Memorials promote 'white heterosexual male supremacy,' profs claim

[IAMX 3,055]

Public museums and memorials serve our nation’s “foundational commitments to white heterosexual male supremacy,” according to two Texas A&M University professors.

 

Tasha N. Dubriwny and Kristan Poirot, both of whom teach Women’s Studies at TAMU, advanced the claim in a July 12 article in the Southern Communications Journal, further alleging that U.S commemorative practices serve an inherently conservative agenda.

 

“Scholars consistently argue that U.S. commemorative practices and traditions promote historical narratives that are inherently conservative in nature,” they write. “This is particularly true of ‘official’ sites of public memory like memorials and museums.”

 

Museums and memorials, they explain, “are likely to support, not challenge, mainstream democratic values and figures,” reinforcing “key aspects of American mythology, including a national dedication to equality, liberty, work, sacrifice, ingenuity, and heroism.”

 

The authors quickly make clear their distaste for such values, saying they “mask foundational commitments to white heterosexual male supremacy, class hierarchies, and the systemic violence used to secure them.

 

“In short, the embodiment of the American identity in commemorative sites is, more often than not, a white heterosexual cisgendered male, reaffirming the ‘great man’ perspective that dominated American historiography for too long,” they add.

http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9458

 

"Professors".. lol.

 

Whew, US post-secondary education sure is in quite a bit of disarray with all these snowflakes.

[IAMX 3,055]

That "white heterosexual cisgendered male" privilege:

 

[TBoneTX 45,075]

Perhaps any university department or program that ends in "___ Studies" should be disbanded.

[IAMX 3,055]

1 hour ago, TBoneTX said:

Perhaps any university department or program that ends in "___ Studies" should be disbanded.

They'll just rename it to something that ends in "ology". 

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

Trump University will be a model on which all future Universities will be established 

 

 

A Pew poll released Monday shows that Republicans’ views of higher education institutions have taken a dramatic turn for the worse since 2015.

In September 2015, 54 percent of Republicans told Pew that they had a positive stance on college and universities, while 37 percent felt negatively toward them.

Today, their attitude seems to have taken a complete U-turn, with 58 percent of Republicans saying that colleges and universities had a “negative effect on the way things are going in the country.” Only 36 percent maintained that they’re good for the country.

 

Meanwhile, 72 percent of Democrats and independents who lean Democrat have a positive attitude toward the institutions. According to Pew, this stance hasn’t changed much in recent years.

This striking switch among Republicans echoes a trend among conservatives of blasting “PC culture” and “censorship of free speech” on college campuses and taking legislative action against it.

 

 

 

[bcking 3,157]

Most of you seem to be taking a rather simplistic very one-sided view on the topic, similar to the one-sided view quoted in the article (just on the other spectrum).

 

In reality I think the situation is a little more complicated. It is very valid to talk about how we memorialize our history, and to be self aware regarding the aspects that reinforce the concepts of "white male supremacy".

 

I was just in Philidelphia visiting a friend a few weeks ago and I have to say I was actually quite pleasantly surprised with the way a lot of the memorials/historical sites were handling the topic. The new Revolutionary War museum and sections speaking about the role of native americans, and women etc.... I think we are doing a lot better at talking about it. It doesn't mean we can't or shouldnt' memorialize some old white men. It's just about being aware of the faults that may not have been well recognized then, but that we can now recognize.

 

Or, alternatively, this can just go over your head and you can call me a snowflake.

Edited July 20, 2017 by bcking

[IAMX 3,055]

5 minutes ago, bcking said:

I was just in Philidelphia visiting a friend a few weeks ago,  where he was born and raised, on the playground where he spent most of his days

Fixed that for ya. 

[bcking 3,157]

1 minute ago, IAMX said:

Fixed that for ya. 

Tell me about it...he lives in West Philidelphia. My wife and I were so disappointed when we realized we forgot to take a photo of a playground.

[IAMX 3,055]

Just now, bcking said:

Tell me about it...he lives in West Philidelphia. My wife and I were so disappointed when we realized we forgot to take a photo of a playground.

Maybe for the best.. a good way to attract cops nowadays. 

[bcking 3,157]

Just now, IAMX said:

Maybe for the best.. a good way to attract cops nowadays. 

It would have made for an entertaining explanation...

 

"Sorry Officer, we just really wanted to capture a photo of us in a playground in West Phillidelphia, where we were born and raised! Smell you later."

[Dashinka 24,420]

17 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

Perhaps any university department or program that ends in "___ Studies" should be disbanded.

 

[OriZ 3,157]

15 hours ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

Trump University will be a model on which all future Universities will be established 

 

 

A Pew poll released Monday shows that Republicans’ views of higher education institutions have taken a dramatic turn for the worse since 2015.

In September 2015, 54 percent of Republicans told Pew that they had a positive stance on college and universities, while 37 percent felt negatively toward them.

Today, their attitude seems to have taken a complete U-turn, with 58 percent of Republicans saying that colleges and universities had a “negative effect on the way things are going in the country.” Only 36 percent maintained that they’re good for the country.

 

Meanwhile, 72 percent of Democrats and independents who lean Democrat have a positive attitude toward the institutions. According to Pew, this stance hasn’t changed much in recent years.

This striking switch among Republicans echoes a trend among conservatives of blasting “PC culture” and “censorship of free speech” on college campuses and taking legislative action against it.

 

 

 

I would have to agree. I don't view colleges and universities very favorably myself.

[Dashinka 24,420]

36 minutes ago, OriZ said:

I would have to agree. I don't view colleges and universities very favorably myself.

I tend to agree.  I know there has been a lot of focus on Trump U since it was a for profit entity, but it seems all Universities today are doing everything they can to entice students to come there regardless of the long-term prospects of multiple useless degrees just to keep the money (in this case public) flowing in.

[OriZ 3,157]

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

I tend to agree.  I know there has been a lot of focus on Trump U since it was a for profit entity, but it seems all Universities today are doing everything they can to entice students to come there regardless of the long-term prospects of multiple useless degrees just to keep the money (in this case public) flowing in.

Yeah...even if you take out this whole PC and censorship/indoctrination and rioting mess, long before that I had my issues with those institutions. I think oftentimes the level of education received is definitely not worth the money...and definitely don't think college/uni is for everybody, some of us do better without it. If I had a magic wand and could change it so employers would look more closely at skills rather than degrees I would.

Edited July 21, 2017 by OriZ

[IAMX 3,055]

6 minutes ago, OriZ said:

Yeah...even if you take out this whole PC and censorship/indoctrination and rioting mess, long before that I had my issues with those institutions. I think oftentimes the level of education received is definitely not worth the money...and definitely don't think college/uni is for everybody, some of us do better without it. If I had a magic wand and could change it so employers would look more closely at skills rather than degrees I would.

I think if they did, Polytech universities would flourish. The idea of having to waste two years on general ed and attempted brainwashing of completely unrelated subjects to one's major and minor(s) is really a joke.. it doesn't make anyone more worldly or educated.