Evidently Dr. Sagan was incorrect; we don't need to know the past, we can just rewrite it. Again and again to suit our needs. The classic novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is undergoing a retrofit, they're replacing all references to the 'n' word to make it more accessible to the 21st Century. The publisher is calling it an update; we used to call that "new wine in an old wineskin."
I'm not nor would I ever defend using that word, its offensiveness cannot be properly measured in today's context. It is a word of hate with an edge meant only to slice away ones humanity. However to revise a work without the author's permission is censorship. I'm not sure how others feel about a revisionist practice but I'm afraid of what's next? Many classrooms already skip the nation's founding fathers because they were slaveholders. It's the ugly truth, but they were. There are many instances in our nation's history that we wish didn't happen but turning a blind eye won't erase the occurrences. We have to own our baggage, we can't pick and choose.
I may be off base but when you disregard history because it's embarrassing or uncomfortable, you do a disservice to those who struggled for justice in a time when little was to be found. If we don't remember the pain, how are we to remember those who endured it? If we do not embrace our past failures, how then are we to measure our success?
Thank you for taking the time to read.
Spot on, sir!
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