Binding / Freedom

The idea that history can “bind us or free us” (106) in The Theory Toolbox represents the erratic and changeable nature of historical constructions and interpretations. The example of the Holocaust was given and how this time in history is taught as a horrific extreme. While, in most public school classrooms, there is no discussion of the U.S. and European Eugenics movement’s connection to the Jewish Holocaust. There usually is also no discussion of the sterilization and extermination of people with mental and physical disabilities. A lot of this history is not discussed in public U.S. high schools, because it reveals certain unfavorable representations of the U.S. and other ally countries. This is an instance where no understanding or acknowledgment of U.S. involvement creates an inaccurate and incomplete representation of this time in history.
This kind of interpretation of history can “bind” Americans to this one particular narrative of the Holocaust and World War II. This can create a reality that could repeat certain sentiments o mentalities of that time period. While the word Eugenics has a very bad connotation and reaction, a narrative of life “worth” still permeates mainstream media and publications. For instance, assisted suicides, selective abortions and prenatal testing for disabilities or so called “defects”. While, a very different narrative is being demonstrated, the question of what lives are worth living, constructions of “defects” and “deformities” in humans elicit some similar sentiments of Social Darwinism and Eugenic movements.