government was anti-Chinese thereby leading to a divide between the two communities who could have dwelled in peace. 3) How has it been reinforced in your mind since you learned it? The idea has been reinforced as I continue to learn about many figures that had been heroified in American history as well. The first example is that of the American president Woodrow Wilson who has been heroified by white people in history. According to Loewen, Wilson will not be considered a hero by any black person and the textbooks that heroify him have been written from a white person’s aspect (7). The other example is that of Helen Keller. Almost everybody knows that she was a deaf and blind girl who struggled with her disadvantaged self and that she overcame her disabilities and finished college thereby providing motivation for upcoming generations. Some also know where she lived and that she was an ill-mannered girl before Anne Sullivan came. What most people do not know is that she was a socialist and sang celebratory songs about the communist Russia (Loewen, 3). Similarly, most people would not have known about the real criminals behind the killings of the senior military officials and since the PKI was accused of being responsible, no investigation was probably carried out so as to find out about the real killers. The real killers could have been the government themselves who planned the killings just to put the blame on PKI members or it could be some other force that was trying to stir up a fight among the natives and the immigrants. So, the truth remains hidden although many people are aware of the misconceptions that are being created through textbooks that only seem to cover the truth. 4) Why is the misconception important? What have been the most important consequences (for you and society as a whole) in viewing history this way? The misconception is important due to the image it has created of the Indonesian government executives of the time and of the PKI members. The way history is represented in the case of the September 30th events, it has created a divide among the native Indonesians and the Chinese immigrants giving rise to feelings of racism. As a matter of fact the killings had been directed by some people holding governance in order to carry out the killings of Chinese immigrants in the hopes to wipe out their existence in Indonesia. The Chinese felt that the government was acting against them in a specifically targeted plan whereas the Indonesians saw them as being the killers of the military officials. The implications of the G-30S/PKI event were various including increased hatred and hence racism among the two groups. Hostility and racism at that time must have been greater when there was a lot more confusion regarding the killings and about those responsible for it. If there is absence of any misconceptions and the information flow is perfect so that the people are aware of 100% truth then the racism among native Indonesians and Chinese immigrants would be so much less. Textbooks and media play an important role in the representation of information therefore it should be performed in a responsible way so as to eliminate ambiguity and misconceptions. Conclusion The role of media in presenting truth should not be downplayed as the way information and facts are portrayed heavily impacts the formation of perceptions about a particular personality. Ambiguity and insufficient information always create the wrong image in the minds of the viewers. As a result some might be viewed as heroes while others as villains. Works Cited Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York: Touchstone, 2007. Web. 3 Sept. 2013 . Read More