My high school US history teacher, Mr. Thorsen, made us read the first chapter of this racist-ass standard textbook. Then, he made us read the first chapter of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Fucked me up and changed my whole world. A confirmation of things I’ve felt but could never articulate or point a finger at. Or maybe heard in a Public Enemy song. The truth about this “great” country, and how it became an empire. (more…)