Who's Behind the Curtain, Anyway?

palimpsest - (noun) :
1) writing material (as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased
2) something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface

(Merriam-Webster Online)

For far too long has the palimpsest of history been that of the "white gentleman" spinning together a thread of his own culture's story and either omitting the stories of others, or changing them to cast a better light on himself. dc_08 said it best when noting that the beloved FDR in history textbooks is greatly shielded from the link between him and placing all those Japanese citizens in internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt was still the same man as the one that had "saved the economy" as had done this, he didn't miraculously change or sprout a doppelganger. Americans like to put the "best" presidents on pedestals, or any white historical figure, and then only see the good about them while ignoring the bad - and if that means writing the bad out of history, many editors will do it (knowingly or unknowingly). It's the same phenomenon that leads people to vehemently argue against the truth of the Sally Hemmings affair, despite having fairly solid DNA evidence. It's the same that leads people to hold up Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain or Robert E. Lee for their various qualities and ignore their various faults. Among normal fans, it's called "hero worship" and it's a big no-no.

Now we at William & Mary, and anyone else, have the opportunity to change the use of the historical palimpsest. We can erase the misconceptions of history and write in the corrections, amend the texts to include what was omitted, and make a more whole American history - the way things actually, truthfully were in the first place before being recorded by the imperialist scribe.

Zarah made a good point of our own memories being a palimpsest. This is absolutely true, as anyone will realize when they think about it. Everything we learn is, in time, amended to correct old information and add new. This class will give the impetus needed for people to start a new palimpsest of the mind. We've already amended our old ways of thinking about Asian Americans and have already made new connections. We've already learned new things, or things that had been discarded were brought to light again. And surely this class will continue to spur these amendments. Hopefully this class will open the door to other courses and the efforts of Francis and of his students will cause a palimpsest of the mind on a larger scale than just the 15 of us. It may be awhile in coming - but as Madeeha has noted, this controversy that we're fighting against has also been the impetus for us to start this palimpsest. The challenge we've been given will do more to propel us forward than surpress us. Debate spreads and brings attention to the debated. If our stand were never questioned, would we still be doing this? Would it still have the potential to spread farther than our campus through the online community?