When I was 14, I argued with a friend of mine about his views on JWW Birch abolishing the slavery system in Perak, which then, among many other reasons, led him to his death. It was the first time I was knocked with some sense that not everything in our history textbook is in the narrative that the authors want us to believe. I was in disbelief when my friend told me that what Birch did was not wrong. His reason - slavery is indeed wrong anyway. But being 14 years old and as childish as I was, I immediately questioned his patriotism. From my point of view at that time, he was sympathizing with Birch. Standing with what the colonizer did could only mean one thing, that you're not being patriotic enough. More to me being angry was because I truly believe that history was whatever that appears on the pages of my history textbooks. If the textbook says that this particular person is bad, then it only feels right and patriotic to believe it and adopt such a view as well. History ...