VENICE OR AMERICA

By Isabelle Hancock & Allison Rainey

______’s voters are/were uneducated and uninformed. Those who claim to be well-informed are loyal to one political party rather than examining the policies of all.

Venice: The majority of political stances were heavily influenced by the church, and these elected religious officials were from prominent wealthy families. Those running for positions would be well known in the area and, most of the time, be a large contributor to wealth in the city.

America: Although there’s an established “separation of church and state,” politicians are heavily pushing a religious, and specifically, Christian agenda. Christians will vote for a politician just because they’re Christian, and Democrats will vote for Democrats just because they’re a Democrat.

______’s history involves the massacre of millions, whether for political or religious gain.

Venice: Hundreds of Venetian ships filled with thousands of men were sent to capture coastal cities in the Middle East during the First Crusade in 1095.

America: Honestly, where do we even start… the mass murder of Native Americans and continued mistreatment of native tribes, the enslavement of Africans and indigenous peoples, The Civil War, The Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, The Vietnam War and the list could go on.

______’s history is/was created in a more favorable light in order to keep their reputation intact for generations to come. Purposely overlooking/neglecting crucial information that not only hides the truth but rewrites it.

Venice: Appointed official historians to maintain the history and reputation of Venice. Painting the city-state in a light that would uphold the “myth” it was widely known for.

America: Continuously changing our public school system’s educational curriculum. Politicians are deciding what is taught in schools throughout the U.S. and even going as far as banning/altering educational material that speaks about topics such as; the civil war, religion, LGBTQ+, etc.

______’s government is/was run by wealthy families or monopolies that would have a significant pull in any decisions made.

Venice: The Mocenigo Family was one of the most powerful families in Venice. This family had officials in the military, and church and appointed seven doges (the highest official position in the Republic of Venice.)

America: America’s history is filled with corrupt monopolies that held/hold immense amounts of political and economic power over the citizens. J.P Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, etc. Even though laws have been passed, there are still political parties that receive donations and support from large wealthy companies.

Whether you chose answer A or B, you are unfortunately right. The fact that we can compare current events to those that occurred in the 14th century is frightening.

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