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Why do we glorify horrible people from the distant past? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 3 months ago by Konis@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Julius Ceasar, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and many more...

These people had beliefs and worldviews that were so horribly, by today's standards, that calling them fascist would be huge understatement. And they followed through by committing a lot of evil.

Aren't we basically glorifying the Hitlers of centuries past?

I know, historians always say that one should not judge historical figures by contemporary moral standards. But there's a difference between objectively studying history and actually glorifying these figures.

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[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 48 points 3 months ago (15 children)

Do we glorify them, or do we just learn about them because they had a huge impact on the world?

I don't think I've ever heard of anyone holding Genghis Khan up as a role model.

[–] Konis@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 months ago

Genghis Khan isn't as glorified as the rest, because, ..., he's not white/European. He's glorified in Mongolia and some other Asian countries, but not in the western world.

But the rest of them? Yes, we do. Maybe not always so overtly, but the implied greatness of most of these figures is tied to how much wars they waged and how many peoples they subjugated. And if you simply go to any primary or middle school and ask the kids who are into history, you'll find lots of boys (mostly boys) who will rave on about how this or that was the absolute GOAT.

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