How Perspectives Shape Historical Memories
Updated: 7 days ago
At Deerfield, we remember not the people who were average during their respective times in history but those who were radical — culture-changing, forward-looking citizens, whether it’s Benjamin Franklin, MLK Jr. or Gloria Steinem. Continuing on this theme, I wish to explore how our memories affect our opinion-making and reflections on humanity’s past.
In order to understand how history is remembered at Deerfield, one must look at time, the ultimate healer of bad memories; the environment of Deerfield, as in the way students today perceive events of the past; and the ways in which historical events are viewed in hindsight. How will Deerfield students view current political events, specifically relating to U.S.-China relations, in the decades to come? While I believe that ethnic diversity at Deerfield will create a dual narrative of U.S.-China tensions in the future, it is imperative that students further take in a multitude of perspectives in order to create a well-rounded and less polarized community.
Let’s start with the factor of time. Jimmy Carter is an example of a presidential career influenced by his post-presidential charity and pacifying work across the globe. His approval rating was 16 points higher in 2021 than in 1981 when he left office. Can this increase be explained by his transition into the moral high ground? If so, people will remember the United States during the 2020s and ask if we took the moral high ground. I urge you to consider: what will we tell our grandchildren 50 years down the line? Will Deerfield’s U.S.-China Relations course still exist? How will its material be affected by trade wars, Taiwan, and the world’s most powerful strongmen, Xi and Trump?
In order to address and assess the second factor of Deerfield's complex environment, I thought watching the Disco Dance would give an accurate view of how students view the past. That night, I ventured through the mystifying hallways of the Athletic Center, trying to observe what I saw. In theory, this should be an event all about the 1970s and disco. Instead, almost everything was culturally out of place: the outfits, dancing, music, projections on the wall, and slang and verbiage. I suppose flowers were the theme of the day — the sort of vibe that clothing companies use to portray the era, the sort of hippie-ness popular at the time.
Yet, the brutalist dancing and house music set a fiery tone, evoking feelings contradictory to peace and love. While Deerfield might remember the 1970s this way, a majority of Americans had turned down the hippies’ liberal and free-love values, rejecting pacifist presidential candidate George McGovern by 23 points against Nixon in 1972. Still, social and technological progress has exponentially increased in the past 55 years, and the morals of the hippies are now ingrained in society, whether it be gay marriage, Earth Day or art. Does that make their side the “winner” or the more remembered one because of their “moral” deeds?
To the third examination on the formation of historical narratives, let’s look at the cultural characteristics of both Chinese and American societies. When showcasing the United States and China, their contrasting authoritarian and democratic systems lend themselves to closed and open discourse. In China, censorship occurs at an incredibly fast pace, with machines and workers removing potentially seditious posts within 24 hours. China has not only eliminated the free man’s voice, but also rewritten history.
This past summer, I took a course on China, and our teacher recounted how his professor in China, during the 90s, claimed that the Tiananmen Square Massacre was “peaceful” and that there was zero bloodshed, when other non-governmental tallies suggest otherwise. I predict that in the future, Chinese international students will be more inclined to hold a pro-China perspective on its trade and resource war with the United States.
The United States has embarked on its own route, trying to balance criticism with a pragmatic partnership with China. In September 2026, Trump attributed anti-data center rhetoric to China’s “PR campaign,” yet he embraced Xi as a peer during their recent meeting in Washington D.C. There is no doubt that many American Deerfield students will remember tense political turmoil, tariffs and the A.I. race, but whether or not their memories will include collaboration between the two superpowers is questionable. In hindsight, whichever country has the stronger “moral narrative” will take on the dominant role as storyteller. The willingness of the future Deerfield community to take on multiple angles will depend on seeing a multitude of viewpoints how they were expressed years ago.
Like the dichotomy between how 1920’s Great Britain was viewed as a “savior of Africa” and how 1960’s Great Britain was ostracized for its immoral and cruel roles in its colonies, Deerfield students, years down the road, will talk about China and the United States for the roles they took to make humanity better. Students will analyze each country’s work in developing healthy climate technologies, treating ethnic minorities as equals to the majority population and minimizing poverty, along with countless other areas. In the end, future Deerfield students will form the dual narrative of 2020's U.S.-China relations, and their wisdom and opinions shall lie within the eye of the moral beholder, shaped by the greater common good each respective society has created.