I'm a firm believer in studying unsavory parts of history. We must remember the awful things that people used to do and believe in order to fight its erasure from public consciousness. It's also horrifyingly interesting.
Like I have a case book on Abnormal Psychology from 1956 that still has sections about homosexuality and hysteria, as well as case studies about women in horribly abusive marriages that seek treatment and "hope that their marriage will get better".
I today I just picked up a book about Africa published in 1961 that still describes the Eastern Highlands as "White Man's Country".
I'm actively seeking out the old Dr. Seuss books that contain racist caricatures; I already own "If I Ran the Zoo" and "To Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street". What's interesting is the "If I Ran the Zoo" was actually in my daughter's kindergarten classroom just 2 years ago, and I convinced her teacher to give it to me because of its racist imagery. I also volunteered in her class a ton and gave them many books/toys so it balanced out lol.
I 100% do not share the attitudes of these books, I just see them as interesting microcosms of culture. Like omfg I can't believe these ideas and attitudes used to be not only accepted, but were commonplace. I'm curious what will mortify people in 50 years when they read the kind of literature we're making today.
by figgypie