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I think that showing multiple aspects of historical figures like CC can help to show people that the faults inside of us all do not prevent greatness. Jefferson had slaves, but he was arguabally one of the greatest Americans, and one of the fathers of our country. Would you enjoy a movie where the protagonist was totally and completly pure and virtuous? Or would you enjoy a reluctant hero, or a hero with obvious flaws? It is human nature to raise heros to the height of Gods in our eyes, so that we may have something to aspire to. It is equalli important to know that being a hero such as CC is not unreachable. While CC was crossing the Atlantic for selfish reasons, it was extremly brave of him to explore and cross over the great ocean. He was one of the first people from Europe to cross the Atlantic. I'm pretty sure he was the first Eurpoean to return from America.
So what's the problem? When I was in grammar school, I remember saying "Columbubs sailed the ocean blue in 1492" and "Columbus discovered America!" and "Thanksgiving is about the peace and unity between the settlers and the natives". The ommision was obviously to save young children from hearing about things that disgust even adults. We want the kids to learn morality. But at what cots? The cost for the lie of morality is reality. That's hardly an even trade. The reality is that if we were to hold a poll in some random town in America about CC, people would call him a hero and an explorer and nothing more. Never in grammar school or high school did I ever learn the whole story of CC. We heard about the 'indians' attacking stagecoaches, but that was only the hollywood version.
What Manx posted in the first post is very important because it acknowledges that the reader already has morality, and is ready for reality. No one here is under 18, so you already have a good idea of what is right to imitate and what is wrong to imitate. It is right to be brave, it is wrong to enslave (<---consider that phrase coined as of now). Christopher Columbus was and is responsible for many, many deaths, and the mistreatment of innocent people. The islanders did not declair war on or try to enslave the Europeans. He treaded them as lower than human for no reason beyond the fact that they did not have the technology of the Europeans. That was wrong.
Just for kicks, I looked up 'asshole'. "A thoroughly contemptible, detestable person." I am able to detest and hold in contempt Christopher Columbus. That makes him an asshole.
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