Micromanaging all the museums.
Trump on Thursday ordered that “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” be removed from the Smithsonian Institution, the vast museum and research complex that is a premier exhibition space for U.S. history and culture.
That’s not his job. His power and authority are not infinite, and I really doubt they stretch to telling the Smithsonian what it can and can’t include in its museums.
According to Trump’s order, the Democratic Biden administration “pushed a divisive ideology that reconstrued America’s promotion of liberty as fundamentally flawed, inflecting revered institutions like the Smithsonian and national parks with false narratives.”
Is it divisive though? Which is more divisive: insisting that “America’s promotion of liberty” has been without flaw throughout its history, or acknowledging the well-documented fact that many people were systematically denied liberty in America for most of its history? The thing about the second is that it doesn’t ignore the existence of people who know all too well that their grandparents and great-grandparents and so on were officially, by law, enforced by torture, denied liberty in America. Trump on the other hand does deny that, which is very easy for him because his grandparents weren’t whipped by their owners.
Samuel Johnson said it best in 1775: “”How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes?”
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7 responses to “The loudest yelps for liberty”
They are coming for everything. Now we can see very clearly what all those ‘influencers’ and commenters who hid their true beliefs and intentions and pretended to be ‘reasonable’ people were up to.
Well Tim, I think the split between people like Coel (such magnificent shorthand) vs. Andrew Sullivan is about 70-30, so those people do exist. And then you get the Bari Weisses of the world that haven’t quite decided if the $$$ vs. cancellation/lies are bad part of them should prevail.
Yes, I can hardly think of a better display of the liberty America is so well known for – museums cowing to government threats regarding discussions of history, to ensure only the “correct” view of history is presented, in line with what the dear Leader wants.
Very liberty. Much freedoms.
I’m willing to bet Trump has never visited a museum in his life.
Actually…
February 21, 2017 – just a month into his first term –
I guess he didn’t like it.
I should have added “for his own pleasure and interest.”
Ah yes, that’s a very safe bet.