On The Smithsonian and Slavery: Trump’s Whitewashing of History

[initforme]

Oops….typo. I meant hate for EMPLOYERS - you know, the ones that provide opportunities for Americans to support themselves.

I dont hate american employers. I just call out the bad ones and believe in treating workers highly.

 

[ThisIsMe]

The use of plausible deniability is the main weapon in a racist's arsenal. Trump is trying to impose a white supremacist agenda.

Really? Please point out what he is doing to accomplish this. Deporting illegals? Why is that racist?

 

[BULLDOG]

~~~~~~
Perhaps you can hold a seance with Joe Biden's dear friend and former Senator Robert Byrd. Perhaps he can clue you in on the KKK.

Another silly belief that trump's cult has. You think mentioning Byrd should somehow embarrass anybody. Instead, we are proud of Robert Byrd and the transition he made from a leader in the KKK to one of the most staunch supporters of equal rights that the country has ever seen. You don't find it interesting that the NAACP released a statement of mourning, praising him for his work on their behalf when he died? Your post is just another example of trump cult rhetoric diverging from reality.

 

[Unkotare]

Sure they do. ...

Nope. A traitor's a traitor. And referencing an old movie is about as weak an argument as you can get. Good movie though. Well, half. When it gets to the part where Sondra Locke's character shows up it turns to shit (like everything else she was ever in).

 

[SweetTea]

What's unfolding here is truly Orwellian. Having a government defining official history is akin to 1984's ministry of truth.

People are going to grow up in a world where the very concept of history will be whatever the government says it is, the presence of facts will become secondary, people will rely on officialdom for truth, the value of truth will be based on how close it conforms to the government's narrative.

Trump and his sycophantic yes-men are developing a historical narrative about slavery that is not based on truth but based on what "image" it presents to people from all over the world who visit the Smithsonian.

The new magat definition of "truth" is whatever leads to a desirable outcome, I mean that, the very essence and meaning of the word will be changed and internalized by the population.

Interesting that it is a British graphic novel that predicted what the US will become, every sane American needs to wake up out of their slumber and see what is happening.

I didn't know that Trump was asking the Smithsonian to remove all references to slavery. I believe he is simply asking for a balanced overview of the history of our country that exhibits both the "good" and the "bad". That is not too much to ask. For some reason, Democrats don't want citizens to be proud of their country. They seemingly want them to feel as though they should be in a perpetual state of apology for being the most successful nation in the world. Other countries do exactly the opposite.

 

[TimFitz]

"what makes you think the government white supremacist? “

Stephen Miller, who is a white supremacist. Steve Bannon, who promotes it. The skinheads that show up in public now. The thuggery of ICE, the open embrace of right wing militias, like the ones imbedded in the Jan 6th mob.

“I dont know of anyone who supports our government "structuring" black history in any way. The only thing ive seen is pushback on CRT and things like that, that tries to teach our students that white people are inherently bad.”

The right wing noise about CRT is inherently racist. It was never anything more than an academic theory. It was never adopted anywhere as policy, contrary to the blizzard of false, rave baiting claims made by right wing media.

Nor did it ever teach anyone that white people are bad. 1619 was a far more accurate history of slavery and oppression than anything taught in any public school.

But ginning it up appeals to white fear and resentment,

Personally, I see nothing wrong about teaching students about our ugly racist past.vv

It is not about blaming or demonizing white people. It’s about admitting that the glorious pageant of the building of our nation has a dark underbelly, and acknowledging it.

What did trump say?



Dems pick the ONE segment out of that whole sentence and made it as if it was the whole thing. If you read it in context, hes saying that the Smithsonian is focused on all the negative parts of the US and none of the positive.

Trump clearly want the whitewash to continue, and played to his base by saying so,

 

[SweetTea]

It is not about blaming or demonizing white people. It’s about admitting that the glorious pageant of the building of our nation has a dark underbelly, and acknowledging it.

Every country on the planet has a dark underbelly. I doubt many focus on that as much as the US dwells on slavery. I don't know anyone that is trying to remove slavery from our history books, but teaching it as if it was the single most influential thing in our history is not productive nor true.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Nooo...he thinks ANYONE who disagrees with him is racist,

how do you know that isn't the case? don't you think he has more experience of it than you?

what makes you think the government white supremacist?

What makes you think it isn't? appointing Kash Patel to head the FBI?

I dont know of anyone who supports our government "structuring" black history in any way. The only thing ive seen is pushback on CRT and things like that, that tries to teach our students that white people are inherently bad.

And the air brushing away of black military men from government websites, the conflation of DEI with Black privilege, the renaming of military bases to reaffirm the original pro-white emphasis and so on.

What did trump say?

Trump is free to critique the Museum, but only an insecure dictatorial mind would fret over a museum's depiction of US history and actively interfere with the work of professional historians so that the history depicted meets with his personal approval under threat of financial penalties.

I've been to the Smithsonian and was immersed in hundreds of examples of American success, everywhere it showed the accomplishments, abolishing slavery was an example of that success and it is entirely appropriate to demonstrate the sheer horror and cruelty of slavery (including it's exploitation by so-called Christians) in order to fully convey the magnitude of the successful campaign to abolish it.

Dems pick the ONE segment out of that whole sentence and made it as if it was the whole thing. If you read it in context, hes saying that the Smithsonian is focused on all the negative parts of the US and none of the positive.

Trump's an uneducated thicko and so are you for following him.

If a future German government complained about a national museum as being "OUT OF CONTROL" and called out their emphasis on "how bad the Holocaust" as as one of the complaints about the museum's "OUT OF CONTROL" treatment of the Holocaust would Jewish people be justified in regarding that government with fear?

The answer is quite obviously "Yes" as I think you'll agree.

The problem with you and most magats is the "It can never happen here" syndrome. The deeply held belief that fascism, government coercion, abuse of authority, disregard for constitution and so on, can only happen in other countries.

That even when it does happen here, the insistence that it isn't, the argument that those complaining are simply exaggerating, are just "radical lefties" with an agenda of "communism" etc. No matter what trump does there's already a built in defense which we'll hear from the magats.

He could order the arrest and incarceration of anyone in the future on a personal whim, and make up some claptrap about national security and your ilk would fully approve, incapable of condemnation, whatever trump does is always OK with magats.

He could cancel or hamper the mid terms and justify it with any made up "threat" and you losers would approve, fully support and even defend him.

You actually believe that such a thing cannot happen here, even when its happening, that's willful ignorance.

You and many others have embraced a personality cult, that's why we need proper museums to help educate people.

I mean American white people whining about museums detailing black slavery? ******* ridiculous, that's why he calls you a racist, you are one, now go and get a life and stop fretting over the ******* Smithsonian like an entitled cry baby.

 

[TimFitz]

Every country on the planet has a dark underbelly. I doubt many focus on that as much as the US dwells on slavery. I don't know anyone that is trying to remove slavery from our history books, but teaching it as if it was the single most influential thing in our history is not productive nor true.

The dark underbelly of our past has never been acknowledged in the history taught in school. It has either been entirely left out or minimized.

Trump, in his remarks on the Smithsonian institution, plays to that white resentment.

Many white people,including much of the Trump crowd, want to keep it that way.

“Gone With the Wind” is a striking example of that whitewash,

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Every country on the planet has a dark underbelly. I doubt many focus on that as much as the US dwells on slavery. I don't know anyone that is trying to remove slavery from our history books, but teaching it as if it was the single most influential thing in our history is not productive nor true.

Every country on the planet has a dark underbelly. I doubt many focus on that as much as Germany dwells on the Holocaust. I don't know anyone that is trying to remove the Holocaust from our history books, but teaching it as if it was the single most influential thing in our history is not productive nor true.

 

[sartre play]

Can you be any more disingenuous? You know that the painting represents people illegally crossing our borders. This has already been stated

No painting should close /alter museums,
Please explain how you personally know the full meaning of the painting?

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Clearly you DO care, since you felt a need to poo poo what the other poster said.

But, my question to you was about your counter point, when you expressed opposition ot the very idea or even the word, PRIDE.


So, you don't give a **** about history, fine.


My question was about your claimed inabiliyt to understand why other people would want some.



Here is what I think. I think you completely understand that having some pride in your nation and your history, is completely normal and healthy,


and that is why you don't want it for AMERICA, or AMERICANS,


Because you are anti-American.

Leave the duck alone, he's Canadian.

 

[struth]

Every country on the planet has a dark underbelly. I doubt many focus on that as much as Germany dwells on the Holocaust. I don't know anyone that is trying to remove the Holocaust from our history books, but teaching it as if it was the single most influential thing in our history is not productive nor true.

Yes the Holocaust is not the single most influential thing is our or Germany’s history

Your point?

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yes the Holocaust is not the single most influential thing is our or Germany’s history

Your point?

If a future German government complained about a national museum as being "OUT OF CONTROL" and called out their emphasis on "how bad the Holocaust was" as one of the complaints about the museum's "OUT OF CONTROL" treatment of the Holocaust would Jewish people living in Germany be justified in regarding that government with fear?

Yes, they would.

 

[Astrostar]

Trump appears to have a problem with museums showing history. I guess teaching slavery is now woke indoctrination. So now he is attacking the Smithsonian.

On The Smithsonian and Slavery: Trump’s Whitewashing of History​

On Tuesday, President Trump attacked the narrative long taught in US schools and documented in museums, about the abhorrent, centuries-long practice of slavery. He focused on The Smithsonian Institution, the world-renowned center of learning and culture based in Washington, DC.

Trump wrote on his social media platform, “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was.”

“How bad slavery was.” It is simply unbelievable that such a statement could be uttered by a president in 2025. Yes, slavery was bad, PreAnd sident Trump. It was evil and remains a stain on this country. We should never stop talking about it.

And there is plenty of history for Trump to whitewash until the Democrats win the mid terms and basically shut down his fascist regime, reducing Trump to just issuing a bunch of unconstitutional "executive" orders.

 

[struth]

If a future German government complained about a national museum as being "OUT OF CONTROL" and called out their emphasis on "how bad the Holocaust" was as one of the complaints about the museum's "OUT OF CONTROL" treatment of the Holocaust would Jewish people living in Germany be justified in regarding that government with fear?

Yes, they would.

With fear? No.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

With fear? No.

Well if one is an antisemite then sure.

 

[knuckles]

Y'all are a bunch of race baiting Democrats. .....playing the race card big time.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Y'all are a bunch of race baiting Democrats. .....playing the race card big time.

In a thread about the history of race relations.

 

[struth]

Well if one is an antisemite then sure.

It’s not antisemite to want to show other things at national museum then just the holicaust
There are museums out there, including one in DC and all over Germany that address just that event