I was recently watching a video on Facebook about the history of the Panama Canal.

On the surface, it looked legit.
Professional narration.
Historic photos.
Confident tone.
Lots of “facts.”

But a couple of things didn’t sit right. Some of the conclusions being drawn didn’t line up with what I thought I knew.

So I did what I believe any reasonable, responsible person should do:

I did more research.

It didn’t take long to confirm my suspicion. The video wasn’t technically lying—but it was completely stripped of context. Key political, economic, and geopolitical factors were either glossed over or omitted entirely. And those weren’t minor details. They were critical to understanding why decisions were made and who actually benefited from them.

Once the missing context was added back in, the conclusions in the video fell apart.

They weren’t just wrong.
They were manufactured.

And that’s when it really hit me:

History without context is propaganda.

Not can be.
Not sometimes turns into.
Is.

Facts Are Easy. Understanding Is Hard.

We’re surrounded by “facts.”

Dates.
Names.
Events.
Quotes.

People love to hide behind them. “I’m just stating the facts,” they’ll say.

But facts without context don’t equal truth. They’re just raw materials. Without context, facts become incredibly easy to weaponize. They feel objective while quietly pushing you toward a conclusion someone else already decided for you.

That’s not education.
That’s manipulation.

Context Is Where Accountability Lives

Context answers the questions that actually matter:

• Why did this happen?
• Who made the decision?
• Who benefited?
• Who paid the price?
• What constraints existed at the time?
• What alternatives were available—and ignored?

When those questions are left out, something very convenient happens:

Accountability disappears.

Decisions start to look inevitable.
Failures become unfortunate accidents.
Harm gets reframed as collateral damage.

And suddenly, no one is responsible for anything.

Propaganda Rarely Lies Outright

Here’s an uncomfortable truth:

Propaganda doesn’t usually rely on lies.
It relies on selective truth.

You don’t have to invent facts. You just leave some out. You curate the story. You remove the surrounding context that would allow someone to think critically and independently.

Out of context, the story supports the writer’s bias or motive.

In context, something powerful happens:

• the bias weakens
• the motive becomes visible
• and you get to draw your own conclusions

That’s exactly what propaganda is designed to prevent.

A Timeline Is Not History

A timeline is just a sequence of events.

History is understanding.

When we confuse the two, we flatten complex human decisions into trivia. We erase nuance. We strip away incentives, power dynamics, and unintended consequences. We turn real people into footnotes and real harm into statistics.

And then we wonder why we keep repeating the same mistakes.

This Is a Now Problem, Not a Past One

This isn’t just about history books.

We see this every day:

• on social media
• in news headlines
• in corporate storytelling
• in “lessons learned” reports that teach nothing
• in leadership narratives that conveniently start after the bad decisions were made

Every time someone presents facts without context, they’re shaping your perception—whether you realize it or not.

When context disappears, power fills the gap.

Context Empowers You

Context does something incredibly important:

It gives you agency.

With context, you:

• make better decisions
• ask better questions
• spot bullshit faster
• hold people accountable
• act with confidence instead of outrage

Without context, you’re just reacting—often emotionally—to whatever version of reality someone else decided to feed you.

And if you accept that without question, you’re not just misinformed—you’re participating in the propaganda.

Stop Buying the Bullshit

We have to stop blindly consuming content just because it:

• aligns with our beliefs
• confirms our biases
• sounds authoritative
• or makes us feel morally superior

Truth doesn’t fear context.
Only propaganda does.

So slow down.
Question the framing.
Look for what’s missing.
Ask why the story is being told the way it is.

Because history without context isn’t education—it’s persuasion.

And without context, you’re not empowered.
You’re influenced.