Is History in the Past? (Essay Sample)

Is History in the Past?
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Is History in the Past?
Introduction
Is history in the past? Although Euro-American views of history dictate that it is in the past, historical events' legacy shapes or creates contemporary issues in the present. More often than not, this heritage left by historical events is not appreciated by the contemporary world that did not experience them or have a substantial background of the history in question. The heritages mentioned above create reevaluation in the present time, for example, the evacuation of Tuberculosis-affected Inuits after the Second World War. In an article review by Kelly Bennett on the shipping of hundreds of Inuits to Hamilton between the 1940s and 1950s, this event included separating family members (Bennett, 2016). Some were moved between hospitals without their records being tracked. On the other hand, others died and were buried without the knowledge of their family members. This experience translates to a traumatic feeling amongst the Inuit community, which is a controversial topic, especially to individuals who do not have sufficient background on the whole story. Therefore, history is not in the past as legacies left behind by social events are often recreated and reassessed, raising issues in the contemporary world.
Social Issue 1
The first issue is the relentless and seemingly futile struggle for gender equality by Aboriginal women of Ontario, Canada, in this contemporary world. Patriarchal beliefs and male-centric philosophies have significantly damaged the Canadian social organization, with its proponents working hard to silence the women's voices mentioned above. As an issue within the primary topic of gender inequality, poverty, gender-based violence, homelessness, lower life expectancy, and prostitution are all social factors contributing to or resulting from this contemporary problem. Their vulnerability causes the low levels in these women's life expectancy to HIV/AIDS, suicidal thoughts and poor mental health, and diabetes incidences (Hamdullahpur, Jacobs, & Gill, 2017). These women have a massive challenge providing their basic amenities, including food, shelter, and clothing. However, the socioeconomic status of their non-indigenous counterparts is much healthier compared to theirs. This aspect is caused by the fact that non-Aboriginals are not limited by socially structured restrictions as much as Aboriginal women are. As mentioned earlier, patriarchal ideologies aim at sabotaging any attempts at gender inclusivity. Furthermore, women in power who are expected to represent the voice of the marginalized women are ignorant of their anticipated role in Canadian society.
Gender-based violence as faced by Aboriginal women is higher compared to the remainder of the society. As a recollection from the previous paragraph, these women hardly have the means to create a lavish or affordable lifestyle for themselves. Likewise, they do not have the liberty to quit abusive relationships because of the anticipatory factor of economic constriction. This issue essentially subjects the Aboriginal women to such commitments, implying that the war against gender-based violence has its roots deeply rooted in the social structure. The same aspect is even tougher for women who have children that primarily depend on them. These children require substantial care in both monetary and psychological value. Since these parents do not have the option of leaving their abusive relationships, they have to remain in toxic situations for them and their children to survive. However, suggesting an economic reconstruction of such communities is simplistic and inhumane. The former and latter imply that women are denied the freedom of living a life without the fear of prosecution and violation from the patriarchal society.
The Relationship between the Historic Event and the Issue of Gender Inequality
The social issue of gender inequality with subdivisions such as poverty, vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, suicide, and their low life expectancies is related to the historical event of evacuations. The separation of women from their families led them to their current socioeconomic statuses. Aboriginal women who suffered from Tuberculosis were separated from their families, where they initially obtained monetary support. The evacuation of these women implies that they had to seek alternative methods of providing livelihoods for themselves. This issue led them to low-income generating activities such as prostitution. Apart from losing and devaluing their socioeconomic status due to these jobs, the women became vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). These diseases have been unknowingly passed on through their generations, thus the high number of indigenous women suffering from such infections. Likewise, the lack of masculine protection these women experienced multiplied the probability of being abused and subjected to such diseases.
Example of this Issue in Context without the Media's Consideration of History's Role in its Formation.
The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development based in Malaysia recently put up posters that encouraged women to be self-conscious about their physical looks and requiring them to put on makeup (Jun, 2020). The objective of these posters is to reduce gender-based violence, according to the activist group. However, these media could perpetuate negative gender stereotypes, as they do not base their solution on the initial cause of the social issue in discussion. The root cause being the denial of women's rights, the organization should have legislatively propagated an agenda for equal human rights. They failed in that they did not concentrate on the causative factor for domestic violence.
Social Issue 2
The second social issue is consistent exclusion and discrimination of the marginalized groups through legislative acts such as the Indian Act. The contemporary world recognizes the tribal, geographical, cultural, and linguistic barriers between Aboriginal and other communities in general. However, throughout history, the individuals in power have extensively ignored this fact, creating a shared experience amongst the mentioned societies. Through legislative acts such as the Indian Act mentioned above, Aboriginal women of Canada have been exceptionally discriminated against, with most of them going through the adverse effects of such legislative exclusion. Once the roots of social determinants are remitted, the visible difference between the health of both Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals will be significantly reduced.
The distinct gender bias derived from the Indian Act is based on one's descent criterion. The Aboriginals, particularly the females and their subsequent children, are denied access to private and governmental services. The provisions of Section 12(1) (b) under the Indian Act required that a woman and her subsequent children, upon entrance into marriage with a man without Indian status, be stripped of all their rights and their respective Indian statuses (Day, 2018). These rights included access to healthcare, the liberty to own homes and property, and education. In domestic viole