There is a term that describes people who think that all history began the day they were born. In other words, they think that we have always had income tax, always had social security, women and black people have always had the right to vote, etc. Their only frame of reference for political or historic events is what they grew up with, and are unable to grasp that things have not always been this way. Any ideas?
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In other words, you're asking for a term for people who have no history education.– Hot LicksJul 2, 2016 at 22:45
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Not just no education, it's more of a mindset, like a mental block about earlier history.– CigarDougJul 2, 2016 at 22:46
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5presentism: uncritical adherence to present-day attitudes, especially the tendency to interpret past events in terms of modern values and concepts.– user180089Jul 2, 2016 at 22:49
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In some countries, blacks always have had the right to vote (at least as long as whites & other coloured people have).– TrevorDJul 2, 2016 at 23:29
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1Seems to me that "ignorant" is the term you're looking for. Whether the ignorance is by choice or not depends on the individual/– Hot LicksSep 8, 2016 at 2:02
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2 Answers
"Their only frame of reference for political or historic events is what they grew up with." :
sheltered –Urban Dictionary
A person who has been secluded from the darkness and evils of the world. Such as war, murder, suicide, abuse, cutting, rape, amputees, disease, drug abuse, gangsters and mafias.
A person who is sheltered is usually naive, likely religious, and does not know how the world works in reality.
Sheltering your children is a terrible thing and unrecommended. It promotes unawareness and makes them more vulnerable to be taken advantage of by corrupt, evil and manipulative people.
The majority of people in America are pathetically sheltered.
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'Sheltered' really does not work, as a person can be (and I think many are) exposed to all those things you list, but still remain ignorant of history. Conversely, a person can study history while still being sheltered. Many historians would probably fit this.– jamesqfNov 7, 2016 at 5:26
The hyphenated word history-challenged (definition 2 below) or the phrase historically challenged (definition 1/2 below) should help here.
dictionary.com:
challenged adjective
1. a euphemism for disabled (usually preceded by an adverb): physically challenged.
2. deficient or lacking (usually preceded by an adverb or noun and used facetiously): ethically challenged; math-challenged.
Examples using "historically challenged":
answered Dec 7, 2016 at 5:35
