No matter how old you are or how long you've been studying a particular subject, there will always be more to learn. And just because someone is younger than you doesn't mean that they can't teach you anything! That's why it's best to be open-minded and willing to admit when you're wrong; otherwise, you might end up looking like a fool in front of a class full of teenagers.
When one 8th grader's history teacher claimed that only one minority was targeted and persecuted by the Germans during World War II, the student couldn't just bite their tongue and listen. Instead, they decided to speak up, so you'll find the full story that they shared on Reddit below.
Teachers should have an open mind and be humble enough to admit when they're wrong
Image credits: westend61 / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
An internet user revealed how they called out their history teacher for failing to know some basic facts about the Holocaust
Image credits: Pressmaster / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: BillButtlickerII
It's common knowledge that the Nazi regime persecuted and killed members of the Jewish community, as well as many other groups of people
Image credits: Bundesarchiv Bild
The unfortunate reality is that there are some people out there who either deny that the Holocaust happened or deny some of the facts about the events. The Holocaust refers to the systemic mass killings organized by Germany’s Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, and their allies and collaborators, during the Second World War.
The BBC reports that the main target of these killings was the Jewish population of Europe. The Nazis wiped out nearly 7 out of every 10 Jews living on the continent at the time. Six million Jewish people died in the Holocaust between 1941 and 1945.
The Nazis also killed and persecuted members of other groups of people, including:
- Roma and Sinti people
- Slavic people
- Disabled people
- Gay people
- Black people
- Jehovah's Witnesses
- Political opponents
These are facts that any history teacher worth their salt should know. Or, if they find that they have some serious gaps in their knowledge about World War II, they should be willing to admit that they’ve made mistakes and then put in the effort to educate themselves properly.
The Holocaust Encyclopedia states that among non-Jewish groups persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime, its allies, and collaborators, around 3.3 million were Soviet prisoners of war, around 1.8 million were ethnic Poles, and between 250,000 and 500,000 were Romani.
Furthermore, the Nazis killed more than 310,000 Serb civilians. Among the victims were 250,000–300,000 people with disabilities, including at least 10,000 children; tens of thousands of German political opponents; and around 35,000 Germans imprisoned for being “professional criminals” or “asocials.”
Others killed by the Nazi regime include around 1,700 Jehovah’s Witnesses, thousands of gay and bisexual men, and hundreds of Black people in Germany.
In some countries, antisemitism is on the rise, compared to previous years
Antisemitism is on the rise in parts of the West. The Guardian reports that there were 5,500 antisemitic incidents recorded in the United Kingdom between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2024.
This is 3 times more than a year earlier when the Community Security Trust recorded 1,830 incidents.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the situation is similar. The BBC notes that reports of antisemitic incidents have reached a record high.
The Anti-Defamation League Center for Extremism found that more than 10,000 such incidents took place between October 7, 2023, and September 24, 2024. This is an increase of over 200%, compared to a year earlier.
Have you ever had issues with history teachers who couldn’t get their facts right on sensitive subjects? Have you ever had to call out a teacher for spreading outright lies? On the other hand, have you ever corrected a history expert and had them thank you for it? Share your experiences in the comments, dear readers.
Many readers were impressed by the student's determination to stand up for the truth
