Difficult to come to terms with your past...

[Thibault]

The problem with history is that it is constantly being re-written - by the victors, by the victims, by the politically correct, by those with an axe to grind and by those hoping for recognition and/or wealth. 

Interestingly a few months ago, an academic criticised the extensive use of the internet by students.  She said that this approach took away their ability to critically examine sources - because it was on the internet, it was accepted as "truth",  This is a problem with Wikipedia especially because of the ability to edit stuff.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="Thibault"]

Interestingly a few months ago, an academic criticised the extensive use of the internet by students.  She said that this approach took away their ability to critically examine sources - because it was on the internet, it was accepted as "truth",  This is a problem with Wikipedia especially because of the ability to edit stuff.

[/quote]

Whilst I wouldn't argue with the Wikipedia comment, I think the 'academic' is a bit out of line. The implication is that if information is written in a book then it has more credence than information from the internet, that does not really hold up. Books, reference or otherwise, can and do (occasionally) contain false information.

There are (I imagine) plenty of written works of reference that extol the virtues of wind power but fail to mention the lack of viability of that technology. Such books and 'so-called' serious films (An inconvenient truth) dont tell the whole truth for whatever reason, they give the individual authors own view point.

Any student who wants to critically examine sources will use ALL sources of information in order to come to a considered conclusion, be that reference books, 'learned' papers, the internet or whatever.

[Thibault]

To be fair to the academic in question, I don't think she was saying that everything written in a book is correct.  She was putting forward the view that (in her experience) students were more willing to believe information which appeared on the web and their ability to take a critical perspective was suspended.

 

I can't remember who she was, but she wanted universities to curtail the use of internet sources for student research.  I don't think she got anywhere!  [:)]

[woolybananasbrother]

Maybe if they were taught and encouraged to think critically it would help. But then I suspect that half of them should not be doing degree level studies.

[powerdesal]

I imagine she would fail to get anywhere, it was an unrealistic request.

Many (or some anyway) students do not stay on campus and do not necessarily have access to the Uni library at easy notice, nor do the Public libraries in towns have the level of reference sources available in a lot of cases. Where does that leave the committed student - the Internet of course.

I can categorically state that the internet was a distinct boon to my daughter when she did her degree. She was running a home with two children and a husband away in a war zone for most of her course, plus driving 70 miles each way to Uni each day. No internet study - no degree ( she got a 2:1 in a proper subject!)

[Polremy]

She made things earlier with sticky backed paper to hold them together.

[Polremy]

Oops. Reading from the wrong page again.

that was a reply to WB's brother from page 3 on 17th JULY.

Must be time for my siesta.

[Patf]

I've just noticed this thread, and would like to add something positive for the french in SW France.

Many french farming families in the SW sheltered jewish families for the first few years of the war. At least until 1943 when the Germans started to move into this area, and some stayed throughout the war. The numbers in the hundreds, probably thousands. 

The jews helped with the farming work to support themselves.

[Frenchie]

My grand dad was a fonctionnaire des douanes on the Belgian front..

I ve heard sooo many stories from him about that period , very interesting thread, but it would be too long to develop..

basically, I think that article from the daily Mail exagerrated things, obviously, but of course collaboration existed, I even know of a site for French persons looking for a German dad ..

Not wearing blinkers, just trying to be fair..

And I agree, one should not apologize for his ancestors' actions.

My brother married a German woman, and  once, when they were holidaying in Germany she showed him some pics in the family album where older members of the family wore Na zi uniforms, and he said to her that was alright, she shouldn't apologize, as she was only in her 20s, and that was in the 1980s/

My niece, ( their daughter ), though, was sick when she visited concentration camps and she had to be taken back to the bus while the other students were visiting..

I'm glad my family is international. This is the best way to avoid conflicts.

And even grand dad, who was first not so happy about my brother's marriage, finally told us, " Je vais planter le drapeau de l ONU sur le toit de cette maison si ça continue" ( with a smile)   ( I lived in England, brother married a German woman, my sister was seeing an Italian man etc..) [:D]

[Christine Animal]

"I'm glad my family is international. "

With you all the way Frenchie.  There is so much to be learnt and shared with each other, life is far richer.  Chauvinism is a sad thing.

 

[Alan Zoff]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned - have been too lazy to read back through whole of thread. But there is an excellent book by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow (Robson Books) entitled "Sixty Million Frenchman Can't Be Wrong" which gives a very well-balanced study of the French character, much of it related to history. Provides a very good insight into the attitudes of French people, their institutions and behaviour. As well as offering well-researched explanations, I found it made me question some of my "knee-jerk" assumptions, often based on misinformation or media prejudice.

[homepride62]

hi all , there alot of people writin on here , just want to ask did any of your  family fight in ww2 ? as iv posted here before i have my father was 21 an taken pow in1940 he knew they were beaten  when the germans broke though the ardennnes, but he had to do hes best, the french knew the same an were helping the germans to zero in on our blokes, but my dad did say that a german did save hes life because he tryed to escape an he got picked up try to cross the river elbe,an they wanted to shot him but the german was young boy in ww1 an the tommies usd to give him sweets, my dad did say the poles were good to them , i think at the end of the day you have to do what you feel is right at the time, we will never see a ww1 or ww2 ,we should be thankful to the likes of my dad an the brave souls who never came back  

[woolybanana]

One of my uncles is in the Military Cemetery at Abbeville after being shot down whilst very low level bombing. At 25 he was the oldest, the rest of the crew being 18 and 20.

One other fought his way from North Africa to Berlin in tanks and when he came back his wife wouldn't even let him in her bed again.

The third was invalided out after El Alemain in somewhat mysterious circumstances. Clap is a suggestion. Personally I think he had black banana, a disease which hits us Bananas in the vitals and is both progressive and incurable.

[odile]

[quote user="Christine Animal"]

"I'm glad my family is international. "

With you all the way Frenchie.  There is so much to be learnt and shared with each other, life is far richer.  Chauvinism is a sad thing.

 

[/quote]

we also live in a very mixed family, and so much more aware and tolerant of differences for it. My father is from staunch catholic (of Huggenot stock!!!), my mother from a rich protestant family. My OH's parents were English+African+Egyptian (muslim) on father's side, and Boer/African on mother's. My son in law is Scots/Irish- so no place for chauvinism or nationalism, or for that matter, religion. And we feel so much the better for it.