Fact vs. Fiction

Without a doubt, I whole heartedly believe that myths play a large role in American identity formation. Frankly, American identity is one founded upon myths. The American Dream itself is a mythical societal creation. The American ideal of pulling one’s self up by their bootstraps and leading the “perfect” life complete with the nuclear family (consisting of a husband, a wife, and 2.5 kids), a house with a white picket fence, and a dog, is all a myth. In reality, how many families fit this ideal? Not that many, the last time I checked.

In addition, the portrayals of many historical figures or events in American history have been mythicized by mainstream American culture and by commercial industries. George Washington, the founding fathers, Christopher Columbus – all have become mythic characters in American culture. The commercial industry is especially to blame for the mythicization of many historical events such as Thanksgiving and the discovery of America by Columbus. These stories have become so weighted down with embellishment, outlandish lies, and downright poppycock that the truth has been all but bleached from the American consciousness. Disney is a specific example of a commercial industry notorious for churning out mythical portrayals of life. The Disney film Pocahontas is a supreme example of a historical event that has been cleansed of almost all truthfulness and accuracy, but is taken at face value by many members of the American public, especially children, so that the myth almost becomes truthful. Thus, since we see more and more Americans today recalling their nation’s history from television, films, and other modes of pop-culture, people are more apt to have a mythic notion of their American heritage or national identity.

Of course, it always helpful to discern facts from fiction when learning about a person or event in an academic setting. By educating one’s self about the truthfulness of a certain event or commonly held notion about a historical figure, one can form a more informed opinion about the subject. For example, by researching the founding of our nation thoroughly, one will learn that the founding fathers were not as great as middle school textbooks and Fourth of July celebrations make them out to be. Rather, upon further investigation, one will reach the conclusion that the founding fathers were a group of racist, gender-biased, white men who had their own self-interests in mind more than those of the common people when they decided to launch their “revolution” against the British. The only time that I can see it being harmful to debunk myths as works of fiction is when dealing with children. For them, every story, every myth is real and quite frankly, magical. It’s wrong to rob a child of the imagination they nurture when they read/listen to stories. Frankly, myths are essential to the creation of an imaginative, creative character. A good imagination will likely yield an openness to culture and new ideas later in life, which is why it is so important to form a healthy one early on.