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Some of those most often included in this definition include Plato , Dante , Christopher Columbus , William Shakespeare and Isaac Newton . Other typical "dead white males" include:
HISTORY AND USAGE The phrase "dead white males" (or "dead white men") is a rhetorical device used to deride the emphasis on Western Civilization in School s (especially those in the United States ), as the majority of figures considered significant in Western civilization are white males who are usually dead. The term was used pejoratively in the early 1990s by those advocating Multicultural studies. The term finds widespread usage among members of the educational establishment who see students as agents of social change. It began as an off-hand reference used to protest a perceived bias in favor of such figures in the Curriculum of the Education al system of the US . It had a more specific reference, to the content of compulsory early college courses, which were seen to define Civilisation too narrowly. Critics of the traditional curriculum argued that it enshrined a particular world view and that it valued older European history, for example over more recent American achievements. They also often implied that it was Subconscious ly Racist and Sexist . A form of history viewed in a similar view is the " Great Man Theory " of history. CRITICS OF THE TERM Despite being itself supportive of a controversial of English and European-language literature. They often characterise proposed curriculum change as largely motivated by political activism. They argue that to dismiss any thinker or writer as a DWEM, and solely for that reason, cannot be a valid comment on the actual content. This is because DWEM is employed as an '' Ad Hominem '' argument. This approach has joined the repertoire of calling criticism ' Political Correctness ', or defending a historical figure or event as being subject to academic attacks by " Liberal Intellectual s". It strengthens those points, since it speaks to the fallacious nature of ''ad hominem'', rather than itself relying on fallacies. In response, it has been pointed out that the term DWEM is not meant as a criticism of Plato, Aristotle, or other such "dead white" intellectuals. Instead, they suggest that it is a criticism of the academics that have held them in absolute esteem, while downplaying the possible worth of contemporary intellectuals (such as Jack Kerouac ) or non-white intellectuals (such as Lao Tze ). Users of the term also suggest that their critics are Bigots who have an automatically indignant reaction to the words "dead white males," as well as an automatic connection to Eurocentric traditions. It has also been pointed out that some authors who are widely accepted into the Western canon, such as the astronomer/mathematician Ptolemy and the theologian/philosopher Augustine Of Hippo were born or lived in Africa, and may not have been "white" as that term is generally understood today. POPULAR CULTURE The term has gained widespread enough currency that it can appear in mass-market media. For example, in the film '' 10 Things I Hate About You '' ( 1999 ), an African-American high-school English teacher performs a Rap version of a Shakespearean sonnet. Afterwards, he remarks that although Shakespeare is a "dead white guy", he "knows his stuff" and is still worth the attention. Harold Bloom has made the same argument, in a more academic style; see his book '' The Anxiety Of Influence '' {Link without Title} . Australian playwright David Williamson also satirised this apporach to education in his play ''Dead White Males.'' In the production, the ghost of Shakespeare is shot by a radical Post-structuralist lecturer. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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