¶ … biases present in our culture that encourage those whose primary culture is rooted in Western civilization to view their culture as the most significant and important one. It calls this view "Eurocentric," and gives many, many examples of how Eurocentric bias has been presented in textbooks about world history.
The author gives examples of how people are indoctrinated to accept an Eurocentrist view using examples from movies as well as those who seem to attempt to view Columbus more clearly. For instance, when Christopher Columbus is criticized for the wrongs he did, such as his arrival at Hispaniola resulting in the deaths of 8 million natives during the following 21 years, the implication is that these effects are somewhere in the past. In reality, it never stopped. Native peoples in the Americas are still persecuted to this day. Thus the careful re-representation of history has been taking place for centuries.
The lopsidedness of portrayals...
However, these movies do not receive wide exposure, and the typical cinematographic treatment sanitizes the actions of the conquering Europeans.
The book makes other important points, such as how language was sanitized. Originally the Spanish used the word "descubriniento" (discovery) to describe what they had done in the New (to them) World, replacing the older and more accurate term, "conquista" (conquest).
Slavery is a more complex issue because of its many historical roots -- Aristotle justified slavery. However, with the conquest of the "new" world and…
