History is Humanizing

Does anyone know a name for the phenomenon of once you learn/read/see/hear something; all of a sudden you notice it everywhere. Of course our follow up to reading The Conquest of America, this week was a visit to the American Indian Museum, not much of a coincidence of theme since both were done for the same class, but the fact that Evo Morales, first indigenous president in Latin America was on our campus and then in the museum with us was thought provoking. I know that I definitely googled Evo after hearing he was coming. My Spanish class right now is focusing on human rights, particularly rights of indigenous people in Latin America. And of course we have Thanksgiving only a few days away. Thanksgiving of course has come to represent, to some, the hypocrisy of America. Our traditional tale of the Pilgrims and Indians sharing a meal together in a harmony contrasts sharply with the destructive and repressive treatment which the Indians have received from America.
I am not quite sure what to make of all this and I look forward to the Todorov book keeping me thinking, but for now I would say that my concept of Indian, the so-called “other” has greatly expanded. Fritz Schoulder’s exhibit was a reminder of the modern Indian and his problems. At the same time, the museum exhibits showed how the modern Indian has taken what advantages that can be found in his identity. Unlike Jasmine, my school didn’t have a great emphasis on Indian history. Knowing another society’s history helps to humanize that society to others. This lack of history was a part of the problem with “the conquest” of the New World. Not knowing the indigenous people’s history, the Spaniards have no sense of them as humans.