By desperate - 05/10/2012 09:47 - Malta - Paola

Today, as an introduction to the history of China, I asked my APA World History class to write a 500 word essay on a historical Chinese person. Out of a class of 18, five of them were about Mulan. FML
I agree, your life sucks 26 042
You deserved it 5 037

Same thing different taste

Top comments

I bet a lot of them were about Jackie Chan as well

See, I would have been more creative... Mine would have been about Mushu.

Comments

I bet a lot of them were about Jackie Chan as well

Chan wasn't a historical person!!;(

lovepandorasaver 11

Historical..no but legendary he was, doing his own stunts and dealing with Chris Tucker, that deserves an award.

amandajlucas2015 2

Why not have them right about a historical American person.. I don't know any historical Chinese people mainly because I don't care to know about them.. American historical people are different.. If u would have asked for that essay u might have gotten a different outcome.. Also your students probably aren't that dumb to know that Mulan is fake they probably were trying to be smart asses and make fun of u for asking for such a stupid essay

g_ayvel 11

Prolly because they were studying the history of china?^^

nonnieluv 9

He could have given a list of historical people and made them research the person

Amandajlucas - That's some of the most ethnocentric bullshit I've ever had the misfortune of reading. First, OP lives in Malta. That's not in the US. Second, I find it pathetic that you don't care to know of any history beside your own. Third, what the **** makes you think American historical figures are any different than any others? Fourth, it isn't a stupid idea for an essay. OP is teaching HISTORY. Open your ignorant eyes, moron. There are other people in the world. You better learn that quickly, or else you're destined for a lifelong pursuit of idiocy.

unknown_user5566 26

112- You are the definition of ignorance. First of all, I am not entirely sure how an individual would "right" about something. Second of all, World History courses are meant to expand your horizons. It's necessary to learn about other cultures and their history to avoid negativity/racism/etc borne from ignorance. I'm sorry to say that the educational system seems to have failed you. As the saying goes, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Oh, PS: Mulan isn't fake.

@112 Before you make a comment, it might be wise to think first: "Will I look like an ignorant idiot who only cares about America? What happens/has happened in other countries, is something I do not care about, because I don't live there." If you answered yes, delete your comment and move on. I really can't believe you actually wrote that here.

112 - like you could even get into an APA World History Class. I'd be surprised if you got passed the 6th grade.

SenselessPattern 12

After about the 6th comment, I figured out how stupid she was. I mean, come on guys. After the first few insults and corrections, especially with DocBastard's burns, you don't need to follow the crowd and keep posting more of the same.

Link5794 18

Maybe they replied right away without seeing the other comments, or maybe they just wanted to voice their opinions in a place specifically dedicated for opinions.

Wow 112 your am idiot. She said in the FML it was Chinese history introduction in a world history class.

145: I disagree, #112 needs to be condemned harshly and repeatedly until she corrects herself. Her ignorant attitude might seem inconsequential, but it's the same rhetoric that has lead to world wars. Dangerous foolishness like that needs to be stomped out!

#150: this is a job for mighty Thor and his hammer, to knock the stupidly out of people!!!

Yes 112, because the Chinese civilization which is few thousands years old, has clearly no historical figures compared to the roughly 500 years old amerikuh. Hurr durr

Yes, as an introductory essay I doubt many of those people knew any historical Chinese people. They probably picked Mulan out of desperation.

164: 500 years of American history is a stretch, especially when you consider that the country isn't even half that old. 174: Any student above 10th grade who doesn't know who Chairman Mao is has been failed by his or her education. Other interesting figures include Genghis Khan, Sun Yat-Sen, Chiang Kai-Shek, and my personal favorite, Deng Xiaoping.

You do know Mulan is based on a real historical figure right? Also saying Chinese figures aren't important is .......... I have no words to describe your stupidity. The Chinese made paper gunpowder and they have awesome food .Did you even go to school wait nevermind this is basic

186- I think you might be refering to Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan dynasty, who, I believe, was one of Ghengis' sons.

#186 Don't forget Zheng He, he was a pretty cool guy. Build massive treasure ships and explored vast tracts of the world's oceans. I was writing about him for assignments when I was about 15.

189: He sure was, but that doesn't mean he didn't have a profound impact on Chinese history. 196: Grandson. 210: Definitely! I forgot all about him, but he definitely deserves a place on this list.

SenselessPattern 12

That's fine, but I'm not going to change my position. I still think people went overkill on this. I doubt that lady is going to be busy starting world war 3 anytime soon.

jillybee101 7

112 is definitely a hick. And a nationalist.

217: Surely not by herself, no, but her attitude belies the kind of stupidity that might vote for an idiot (Tea-Partier?) who could start WWIII with some ill-considered economic policy. The more I read #112, the less I believe that girl is 20...and the less I believe she should be allowed to vote.

214: LOL. Don't try and justify yourself. So do the Persians, Koreans and Russians talk about Mongolian attacks in their history classes? They might, but they won't go into a great deal. Because it's meant to be on their own history?

Close. Kublai Khan was Genghis's GRANDson...

See, I would have been more creative... Mine would have been about Mushu.

Bruce Lee wasn't really a historical figure. His martial arts were good and movies. However didn't really anything for his country.

116- Technically, he is a historical figure. Being a historical figure doesn't necessarily imply that you saved your country. He was an ambassador for China as far as his stunt fighting...who doesn't know about Bruce Lee? I'm sure he also lent much to their economy with his movies.

Granted, he was great in filmography not doubt about it. Bruce Lee is a historical figure in film and martial arts. In that manner speaking. However Bruce Lee was not Chinese, by ethnicity yes but he was indeed American and born here in the United States. Therefore that does not make him a Chinese historical figure.

jillybee101 7
gree_fml 11

171- Sure, he may be an American citizen, but that doesn't change the fact that he's Chinese.

Hey Mulan was a good story..it is inspiring.

Redoxx_fml 22

Mulan was a real person http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan

Referencing Wikipedia..... FFS no! That makes you wrong automatically even if you are right.

Wikipedia has ClueBot, so it's kinda hard to make a bullshit edit that won't get reverted in half a second.

Psycho_Babydoll 26

Dishonour on you, dishonour on your cow!!

she's one of the only princesses that did something instead of waiting around for her prince to come

melodia_fml 3

She is a "legendary figure" it could be true but after all she IS legendary not proven to be real

alisidewinder 9

182- there's rapunzel and Merida. Rapunzel wasn't looking for love she just fell in it. Merida did not want to get married at all and rebelled against her mother and changed the tradition.

I believe Mulan is not a princess. She married a General.

Psycho_Babydoll 26

Ahhhh but you can't deny Mulan kicks ass. :o Your students know their shit.

She was based off a Chinese person. Technically.

Psycho_Babydoll 26

OMG, a fellow Plague Rat!! :D

OP's students are awesome! TLAA! ( their lives are average)

glutgyoogle 6

LolzZz ap world. I miss that class. Said no one.

Comment moderated for rule-breaking.

Show it anyway

iirc Mulan was based on a historical figure to some degree...

Ya I mean she was a real person but her life was just a lot more gruesome than they showed in the movie

Yeah, only instead of being honored she was executed when they found out she was a woman. I think I prefer the disney version >

raraisbang 12

131, the legends/stories I've heard of Mulan didn't say she was executed, they said she lived the rest of her life peacefully after 12 years of war.

You are correct! Mulan was an actual historical figure. Of course the disney version was fictional though.

People are getting dumber. If we want a better brighter future,we need to raise better brighter people.

Mulan is a great movie! And based on a true story ( i think ) so its not that vad i guess!

No actually, Mulan is based on a woman (named Mulan - how crazy!) that did fight as a soldier for china (disguised as a man) so yes, it IS a true story, not fictional. Some elements of the disney version are undoubtedly fictional but it is based on something that actually happened

Actually it's based on a Chinese folk tale. Some say its true while others say its fictional.

We all have Internet. Why are we speculating on this? Just google it.

It's a folktale... Like Robin Hood. There's no historical facts or documents to back it up. If there was, why would this be an FML??

Because they can't put anything on the internet that isn't true. Believe me, that's where I found my french model.

So everything on the internet is true? Oh. My. God. The loch ness monster exists!

Sorry but Robin Hood was a real person also. His deeds inflated a bit for the legend. But hey you can always try saying Ibn Fadlan if your looking for a purely fictional character.

You mean she didn't really have a dragon that talked like Eddie Murphy?!?!?!

78- no, there is speculation that Robin Hood could have been real, but no there's proof. Maybe you should research before commenting?

Omg Aussie ur really ******* dumb the last time we fought over a topic u lost horribly you're About to lose even worse. Robin locksley killed a lot of French men in a very famous battle and killed a lot more frenchies before that. Mulan suffered a similar fate to Mel Gibson in brave heart. Being drawn and quartered wasn't a western invention . Anyway wiki won't teach u Bout the world Aussie read a book once in a while

Robin hunted in the forest to feed the peasants after the king took over their traditional public-use hunting grounds.

juturnaamo 29

Are you implying that she didn't have a tiny dragon side kick?

By #77's logic, I'm assuming Slenderman is real too. And #212 I would've appreciated your comment if you had cared to use proper grammar and spelling.

Lionesse 15

I have learned that there are idiots in this world and sometimes it is best to just let them be. No sense in wasting your energy correcting people who really lack the common sense to do hard work. My AP U.S History teacher used to throw chalk at our head if we wrote something crappy. Just a little advice :D

FYI, teachers aren't supposed to do that. I dont think you would recommend OP to do this if you would of recieved a chalk in your eye...

Lionesse 15

Yeah, they aren't supposed to do that but my teacher did. None of use really complained because 1) He had good aim and it only hit us on the top of our head 2) We learned not to screw over our teacher in any shape or form 3) He had the highest passing rate in the state for Advance Placement Exams

I think it's actually fairly normal from what I've seen. My teacher used to throw jolly ranchers at us, so it got the point across but at the same time kept us from complaining.

Mine had the habit of throwing bricks, because chalk just bounced off of us. My teacher believed in permanent reinforcement.

unknown_user5566 26

12- Err, OP is a teacher. There is a LOT of sense in correcting the students, and trying to instill work ethic in them.

Let's just say I always bring a box a crushed paper balls into class. Students fear my awful aim.

If you don't correct someone then they will make the same mistake over and over again. There are a lot of idiots in the world because people decide to not correct them.

Then there are those who make the same mistakes over and over again, no matter how many times you try to correct them.