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I think the more valuable lesson is that you don't need to white-wash history to paint a figure as better than they were (especially if they were not particularly good at all in some cases), simply to uphold the value of the things we associate with them. Society doesn't have to confuse the two. A worthy idea or concept can stand on its own, even if we uncover unpleasant truths about the people involved.

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I agree with this, and have for a long time, but I also think that human society is still evolving, and that evolution has until recently precluded that kind of behavior.

Great causes have been championed by heroes, moreso than on the merits of the causes themselves. Heroes are people we can identify with, and reflect a kind of perfection that most people look up to.

I think this is starting to change, thanks in part to the communication age, which is not only stripping the white-wash from our heroes but also making them gradually less necessary.

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