How do we learn about the past?

What do we utilize history for? We utilize it to help us learn from mistakes in the past. We utilize it as a way for us to make things better in the future. There are various methods by which history is passed down to us. The most interesting one that comes to mind is oral history. According to Wikipedia, oral history is the "recording, preservation and interpretation of historical information, based on the personal experiences and opinions of the speaker". The passing down of historical information in this fashion skews what future generations know of our history.

No one has an unbiased point of view when they attempt to recall what they remember of certain events. Reality television and the war in Iraq are the easiest examples that demonstrate this idea. People talk about reality television in different ways. Producers of these shows talk about it as a simple way to make money because they don't have to pay writers. Viewers who enjoy reality television shows see this as a golden age because of the sheer amounts of reality shows available that encompass so many different genres like love or game shows. Then there are people like me who view reality shows as some of the dumbest things ever created and can't believe there are so many people who like watching these shows.

The war in Iraq is a situation where differing opinions causes more friction. The transmission of how people interpret the war may actually lead to future disagreements. There are people who believe the war is going to help liberate the Iraqis. They will talk about the war in reverential terms. There are also many others who believe the war is being fought because of the oil that Iraq has. Their opinion would be that the war is a pointless one with pointless casualties.

The oral transmission of history can potentially cause a lot of issues between people with differing opinions. However, it is one of the most common ways by which we learn about our past. It can also be one of the best ways by which we learn from the mistakes of the past and improve our future.