Many young people today know more about international pop or movie stars than about famous people in the history of their own country. Why is this? What can be done to increase young people’s interest in famous people in the history of their country?
Younger generations today are often more interested in international celebrities rather than
figures
from their country’s past. In my opinion, this
is a natural tendency related to mass media and can be mitigated by improving history
lessons
in schools.
Younger people today organically gravitate towards individuals they resonate with and see in entertainment. This
applies equally to those in the film and music industries. For example
, one of the most popular singers for the last
decade has been Taylor Swift, an artist who prolifically releases albums, updates her Instagram, and is generally present online and in the entertainment world. Young people listen to her songs and identify with her and then
follow her personal life closely in order to enjoy a vicarious, uplifting feeling. This
stands in marked contrast to historical figures
who no longer contribute or offer any present value.
This
tendency to value current stars can be countered with more engaging history
classes. History
lessons
in most contexts focus on dry facts and propaganda. However
, there are historians who can enliven historical events such
as in Robert Caro’s non-fiction or Hilary Mantel’s historical fiction. Therefore
, if students were introduced to passages from those sources, there is a stronger likelihood that it would instil in them a lifelong passion for the study of history
and the figures
that have shaped our current world. If such
lessons
were combined with more relevant current events lessons
, then
students might be more compelled to understand, respect, and continue researching great historical actors.
In conclusion, though there is a natural inclination to pay more attention to contemporary pop culture figures
, an emphasis on quality texts could encourage young people to care more about individuals from the past. This
will not cause a seismic shift but could have a marginal impact.Submitted by abhaygill003 on
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