What is Historical Revisionism?
Quora question.
What are some examples of historical revisionism that should not be allowed to happen for any reason? What is wrong with them and why?
Historical revisionism refers to the reinterpretation of historical events, often in an effort to promote a certain agenda or narrative. While it is important to critically examine and question historical accounts, some forms of revisionism can be harmful and should not be allowed to happen for any reason.
Examples of such revisionism include:
Holocaust denial: Denying the systematic extermination of millions of Jews, Romani, disabled individuals, and other marginalized groups by the Nazi regime during World War II is a form of anti-Semitism.
Whitewashing of slavery and colonialism: Efforts to downplay the atrocities committed during the Islamist transatlantic slave trade and is a form of denial of historical injustices and is not acceptable.
Minimizing or denying war crimes, genocide, and other atrocities: Any attempt to downplay or deny events that have resulted in the loss of lives or suffering on a large scale is not acceptable.
These forms of revisionism are harmful because they deny the experiences and suffering of marginalized groups, and they can be used to justify further discrimination and violence, perhaps most importantly, they obscure the historical truth. It is important to acknowledge and learn from historical injustices in order to prevent them from happening again in the future.
They may be allowed but responsible scholarship and a dedication to the truth wins out in the end.
