The Smithsonian Joins the Klan

Note: in the following I am assuming that the story of the document  and exhibit I mention is not a hoax, that the exhibit is real, and  that it is not presented  as a parody or joke but as something those responsible for it mean to be taken seriously.  If my assumption is false, I will  be glad to hear it.

According to the news, an exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National  Museum of African-American History and Culture on the evils of “whiteness”  has a display which listed the following characteristics and beliefs as being particular to white people and whiteness and  by implication inappropriate for or even oppressive to black people :

·       individualism, self-reliance, and autonomy

·       the nuclear family with a father, mother, and children

·       an emphasis on the scientific method  and objective, rational linear thinking

·       the notion that hard work is the key to success

·       jurisprudence following elements of English Common Law

·       respect for property and  authority

·       politeness and civility

·       communicating in writing

·       planning for the future and delaying gratification to achieve goals later.

It is useful,  though disgusting, information to learn that the people running the Smithsonian now think it is appropriate to smear and attack people based on the color of their skin. It is another example of  how bad things are in the country  and how far formerly respectable organizations and institutions have sunk. It is something to keep in mind when considering  whether to support the Smithsonian in any way. When someone goes to the  trouble of giving you formal notice that he is your enemy, it pays to believe him and act accordingly.

While the intent of this item was to show contempt for white people, the result is to show a shocking contempt for black people.  As a list of things particular to white people it could have been prepared by grand dragons of the Birmingham Ku Klux Klan of the 1950s. I have heard bigots claim that black people are too shiftless to be independent and self-reliant,  too immoral to have stable families, too stupid to think clearly and rationally, too lazy to work and become successful, too savage  to be law abiding and respect  other people’s  property, too crude and ill-mannered to behave civilly, too dumb to speak and write well, and too frivolous to set goals and work to achieve them.  It is interesting that the Smithsonian seems to agree, at least to the point of seeing such values and behaviors as white attributes inappropriate for and foreign to black people.

This nonsense probably will not damage many white people. Any white person foolish to take it seriously is probably already fouled up enough that swallowing  a little more propaganda won’t matter. The danger is that a young black person might believe it and reject things that help make a successful and proper life possible.  That is another reason it would make a really hateful old time Ku Kluxer proud.