They also tell me that
people in the Middle Ages thought the earth was flat (everybody knew it was round), that women in the Middle Ages were no better than cattle (they had more freedom than they would enjoy until the twentieth century), that
people in the Middle Ages were morose and grim (they were boisterous partiers who loved
color), that they were morbidly fascinated with demons (they
portrayed demons as ridiculous stooges), and they were oppressed
by their kings (most
of the kings were weak).
You may wish to remind students that some
people believe just the opposite
of what those who participated in the #IfTheyGunnedMeDown campaign do: that news media are overly conscious
of race and attempt to
portray young victims
of color sympathetically
by intentionally choosing the most innocent images available.