There are two separate issues here:
(1) What should we actively teach to young children, expose them to, and how? vs what we teach to older children -- say, 16-year-olds.
(2) What books should be in school (or other) libraries.
We should not teach children that there are witches, or that one race, or tribe, or nation, is inherently, biologically, inferior or superior to another. (In the US, I doubt this happens anywhere, anyway.)
On the other hand, there are classic children's books which treat witches as real, or which have expressions which imply the existence of superior/inferior races/tribes/nations. I believe that when children are old enough to read these books, it's perfectly fine to have them in school libraries, if they have other merits. By then, children are old enough to realizet that times have changed, and that what an author wrote a hundred years ago, they might not write today.
The reality is, the human species can be, and frequently is, very nasty to each other. Although we should teach the reality of human horribie-ness, we should wait until children are older before doing.
Example: the mass murders and rapes at My Lai, carried out by American troops, is a part of American history. Every American should know about them. But ... I wouldn't want to describe, in detail, what happened to a six year old.
And ... when describing it in detail to a 16 year old, I would want to put it in context. In particular, the fact the United States has these shameful episodes in its history, doesn't negate the fact that it has been the fortress of liberal democracy in the world, and has been improving. I would want that 16 year old to become an American patriot, but one who has no illusions about his country.
(1) What should we actively teach to young children, expose them to, and how? vs what we teach to older children -- say, 16-year-olds.
(2) What books should be in school (or other) libraries.
We should not teach children that there are witches, or that one race, or tribe, or nation, is inherently, biologically, inferior or superior to another. (In the US, I doubt this happens anywhere, anyway.)
On the other hand, there are classic children's books which treat witches as real, or which have expressions which imply the existence of superior/inferior races/tribes/nations. I believe that when children are old enough to read these books, it's perfectly fine to have them in school libraries, if they have other merits. By then, children are old enough to realizet that times have changed, and that what an author wrote a hundred years ago, they might not write today.
The reality is, the human species can be, and frequently is, very nasty to each other. Although we should teach the reality of human horribie-ness, we should wait until children are older before doing.
Example: the mass murders and rapes at My Lai, carried out by American troops, is a part of American history. Every American should know about them. But ... I wouldn't want to describe, in detail, what happened to a six year old.
And ... when describing it in detail to a 16 year old, I would want to put it in context. In particular, the fact the United States has these shameful episodes in its history, doesn't negate the fact that it has been the fortress of liberal democracy in the world, and has been improving. I would want that 16 year old to become an American patriot, but one who has no illusions about his country.
