can history make you dislike certain groups?

[Wounded Melody]

I've never been a person who discriminated or hated certain groups of people.
However, I am watching a documentary about the atrocities committed in Poland by the Germans and Russians during WW2 and I am getting so sick I'm about to shut it off. My whole family is Polish.
I wouldn't say that I blame the current Russian/German generations for the past, nor would I go around hating any Russian or Germans, but I also can't see myself booking a trip to either place or even having any interest in anything German or Russian from now on (I didn't realize the extent of the horrors committed). The same thing happened to me when I found out about Japan's war crimes--I wasn't so keen on a trip to Japan after that.
Am I just being too sensitive? I really just can't stand such awfulness, even if it was in the past...

 

[APPCRASH]

I'm not keen on going to Poland BECAUSE they were considered weak and then picked on by the Russian and Germans.

 

[Berethond]

No, there's nothing wrong with you.
I dislike the Americans, for their attempted genocide of the Native Americans.
I just happen to live here.

 

[mikemart]

how you think German people feel? im only part German but still knowing our history and what we've done aint the greatest feeling.

im also Italian

the only country in WW1 to switch sides and i forgot what they did in WW2

 

[Jerious1154]

Pretty much every civilization in history has committed atrocities at some point in their history, you can't hold it against them in the present.

 

[Berethond]

how you think German people feel? im only part German but still knowing our history and what we've done aint the greatest feeling.

im also Italian

the only country in WW1 to switch sides and i forgot what they did in WW2

They pretty much invaded Africa. And then switched sides.

Lousy turncoats. They do make some great food, though.

 

[Flying-Emu]

No, there's nothing wrong with you.
I dislike the Americans, for their attempted genocide of the Native Americans.
I just happen to live here.

Well, actually, at least 60% of that happened before we were "America" as a nation. So really, you should almost be blaming the Spanish and English.

Since, you know. Cortez only wiped out an entire civilization in a matter of hours.

Pretty much every civilization in history has committed atrocities at some point in their history, you can't hold it against them in the present.

What about the Athenians? They were just a bunch of pansy-sniffing philosophers.

 

[mikemart]

how you think German people feel? im only part German but still knowing our history and what we've done aint the greatest feeling.

im also Italian

the only country in WW1 to switch sides and i forgot what they did in WW2

They pretty much invaded Africa. And then switched sides.

Lousy turncoats. They do make some great food, though.

HEY! the only reason we switched sides is because the people were smart, they took over and kicked (executed in WW1) there leader out so they joined the RIGHT side.

this is why democracy wins....

damn straight we make good food

 

[Broken Orange]

A lot of American's still hate french for quiting so early in ww2, but the resitence fighters were bad ass.

 

[quiet_samurai]

Almost every single culture, govenrment, ruling body; whatever, has comitted some sort of atrocity in it's past to someone weaker then themselves, ALL OF THEM.

Except for maybe Canada cause they are panseys, but they have lumberjacks so that's cool.

 

[Berethond]

No, there's nothing wrong with you.
I dislike the Americans, for their attempted genocide of the Native Americans.
I just happen to live here.

Well, actually, at least 60% of that happened before we were "America" as a nation. So really, you should almost be blaming the Spanish and English.

Since, you know. Cortez only wiped out an entire civilization in a matter of hours.

The Trail of Tears.

And the whole "You get off you land, live on crappy reservation!!!!" deal rather upsets me.

And don't get me started on the Japanese internment.

 

[The Random One]

Of course story can make you dislike certain groups. A person's likes and dislikes change like that. You should aspire to be more, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that, as long as you don't allow that to color your actions.

And yeah, if there's a people/group in the world that doesn't have some sort of atrocity in their history, that's because they didn't have the time to commit one yet.

 

[Dorian Cornelius Jasper]

History has taught me to dislike the Jedi for their inability to not fold-over-and-die-en-masse whenever the Sith decide to throw a homecoming party.

 

[Flying-Emu]

The Trail of Tears.

And the whole "You get off you land, live on crappy reservation!!!!" deal rather upsets me.

And don't get me started on the Japanese internment.

Oh yeah. The Trail of Tears. Jackson, you insane-yet-lovable tyrant.

Neither of the next things are genocidal. Although both irritate me now, I see people's logic (admittedly made of fail) in doing it at the time.

 

[Peace_Frog]

An important thing to remember though is that "History is written by the winners."

In every war, all sides have committed war crimes, and done things they shouldn't have, but the winning side usually ends up having some of that ignored. Like ... had the Germans won WWII - well, the world would probably be a lot different in the first place - a lot of the things they had done would have been glossed over and the things the Americans did would have been brought to the fore.

- As a side note, I mean Nazi's by 'Germans', not the Germans in general

 

[zoozilla]

Every culture has done horrible things. It's pretty much inevitable.

I don't think anyone should feel a certain way towards a culture because of events that happened in the past. Sure, you can feel strongly about those events, but don't assume that those events are an accurate representation of the culture.

I mean, a very small number of Germans were actually engaged in the Holocaust. It's unfair to think badly of Germans because of it.

 

[Cortheya]

Pretty much every civilization in history has committed atrocities at some point in their history, you can't hold it against them in the present.

This but if they've done it more recently, past 10 15 years then yes you can hold it against them