Is History a misconception?
“the branch of knowledge dealing with past events.” (Dictionary.com)
History is a term we commonly use to describe the past as something that is behind us and no longer taking place. But is this completely true? I do not believe it is. I think history is still living in the twenty-first century, I think issues that we thought had died are actually still alive, we just choose to ignore them. Issues such as:
- Women’s equality
Women are a group still striving for equality. There were many females throughout history who evolved the feminism paradigm, and also many women who influenced the population to make their own ‘ideal.’ Women are a group who have incredible expectations over them; we are expected to cook, clean, work, take the kids to sports, go to the gym, and find the missing shirt from the laundry. Overtime men have certainly become more involved in domestics, but women are still portrayed in media as the primary care-giver; thus putting pressure on them to maintain this multi-tasking, super-mom role. So as women are we striving for equality to be equals to men?, are we striving for more of a voice?, or do we just desire to be treated fairly and have a realistic lifestyle?
I think from past to present women rights have evolved a large amount, but at the same time so has society; so have our rights kept up with the evolving society, or did the government simply praise their laws to let us vote and work thinking in a modern society with new needs we will just fit ourselves in? Women can no longer be the Fille Du Rois puppets and be told where and what to do; we want to have a say and live a realistic life that allows us to be successful.
Another part of equality to look at is ethical treatment: a stop to violence–particularly in terms of prostitution. Historically this was an act which was used to keep men coming back to work in certain areas and then expanded to a way of life. This was known to be done by Indigenous women, and this notion seems to linger today. Indigenous women are one of the most abused groups of women in the world, and today we recognize this with things such as the Women’s Memorial March, which is held to honour the memory of all those who have died due to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual violence in the region.
Physical violence, rape, and murder are common among all genders and cultures; history just helps us to recognize which cultures have suffered with it longer.
So when we strive for women’s rights do we look at equality and treatment as the same things? I think they are two different goals and should be solved separately due to their differences. If we want equality we need to fight for a decrease to mens rights because they are already so powerful, and in order to achieve equality men must become accustomed to humility– realizing that they are not better than a woman. If we want proper treatment we need to cut the historical strings that are still attached to certain groups and present women in media as human rather than a toy to be played with. Women are being taken advantage of because in media and movies we are portrayed in a manner that fits this mould. Indigenous women have a past that follows them to be prostitutes, and many white women have a stereotype from media that presents them in this same way as well.
- Indigenous people’s equality.
We have many laws in place to ensure the equality of Indigenous populations, but they still are still striving for equality. There is no doubt that people still hold a stereotype towards Indigenous people and look at them as inferior, but why do we look at them in this way if they are equals? I think many people assume that Canada’s apology and laws are good enough– because, in essence, those two things are the only things that we have changed. We still do not teach their history or acknowledge their past; we merely recognize their territory at important functions (otherwise we simply refer to their land as the reserve).
So in essence, history is not what we claim it to be– it is still living today and we often do not recognize it.
