It seems as though when we were younger, life was full of lies. I'm not referring to the lies about Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy (so sorry if you had no idea, and I just ruined your childhood). Instead, I am referring to the ways of society. Some lies were simple, while other lies omitted information from us; we were told vague information on topics.
Nowadays, it seems that as we grow up, the lies are revealed. Eventually, the truth always comes out, and reality is realized. Here are some of the lies I believe need to called out and clarified:
Christopher Columbus. The lovely man who documented his finding of America. Praised for his glory in discovering North America (while enslaving thousands of Native Americans and exposing them to deadly diseases), he is an icon, and is rewarded with a day dedicated to him, also known as Columbus Day. When growing up, I was taught Christopher Columbus was a great and noble explorer, yet anyone failed to mention he committed genocide. Speaking of adults who can misuse their power, here is the next lie:
Adults are bigger than children, therefore better. This is an assumption made by adults that gets told to children, myself included, when I was growing up. Instead of reminding younger folks to respect older individuals, we are told they're better than us, therefore we ought to respect them. Quite vague, indeed. Adults, quite frankly, are just older children with more work experience. While younger generations are taught to preserve the environment and treat others kindly, some adults do the opposite, even refusing to acknowledge such things. Here is the next lie:
Racism does not exist. Growing up in history class, I learned that after slavery was abolished, the law didn't change the way individuals of different creed or color were treated. Once anti-discrimination laws were in place, we were told that was the end of the fight. Now, look into the future. Discrimination laws are in place, yet are always defied. The truth is, racism still exists. Nowadays, it seems like we are stepping backwards, rather than forward. Many politicians seem to forget their high school biology class--the lesson with Darwin and adaptability. If an organism, species or person doesn't adapt to the changing world around them, they perish. While many politicians want to go back to the glory days of the American dream (which is a vague and different meaning for all) younger generations are awaiting their chance to lead the country in a different direction.
Finally, the biggest lie I was told is that marriage is strictly between a man and a woman. Seeing that same-sex marriages take place regularly, and there is nothing wrong with same-sex marriage, I think it's safe to say that marriage can be between any two people who simply love each other.
Now that my lies have been addressed, what were some of the biggest lies you were told while growing up?
