Removing the Nuance

Introductory Questions

• When was the last time you fought another person? Was it worth it to?

• Have you ever felt you had to “take sides” when two people you knew conflicted?

• Can you lose in a game or fight if you never admit it?

• Is blind allegiance just as bad as misguided fighting?

• Who in your life would you call a “natural-born leader”? Are some people “born” a certain way?

• Do you feel that school teaches you everything you need for the future? What does it miss?

• Can people be more than the worst thing they have done? If a serial killer was known to do good before we learned they were a serial killer, should we focus on the fact that they helped the world, or that they were a serial killer?

• Are abandoned things forgotten?

• Imagine your team is tasked with ruling over a small, self-sustaining village. What system of leadership would be best for you?

• When is a secret good to keep? When is it wrong to keep a secret? Is entrusting someone with a secret a form of controlling their speech? Is keeping a secret from others lying or misleading?

The Good, the Bad, and the In-between

• “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is a very famous adage, and it seems to have had multiple origins. Many find the saying flawed, especially at recounting how history unravels, although it seems to have at least some precedence in how we form relationships. Both Finland and Romania ended up allying with the Nazis because of this, but one has apologized and the other has not. Observe the following cases when a group or nation has aligned with another as a way of fighting off a common enemy and discuss: are these relationships tenuous at best?

  • Carthaginian Empire & Syracuse (264 BCE)

  • Communist Party of China & Kuomintang (1937-1945)

  • United States & Iraq (1980-1988)

• “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” is another famous adage, that prefaces how many betrayals end up developing. Throughout history, there were examples of more personal betrayals, such as Brutus against Caesar, and there were examples of betrayals or alliance flips at the national level, such as Italy in both World Wars, although the second was not nearly as exemplary, and Germany against the Soviets in WWII. Discuss with your team: is betrayal ever justified? Is it hypocritical to support one side before fighting against that same side?

• In the conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia in the latter half of the 20th century, the two main superpowers of the world at the time had to choose which side of the war they wanted to support; uncharacteristically, they appeared to be somewhat indecisive. Usually a more minor conflict will be treated as a pawn for the larger powers of the world to vie for control and influence. Learn about what a proxy war is, then take a look at the sides taken by the following examples and the results of their dynamics, and discuss with your team: is it wrong to stick up for a person you care about if it means escalating the conflict? Is the rule the same or different for governments?

  • Chaco War (1932-1935) | Congo Crisis (1960-1965)

  • Dhofar Rebellion (1962-1976) | Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979)

  • Angolan Civil War (1974-2002) | Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009)

• After a conflict resolves, we can be quick to point out one side as the “winner” and the other as the “loser,” even though not all cases of war have a clear victor and vanquished. Some conflicts can drag on and on, draining both sides of lives and resources, and even though they may end in a victory for one side, it may have been better for them to have never fought at all—a case known as a Pyrrhic victory. Learn about the following conflicts throughout history, their lead-ups, and results, and discuss with your team: when does a war become meaningless? Should we be throwing lives towards the causes of our previous generations? Is there ever really a “winner” in war if so many people die in it?

  • War of 1812 | Korean War | Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years’ War

  • The Battle Of Heraclea And Asculum | Battle of Borodino | Siege Of Szigetvár

• Throughout history, people in power had what was deemed as a “divine right-to-rule,” and kings, emperors, czars all were given that designation, albeit with slight variation between cultures. This explained their hereditary succession. In contrast, however, the papal role, a role marked solely by religion, is an elected position and has been since at least Pope Urban I. Learn about what happens when a divine ruler is ousted, particularly the following cases, and discuss with your team: is it fair to give people a “right” to rule despite them not even existing when that role is placed upon them? Be sure to learn about the Yellow Turban Rebellion and its motivations.

  • Nicholas II | Simeon II | Louis XVI | James II and VII

  • Qin Er Shi | Sonni Baru | Canh Thinh

• You might be friends with someone whom one of your other friends dislikes, or you might dislike one of your friend’s friends. In the field of history, an analogous dynamic between a figure and the public overall is possible. This leads to revisionism, where an aspect of a historical figure surfaces and is contextualized, whether for good or for bad, into their image; however, some of these fall into the trap of presentism. Research the following influential and famous historical figures and why some consider them icons and others irredeemably flawed; then, discuss: is it ever possible for a person to be “all-good”? How can we support the good parts of people while discounting the bad?

  • Mahatma Gandhi | Martin Luther King Jr. | Thomas Jefferson

  • Abraham Lincoln | Winston Churchill | Napoleon Bonaparte

  • Ho Chi Minh | Toussaint L’Ouverture | Simón Bolívar

The Cracked Pillars of the Acropolis

• Nothing lasts forever; when regimes crumble, they leave behind remnants of their rule among the land they controlled. Even within the same rule, government buildings are subject to replacement and desertion. Research the following important bureaucratic structures that have ceased their use in government and discuss with your team: should these be torn down to save resources and space? Are they a reminder of our history? What if that history was traumatic?

  • Sans Souci (Haiti) | Jahangir Mahal (India) | Casas Nuevas de Moctezuma (Mexico)

  • Mukden Palace (China) | Marble Palace (Iran) | Zarmakoy Palace (Niger)

• Some people theorize that the world would be better with a small government, or even none at all. The undeniable reigning champion for time spent without a government in a time of peace is Belgium. However, places have gone much longer without rulers in recent memory, usually as a result of conflict and war. Also, many people, including Karl Marx, Mikhail Bakunin, William Godwin, and David Friedman, have thought up systems of government or society where a leading authority is diminished or absent. Even a Danish-French artist took up the belief that we are better off without authority. Inquire on the following cases where a land was ruled by, or people fought for a lack of government, and discuss with your team: are these people just selfish? Or is it right to see authority as suppression?

  • Utopia, Ohio | Cecília Colony | Vaux Colony

  • Kivu | Somalia | Antarctica

  • Makhnovshchina | Revolutionary Catalonia | MAREZ

• Marx, Bakunin, Godwin, and Friedman would absolutely not get along with one another politically. Anarchy is only one aspect of political theory. Anarchy itself is an extreme, with a minarchy, also known as a night-watchman state, still having a government whose sole purpose is to uphold the non-aggression principle, and thus being a “toned-down” concept. Learn about the following subdivisions of anarchy, some more serious and realistic than others, and discuss with your team: how can a society be molded into an economic system if there is no government to mold it?

  • Anarcho-communism | Anarcho-capitalism | Anarcho-primitivism

  • Anarcho-pacifism | Anarcho-posadism | Green anarchism

• Sometimes, rather than a group fighting for anarchism, anarchism comes about in other ways. One common way is for the ruling government to lose control over its subjects. Learn about the following times a power vacuum caused a power struggle and discuss with your team: why are so many people throughout history unwilling to be ruled over? Should it be mandatory for rulers or governments to ensure secure succession?

  • Mexican Revolution | Time of Troubles | Liberator’s Civil War

  • Warring States Period | Great Troubles | Three Kingdoms

  • Anarchy of the 12 Warlords | Sengoku Period

• Although not exactly anarchism or anything of the sort, Nauru is a small island nation and it does not have a capital city. Neither does Switzerland. Research the reasons countries have capital cities, and discuss with your team: why should a single city gain the power of ruling over a large area? With the advent of video calling and long-distance communication, why do we need political leaders to convene in a single place? Be sure to learn about “zoom bombing.”

• Rather than giving a population “leadership whiplash,” many countries throughout history have gone through provisional or interim governments, often following a state collapse, revolution, or civil war. Learn about the examples below and discuss: are these just made to delay potential progress? If a form of governance is set to be ousted from its inception, why should leaders in such a government care to rule well?

  • Mexico (1823-1824) | Hawaii (1893-1894) | Russia (1917)

  • Ireland (1922) | Korea (1945-1946) | Madagascar (2009-2014)

• In times of strife, the Roman Republic would switch from a democracy to a dictatorship, allowing decisions to be made faster. Research the following types of government, how they came about, instances of their use, and how successful they were. Then, discuss with your team: have the values of today affected how we view systems of government? Should we be more willing to switch between government systems depending on the circumstances?

  • Absolute Monarchy | Elected Monarchy | Constitutional Monarchy

  • Direct Democracy | Representative Democracy | Directorial Republic

  • Oligarchy | Technocracy | Kleptocracy

  • Autocracy | Plutocracy | Demarchy

  • Theocracy | Dictatorship | Kraterocracy

All the Voices in Your Head Get Louder and Louder

• Although the world is more equal than ever before, it cannot be overlooked that groups of people throughout history faced less opportunity due to being born a certain way. Learn about all of the following terms pertaining to social hierarchy and social classes (sometimes called social cleavages) and discuss: have we truly moved on from these flawed ways of thinking and running society?

• Terms

  • Discrimination | Second-class citizen | Racial Superiority | Institutional racism

  • Hegemony | Social stratum | Bourgeoisie, Proletariat, Lumpenproletariat

  • Inequality | Equality vs Equity | “More equal” | Supremacism | Ethnocentrism

  • Segregation | Potemkin Village | Davis-Moore hypothesis | Indentured servitude

• Class systems and policies

  • Songbun | Varna | Casta

  • Reserve (Canada & Australia) | Reservation (United States & New Zealand)

  • Anti-miscegenation | Apartheid | Jim Crow Laws

• The lowest classes

  • Serf | Peasant | Slave | Pleb | Shudra

  • Slum | Ghetto | Favela | Shanty town | Tent city

  • Indian status card | Yellow Badge | Inuit discs

• Regardless, one of the most commonly brought up classification systems of society is that of wealth. This is especially brought up when politicians try to appeal to a certain group, often resulting in them aligning with political parties. Take a look at the following examples of politicians and learn about who they were trying to persuade into giving them their support and discuss with your team: is populism inherently wrong?

  • Adolf Hitler | Abraham Lincoln | Jimmy Carter

  • Nayib Bukele | Shinzo Abe | Robert Muldoon

• In 2020, protests broke out across the United States after the death of George Floyd. Just six years prior, protests broke out in India after the son of an MLA was beaten to death in a shop. Even a fictitious person can lead to a revolution. All of these protests spawn organizations that fight for equality, and some can influence government policies. This is known as lobbying, and at times it brings change that the people truly ask for, but other times it selfishly allocates power to the lobbyist. Discuss with your team: should non-elected individuals have the ability to influence policy to this level?

• Maybe there is a cause that you believe strongly in, but the government just won’t listen. Civil disobedience is a way to get your message across, however, it can end in you being criminally punished. Learn about the following instances of civil disobedience and discuss with your team: when do illegal activities, that are done to get across a message or idea, go “too far”?

  • Oedipus | Mahatma Gandhi | Susan B. Anthony

  • Saad Zaghloul | Fairy Creek Protests | Natalya Dmitruk

• On the topic of influencing the government, there have been many scandals throughout history that tainted the image of certain regimes or leaders forever. Take a look at the following times governments or leaders were discovered to be behaving illicitly and discuss with your team: why is it so common for leaders to be discovered covertly committing crimes?

  • Watergate | Teapot Dome Scandal | Whiskey Ring Scandal

  • Chen Shui-bian scandals | Moshe Katsav Rape Scandal | Bunga Bunga

Censorship I: Tad Too Taboo

• Television broadcasters like to make sure their content is always family friendly to appeal and be allowed to be shown to a wide audience. However, there are always times when a word has to be bleeped out; in fact, the amount of times this is required seems to have gone up in recent years. Learn about the following terms pertaining to censorship and offensive language and discuss: is it a restriction of speech to cover up words deemed offensive?

• Censoring profanity in comics commonly creates a collection of characters called grawlixes. Learn about the history behind the term and discuss with your team: are some words better off hinted instead of said or written?

• Forms of media are given ratings to ensure that people know what to expect from taking in said media and they can act accordingly. However, this leads to wrongful categorization to allow for more outreach if the system confirming the ratings is flawed. Take a look at this example on YouTube, that led to the situation being termed a scandal and discuss: should we put situations like these on the platform, creator, or parent?

• Sometimes, when a program made to detect offensive or inappropriate language was made too hastily, situations can lead to what is known as the Scunthorpe problem. Originally it affected databases but today it also affects Google domains. Learn about some ideas for solutions to the problem and discuss: why replace any word if all words have a formerly innocent etymology?

• Certain cultures across the world practice what is known as avoidance speech or tabooing of a certain topic. This usually results in euphemisms, which allow for a topic to be hinted at without hitting the taboo. Research the following examples of avoidance speech and discuss with your team: is using euphemisms a form of distortion?

  • Tapu | Ukuhlonipha | Jiahui & Guohui | Mother-in-law-language

Censorship II: Retcon-quista

• Many people retrospectively criticize education systems for their oversimplification of historical figures and events. Instead of consulting their educators, many students find it easier to learn about history on YouTube. YouTubers like Oversimplified, History Matters, and Crash Course are well known for making history a more mainstream topic, although they have seen some criticism. Learn more about the research that goes into historical topics and discuss: when, if ever, is it okay to omit an aspect of a real story? Should some histories be neglected? If so, which?

• On the topic of omitting history, many governments or organizations actively deny that certain events have happened, usually despite clear evidence on the contrary. One of the most well-known examples is Holocaust denial, which actually comes in two flavours. Learn about this time that a government denied the occurrence of an event and discuss: is it possible to be completely unbiased in terms of what information is being distributed?

• When rhetoric is spun dehumanizing the value of a specific group of people, often that group of people suffer unimaginable consequences. Learn about the stages and outcomes of the following events and discuss with your team: what could have been done to prevent these terrible events from happening?

  • Holocaust | Rwandan Genocide | Cambodian Genocide

  • Yazidi Genocide | Bosnian Genocide | Circassian Genocide

  • Libyan Genocide | Black War | Herero and Nama Genocide

Concluding Questions

• “History is written by the victors” is a very famous adage, and it seems to have some historical precedence, but also some counterpoints. Would the world be different if history was written by the vanquished?

• When fashionistas go too far, it can be a new trend. When artists bend the “rules,” it can be a new movement. In the case of political scientists, their extreme can lead them to wacky off-the-compass ideologies. Consider the political ideals of “soulism.” Will all theoretical political ideologies be fleshed out and named? How much have we named already?

• In blatant disregard of religion, science, human experiences, or any study of history, Last Thursdayism posits that the world was created last Thursday, and that all memories or records of events prior were also created last Thursday. Is there a purpose to this thought experiment? Is it to try to get people to focus on the present? If the past never really happened, why are we so obsessed with reconstructing it?