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AIBU?

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Original poster

To have only just heard of Myanmar?

308 replies

staceybeaker · 01/02/2021 19:44

Watching the news about the coup there and I thought it must be quite a small country but now I've looked it up it's really not. Obviously I am embarrassed about my own lack of geography knowledge. Has everyone else heard of it or known much about this country before?

OP posts:
Changechangychange · 01/02/2021 22:01

@RuggerHug

OP this isn't a dig at you or question just for you, apologies for highjacking. Just wondering from the people here who were educated in Britain and studied history. Did you have to learn about the empire and if you did, did you learn what the colonised countries were/are? Again I'm not having a go but it's such a huge part of the history I'm wondering how much is taught about it.
It isn’t taught at all - far too much of a political hot potato. Every time anyone suggests teaching it, the Daily Mail and/or Michael Gove throws a shit-fit.
Tellmetruth4 · 01/02/2021 22:01

‘Not everyone can know everything yes but British people should know British history and where it has influenced’

To be honest there’s a lot more historical information linked to the U.K. that should be more widely known before Myanmar/Burma IMO. The list is long. My kids are interested in history and know more than I did when I was their age (although I do have areas of specific interest that I studied in depth such as the geopolitical background in the run up to WW1) but in all honesty I’m more keen for them to learn how to code using Python like me as I feel this will be more useful to them. I guess it’s all about your priorities as we don’t have the capacity to suck in infinite information so I’m comfortable with them having a breadth of historical knowledge as opposed to depth.

TrappedAndDepressed · 01/02/2021 22:02

21:55hansgrueber

I bet you wouldn't have the guts to say that to the face of n Irish, Indian, African, Jamaican, aboriginal, native American person - ignorant coward.

Ch3rish · 01/02/2021 22:03

@TrappedAndDepressed

21:55hansgrueber

You really don't have a clue!
Colonisation equals - lies - theft - deception - nothing to be proud of.

Ohhh railways and roads big deal.

You don't even know how your own people were being treated by the English elite. You are a common person, how do you think your ancestors were being treated by the English elite?
You don't know. You don't know about history otherwise you wouldn't have made your dumb remark.

It's really quite hard to follow the way you're posting, is there a reason that you aren't using the quote function? It's an interesting discussion but your posts are confusing
GrandTheftWalrus · 01/02/2021 22:03

Didn't Top Gear do a Burma special?

Pumpkinstace · 01/02/2021 22:04

I thought it was a Turkish city

Brogues · 01/02/2021 22:06

History in secondary school 88 onwards only learned about 1066 and the two world wars and that is it. Seriously, that’s it. Thankfully I have read and travelled (and watched Simon Schama) so know a little more than I did then. If history isn’t people’s bag, it isn’t their bag :shrug: I fully understand how people didn’t know Burma and Myanmar were the same place because the news until fairly recently would still refer to it as Burma. Many people probably wouldn’t recognise Siam as being Thailand. No need to lord it over people for not being history scholars.

TrappedAndDepressed · 01/02/2021 22:06

22:03Ch3rish

Something I don't know!
The quote function is greyed out.
I'm new to MN so haven't tried and tested it.

GCAcademic · 01/02/2021 22:09

[quote Ylvamoon]If you are interested in the history of Burma/ Myanmar I highly recommend you read The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh

books.google.co.uk/books?id=-tOyBbgb_XUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+glass+Palace&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwitourjz8nuAhXoaRUIHf7mDa8Q6AEwAXoECAEQAg#v=onepage&q=The%20glass%20Palace&f=false[/quote]
I was just about to recommend this. As a novel, it has its faults, but it will give you a good sense of the broad sweep of Burma's history.

Bluethrough · 01/02/2021 22:09

I'm new to MN so haven't tried and tested it

& you won't be on here for long either!

Maybe read the forum rules?

CareBear50 · 01/02/2021 22:10

Interesting fact - Myanmar (formerly Burma) was a British colony until 1948, and drove on the left until 1970, when it changed sides. It is said that the ruler of the country at that time, dictator General Ne Win, ordered everyone to start driving on the right side of the road. However, virtually every vehicle is right-hand-drive, since there are still many old cars and buses driving around and almost all the modern cars are second-hand imports from Japan. You can still even see old traffic lights in downtown Rangoon on the wrong side of the road

TrappedAndDepressed · 01/02/2021 22:12

22:09Bluethrough

The forum rules mean pandering to people that think the former colonies should be grateful for the English stealing from them? I'll gladly leave MN myself.

The forum rules meaning not expressing shock at propel not knowing their on history?

The forum rules meaning finding it amusing that a country that has been in the UK news for the last 20 years escapes someone that was at school in the 80's!

Some rules!!

Chuckleknuckles · 01/02/2021 22:13

Worth watching the film Beyond Rangoon. It’s an old one but very interesting. 25 years old now though.

exLtEveDallas · 01/02/2021 22:15

If you can't learn your own history what have you learned?!

A lot of other things. Not everyone is interested in History (their own or others). Not everyone is taught, or chooses to learn about issues that don’t affect them. Not everyone has that privilege or level of education.

You are extremely rude, brash and condescending. I’m not surprised to learn that you are new here.

TrappedAndDepressed · 01/02/2021 22:17

22:01Tellmetruth4

Python is easy to learn
It's not C+ level

Bluethrough · 01/02/2021 22:18

@TrappedAndDepressed

22:09Bluethrough

The forum rules mean pandering to people that think the former colonies should be grateful for the English stealing from them? I'll gladly leave MN myself.

The forum rules meaning not expressing shock at propel not knowing their on history?

The forum rules meaning finding it amusing that a country that has been in the UK news for the last 20 years escapes someone that was at school in the 80's!

Some rules!!

Just avoid the name calling? i don't care, i thought it funny tbh
Cadent · 01/02/2021 22:18

Thank you all, I hadn't realised it was Burma, which I had heard of.

YANBU for not having heard of Myanmar, there's tonnes of things I don't know about either.

It is odd that you subsequently posted about it on MN instead of Googling it first to learn more about it.

TrappedAndDepressed · 01/02/2021 22:19

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Quaagars · 01/02/2021 22:20

History in secondary school 88 onwards only learned about 1066 and the two world wars and that is it. Seriously, that’s it.

Definitely this!
Could tell you about the Battle of Hastings and the World Wars but that's all we were really taught!
If history isn't "your bag" as you say, you're not going to seek out information as readily for yourself away from school, are you?
Plus, if you don't know you don't know something, how do you even begin to plug that gap of knowledge in the first place?!
Unless you see something alluding to it, ask questions and hope there's someone nice and not patronising or sneery answering you.

StoneofDestiny · 01/02/2021 22:21

Pretty shocked some people haven’t heard of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi and the Rohingya genocide.

I've been to Myanmar, one of the early tourists in after Aung Sam Suu Kyi was released from her house arrest. A positively medieval country in so many ways. She was being worshiped by the people there.
How she has fallen from grace now.

Starlightstarbright1 · 01/02/2021 22:22

I knew but mainly as we sponsored a child there.

exLtEveDallas · 01/02/2021 22:22

22:15exLtEveDallas
You are a veiled racist
Thinking that former colonies can't have been that hard done by because of infrastructure that is still in place

What on Earth are you talking about?

ButtonMoonPie · 01/02/2021 22:23

Not sure whether to be embarrassed or not but most of my knowledge on this subject comes from the Top Gear Burma Special.

Fifthtimelucky · 01/02/2021 22:24

@Changechangychange

Empire is included in the National curriculum at key stage 3 under the topic

'Ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901'

Examples (not compulsory) include:

Britain’s transatlantic slave trade: its effects and its eventual abolition,
the development of the British Empire with a depth study (for example, of India), and
Ireland and Home Rule

Quaagars · 01/02/2021 22:24

What on Earth are you talking about?

I'm wondering that myself Confused