Is it right for the people in government to mess with museums? Cherry-picking which artifacts to take out only to make a country look like it’s had no flaws. Leave the Smithsonian alone.
The New Order
In entirety, the order reads, “Under this historical revision, our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed,” continuing. “Rather than fostering unity and a deeper understanding of our shared past, the widespread effort to rewrite history deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of national shame, disregarding the progress America has made and ideals that continue to inspire millions around the globe.”
Never Going Back
History’s importance is so essential that it should be taught in its entirety so we don’t repeat it. Why should museums that preserve physical history be tampered with? Without places like this to remind us, we could end up going back and losing all the progress we’ve made. Imagine another slavery era or the Holocaust happening for the second time. It’s a scary thought, but without us being able to look back and learn. We could potentially fall back into old and hateful patterns.
Loss of Federal funding
The Smithsonian Institution receives $1 billion yearly in funding from the Federal Government. However, that funding is at risk due to the Trump Administration prohibiting funding to exhibits that “…degrade shared American values, divide Americans by race, or promote ideologies inconsistent with Federal law.” But it doesn’t stop there, the administration is going to continue working with Congress to make sure the American Women’s History Museum “celebrates women’s achievements … and does not recognize men as women,” leave the Smithsonian alone.
A Human Invention
There is an exhibit at the Smithsonian that says race is a human invention, which it is. Humans were the ones to classify people by their skin color or ethnic background, no one else. It defidently wasn’t the apes we evolved from. It talks about this sculpture and how it’s “…a powerful tool in promoting scientific racism,” while also saying the U.S. has “used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement.”
Redefined or Highlighted
Trump deems these exhibits to be a part of a systematic effort by the Left to redefine history in the U.S. However, with this knowledge being in the museum, it doesn’t change history because it was our past. It already happened, so how can we redefine history by simply acknowledging the existence that such events happened? If anything, this sounds like a personal agenda to make America seem #1 and that its past and future were always progressive and positive. I don’t blame him for wanting to make us seem great, but we have a past that we cannot erase. By leaving in these exhibits, we can see how much America has progressed over the decades and celebrate its progress.
Acknowledgement
Our President forgot the important part that museums all around the world showcase the past. It’s not that they’re “fostering” racism, etc., but they highlight it so that we can LEARN from it. Acknowledge that it happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Whatever knowledge humans don’t have access to, they fear or hate because they don’t understand. Without understanding events like Women’s Rights, Civil Rights, and Gay Rights, humanity will turn into a dystopia.
If the people in today’s society can’t live without their phones, what makes you think they’re going to survive in a society where they don’t have rights and they’re persecuted solely because of their skin color or religion? Leave museums alone, they’re doing their job to remind us of our progress. Even though it may not be highlighted, it is implied. We do not live in a world that was previously known by our elders. Homosexuals can get married, all Americans can swim and eat in the same places, and Women can work and vote. We’ve made an obvious progression. We don’t need a museum to tell us we’ve grown, we just need them to show us our past so we never go back. Leave the Smithsonian alone.
