Many historical figures have been depicted by books as people who fought for noble causes. They sought to eradicate violence and injustice; they were peaceful men and women who put their faith in the kindness of the world, a statement which differs from reality.
History books seem to focus on their reputation as good samaritans and have completely overlooked the fact that many of them were violent towards loved ones, and others covertly committed crimes against humanity.
They are seen as peace symbols, or they are the faces of revolutionary movements, but in reality the were the biggest hypocrites. Their talent is unquestionable, and perhaps that is the reason why some historians overlook their defects. Not every historical figure is entirely evil or good. The following characters deceived the world with their so called kindness.
Winston Churchill
Churchill is often depicted as the brave man who fought against Hitler and Stalin to liberate the world from oppression. He undoubtedly helped the Allies overthrow Hitler; however, the liberty he promoted in Europe wasn’t encouraged in the British colonies of South Africa and India. He approved the murder of thousands of people in order to remain in control of those countries.
Pope John Paul II
He is now considered to be a Saint in the Catholic Church, but Pope John Paul II was everything but that. He denied the accusation of sexual abuse of children by priests all around the world, and he supported the Opus Dei prelature. He was involved in a scandal of money laundering. He was opposed to the use of condoms to prevent HIV, and he allegedly used charitable social programs as a means to convert people in the least economically developed countries to Catholicism.
Bob Marley
Bob was a social leader and the main spokesperson to promote the legalization of marihuana. Many of his fans still see him as peaceful man. However, her wife Rita has depicted him as a violent man who showed no regrets when beating her. She also accused him of not being responsible for the children he had with other women across Jamaica.
John Lennon
The frontman of the Beatles is probably the most beloved singer in the world. The hippies used him as the symbol of their pacifist revolution against the Vietnam War. However, Lennon always had problems controlling his temper, and in certain instances his fights with Yoko ended up as physical confrontations. He even made homophobic comments regarding Brian Epstein’s sexuality.
Mother Teresa
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was far from being the Saint she is now due to her beatification.
The Nobel Peace laureate prolonged the afflictions of the sick patients she took care of because she believed they needed to feel pain in order to experience the suffering of Christ on the cross. Her hospitals were depicted as living hells, despite of the millions of dollars they received from donations.
Walt Disney
We all love the motion pictures Disney created to entertain children and adults alike; however, behind his façade of the good guy lurks a racist and misogynist. In his firsts films, African Americans, and Indians were depicted as the bad guys and second class citizens. He also made his employees work extra hours and fired them if they complained, and women were paid less than men for the same amount of work.
