A National shrine to black.....good idea?

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Black History's Future
Grand Plans Unveiled For African American Museum on the Mall

By Jacqueline Trescott
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 28, 2009; Page C01

The future National Museum of African American History and Culture -- as envisioned by competing teams of architects -- will most likely include water features and music halls, evocations of slave ships and the African past, and vistas acknowledging its important, monumental neighbors.

Yesterday, the Smithsonian Institution unveiled conceptual designs from six prominent architecture teams for what could be the last important building on the Mall

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/27/AR2009032703481.html?hpid=topnews

One what basis are blacks worthy of this and not say the Chinese who arguably have done much more than the blacks to advance America? How are we ever going to draw the line at on ethnic group if we start celebrating ethic groups? Why in the hell would we celebrate that which divides us and has caused so much pain over the years anyways??

Guilt is the only possible answer.

America, why have we allowed ourselves to become so shallow and groundless that we have became slaves to our guilt?

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@hawkeye10,

Quote:

America, why have we allowed ourselves to become so shallow and groundless that we have became slaves to our guilt?

Seems that the shoe is on the other foot. From slave masters to slaves. hmmmm

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@Intrepid,

Guilt does serve a purpose, but this guilt for what our forefathers did defies all logic. It demands exploration on the grounds that it appears to be some sort of mass mental illness. I am responsible for what I do, not for what others have done. Anyone who feels responsible for somebody else's actions is seriously messed-up.

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@hawkeye10,

For the sins of your fathers you, though guiltless, must suffer." - Horace, "Odes," III, 6, l. 1.

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@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

Guilt is the only possible answer.

I do not think that "guilt" is the only answer. There are those that have no reason to feel guilt, since many families came to the U.S.A. after slavery was in the past. Just being white does not make one guilty for all the atrocities that whites have done anywhere in the world.

So, a good reason to have this museum, that does not include guilt, is because one might subscribe to the belief that as fellow Americans, many Blacks would like a museum highlighting their contribution and history in the country. And being a beneficent individual, one might see this museum as a way to make the Black community enjoy their citizenship with more pride.

Historically, I believe, the Black contribution to the U.S.A. has been trivialized, or ignored. So, the museum is warranted as a way to correct that.

And, if anyone needs a depiction of the Black contribution to the U.S.A., in recent history, go see any of the Vietnam War movies.

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@Foofie,

Quote:

And, if anyone needs a depiction of the Black contribution to the U.S.A., in recent history, go see any of the Vietnam War movies.

Without the Chinks America would have never built the railroads...surely that is as valuable as anything that the blacks have done. They have been marginalized as much or more than the blacks for a very long time. Where is their shrine going to be?

How about the Hispanics and the Koreans? They have over the last fifty years contributed far more than the blacks to America's prosperity. Based upon that time frame they are more worthy than the blacks for sure.

Unless we are going to go around the table and honor all sub groups who have contributed greatly this shrine only makes works logically as a shrine to our guilt.

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"Without the Chinks America would never (have) built the railroads..."???

Wait a second, there! Who do you think the Chinese competed against to lay those rails? The Irish, that's who! My ancestors built the railroads from NYC westward. So, where's the Irish American Monument going to be? I demand a monument!

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@Eva,

I am a monument unto myself.

1 Reply

@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

Quote:
And, if anyone needs a depiction of the Black contribution to the U.S.A., in recent history, go see any of the Vietnam War movies.

Without the Chinks America would have never built the railroads...surely that is as valuable as anything that the blacks have done. They have been marginalized as much or more than the blacks for a very long time. Where is their shrine going to be?

How about the Hispanics and the Koreans? They have over the last fifty years contributed far more than the blacks to America's prosperity. Based upon that time frame they are more worthy than the blacks for sure.

Unless we are going to go around the table and honor all sub groups who have contributed greatly this shrine only makes works logically as a shrine to our guilt.

That is a good idea - all ethnicities have a museum to honor their history in the U.S.A. I would though think that Black Americans have been exploited the longest, as the African Burial Ground in NYC (near City Hall) proves. It goes back to the early 1600's. So, I see no reason to not move forward on this national museum for Black Americans. There is already in NYC a Smithsonian museum for Native Americans (they were here before all others).

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@dyslexia,

dyslexia wrote:

I am a monument unto myself.

Yes, you are.
Laughing

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@Foofie,

good point, we have already done the Indians. Look, great individuals, sure. Valour on the battle field sure. But celebrating and drawing attention to the class divisions, genetic divisions, and cultural divisions is bad road to go down. Once you start the need to do the next one never ends, and merits become irrelevant as these shrines increasingly become an entitlement.

Now is the last chance to stop this foolishness. We did one, and now it is time to admit that it was a mistake a promise never to do another one. Every such adventure in "inclusion" cheapens the memory and the monuments to those who really do deserve to have a monument in Washington.

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@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

good point, we have already done the Indians. Look, great individuals, sure. Valour on the battle field sure. But celebrating and drawing attention to the class divisions, genetic divisions, and cultural divisions is bad road to go down. Once you start the need to do the next one never ends, and merits become irrelevant as these shrines increasingly become an entitlement.

Now is the last chance to stop this foolishness. We did one, and now it is time to admit that it was a mistake a promise never to do another one. Every such adventure in "inclusion" cheapens the memory and the monuments to those who really do deserve to have a monument in Washington.

Not a monument. A museum. Anyone can have a museum. Even nature has a museum in the Museum of Natural History in NYC. The stars have a museum in the planetarium.

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@Foofie,

Quote:

Not a monument. A museum. Anyone can have a museum. Even nature has a museum in the Museum of Natural History in NYC. The stars have a museum in the planetarium

when a collection is built by a public institution at taxpayer expense where the subjects are people who get to decide how they are portrayed don't show up on my door claiming that this is a respectable "museum". It is a shrine, motivated by guilt. Objectivity with some an association with an impartial and hopefully scientific minded curator is required. The Director is an Indian, of course. Gotten in a lot of trouble of late because it appears that he is not very good at his job, of course.

Quote:

When the museum opened in October 2004, there was widespread criticism that the exhibits presented an unevaluated hodge-podge, with little or no attempt to explain the meaning of the objects, or even to label them.[3] Other museum visitors were pleased to see a focus on living Native Americans as opposed to documenting history. NMAI's unique ongoing exhibit, "Our Lives" showcases eight indigenous communities at a time, from North and South America. The museum works closely with the communities so that they are able to chose how they are represented. "Our Lives" explores Native self-identity"how the community sees themselves, how they dress, what they think, and how they see themselves within the the world today

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_the_American_Indian

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german-americans, sometimes known as "deutschers" introduced the christmas tree to america.

zzo... vhere ist our zhrine, den????

1 Reply

@DontTreadOnMe,

DontTreadOnMe wrote:

german-americans, sometimes known as "deutschers" introduced the christmas tree to america.

zzo... vhere ist our zhrine, den????

Well, what I heard, assuming it is correct, that German-Americans have assimilated to the point of not being distinguishable from WASP's, other than for the fact that they put more emphasis on achievement than on what clubs they belong to.

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@Eva,

Eva wrote:

"Without the Chinks America would never (have) built the railroads..."???

Wait a second, there! Who do you think the Chinese competed against to lay those rails? The Irish, that's who! My ancestors built the railroads from NYC westward. So, where's the Irish American Monument going to be? I demand a monument!

'Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo arís.'

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A National shrine to black.....good idea?

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