Posted on Mar 18, 2023
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Museums as sources of truth and great integrity – What are your thoughts and considerations on this topic?
Are we being honest regarding a complete human history? As the son of a child holocaust survivor who passed at age 66 in 1999 one day after the US Women won the Women’s World Cup beating China with the Brandi Chastain goal that started the celebration.
The TED Talk link below came to my attention as I was returning home from going on a quick run to Walmart just 7-miles from my home off I-64 near Charlottesville. I like listening to several shows on NPR as they often give me perspectives I have not thought about. Likewise, I have listened to some NPR shows that have caused to question the intent of content being present and motivations of the interviewer from certain questions being asked that provide – leading answers. Regardless I have enjoyed listening to NPR for > 40-yrs finding 98+% of the content highly informative and useful.
But I am posting to chat about NPR, rather the TEDWomen Talk by Ariana Lewis from 2018 that has over 3.282 million views since that time as this RallyPoint posting. The title of this TED Talk is: “Museums should honor the everyday, not just the extraordinary”.
Ms. Lewis makes several critical comments, that I find very excellent points to make.
One is how important it is to keep museums as one of the most authentic and trusted places of information!
Another is the need to tell the stories of the ordinary, which I found often in local and regional small-town museums with rare artifacts and story finds. Some so remarkable, they one would not believe such artifacts or stories would be present in such small museums.
Still another, is the need to be careful about tossing the term “revisionist history” around like a wet dish rag. It has been interesting in the last 20+ years and in the last 2-5 years to hear how people are talking about history. History is always under “revision” because of how researchers are finding new evidence about historical issues whose facts have been long hidden but are now becoming known.
History, is a guidepost, as there are facts like the day George Washington was sworn in as our 1st US President, or the Day the Berlin finally fell, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Empire of Japan, September 1066 the Norman Conquest, 331 BCE Alexander the Great Conquers Egypt, or the day of the terrible Challenger disaster, or the senseless assassinations of Lincoln, Kennedy and MLK, etc. Yet, history is always in motion and future is made from correcting or avoiding the mistakes of a difficult past.
Historians will always continue to be uncovered via archeology, opening once hidden records such as the 100s of 1,000s of records about families once hidden behind the Iron Curtain like records about the members of my family 98+% of whom murdered in the Shoah by the ego-maniacal behaviors of small men (i.e., Hitler, Himmler, etc.) that were big for a time, or ruthless like Mao or Stalin or other lesser know petty dictators known who impacted lives by cruelty, slavery, or sewing the seeds of discontent just long enough to attain power for their own self-aggrandizement. What we choose to learn from and face from history is about have the courage to question the history we have been taught or that we are told we should believe just because we should without question.
Perhaps it is worth repeating to seek reflection on 52 simple yet powerful words in the Preamble to the United States Constitution:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Ask yourself these questions:
If “We the people…” are “…to form a more perfect union…” then what must (or) should a genuine unvarnished (i.e., uncensored) and especially unbiased (i.e., no political agenda) presentation of history with all its warts be about, if not for the uncovering of the hidden truths and facts that led to facts we know of the history we have thus far been taught?
If “We the people…” are to “…establish justice…” then are we not obligated to better understand the injustices that people have suffered and how we can learn from such injustice to have a world that is based in justice not just for the few or the privileged, but justice that is fair, that is honest and justice that restores hope and builds trust between diverse human hearts?
If “We the people…” are to “…insure domestic tranquility…” are we not obligated to study what contributes to domestic non-tranquility and be honest even in the face of those who call violence “non-violence” miss-naming behaviors that “any” grandmother worth her salt would be offended by measured by any rational historical yardstick?
If “We the people…” are to “…provide for the common defense…” then are we to remind, deaf, and mute to the practices of the few to control via fear, via intimidation, via greed, or via the kinds of human weakness leading to abuse that must be checked with common sense so that every kind of community or culture can flourish to present its most beautiful contributions in the proper course of human events?
If “We the people…” are to “…promote the general welfare…” can we afford to have standards of personal integrity and accountability that are so slack and so fluid that good is bad and bad is good and many are confused, be they are unable to know the difference? Therefore, how is the ability to “…promote the general welfare…” served when the seeds of evil are sown within the seductive language covered in the dripping honey of intentional deceit?
If “We the people…” are to “…secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity…” are we not called to face a difficult history and in so facing that history, it is done with honor and mutual respect for all those whose lives have been impacted. How do we know what LIBERTY looks like for ourselves unless we are also seeking to know how is looks for others? {Byline – My 37-yo daughter paid a visit a couple of days ago. We discussed something she had experienced, and I was taken with her passion for the injustice she says and how she approached its resolution at the time it took place. I had not heard this story, but realized as a white woman she saw an injustice being committed against those not of her skin tone and confronted the supervisor of her skin tone only to be told in not so many word to – butt out! It was not long before she had to find other safer employment away from a major University whose subtle supervisor level behaviors were insidious and hidden or perhaps covertly condoned. My daughter’s story was also not unlike the subtle things I had also seen and questioned only to be told in those same not so many words manner to – shut-up and go away!} So, when the blessings of LIBERTY are challenged for others, how willing are we in NON-violent ways prepared to handle daily “real” injustices of the negative lived experiences we observe toward those being impacted seemingly choose to ignore or are unaware of but for the subtleness of their execution?
If “We the people…” are to re-“ordain and…” re-“establish…” the “…Constitution of the United States of America” so that there is “…liberty and justice for all…” then we as a whole people with diverse skills, multiple intelligences, and hidden talents must realize that for history to be an effective teacher we have desire that it should be revised with integrity without intended prejudice or deliberate bias or “…purpose of evasion…”
So, I ask you this question:
Do you agree with Ms. Curtis’ assessment that we must learn to celebrate the everyday miracles that are the courage and conviction of everyday people who may not be extraordinary by the standards “We the people…” have constructed, but should be celebrated more often than not because it is their everyday manner that impacts the humanity of lived experiences – everyday?
Are we being honest regarding a complete human history? As the son of a child holocaust survivor who passed at age 66 in 1999 one day after the US Women won the Women’s World Cup beating China with the Brandi Chastain goal that started the celebration.
The TED Talk link below came to my attention as I was returning home from going on a quick run to Walmart just 7-miles from my home off I-64 near Charlottesville. I like listening to several shows on NPR as they often give me perspectives I have not thought about. Likewise, I have listened to some NPR shows that have caused to question the intent of content being present and motivations of the interviewer from certain questions being asked that provide – leading answers. Regardless I have enjoyed listening to NPR for > 40-yrs finding 98+% of the content highly informative and useful.
But I am posting to chat about NPR, rather the TEDWomen Talk by Ariana Lewis from 2018 that has over 3.282 million views since that time as this RallyPoint posting. The title of this TED Talk is: “Museums should honor the everyday, not just the extraordinary”.
Ms. Lewis makes several critical comments, that I find very excellent points to make.
One is how important it is to keep museums as one of the most authentic and trusted places of information!
Another is the need to tell the stories of the ordinary, which I found often in local and regional small-town museums with rare artifacts and story finds. Some so remarkable, they one would not believe such artifacts or stories would be present in such small museums.
Still another, is the need to be careful about tossing the term “revisionist history” around like a wet dish rag. It has been interesting in the last 20+ years and in the last 2-5 years to hear how people are talking about history. History is always under “revision” because of how researchers are finding new evidence about historical issues whose facts have been long hidden but are now becoming known.
History, is a guidepost, as there are facts like the day George Washington was sworn in as our 1st US President, or the Day the Berlin finally fell, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Empire of Japan, September 1066 the Norman Conquest, 331 BCE Alexander the Great Conquers Egypt, or the day of the terrible Challenger disaster, or the senseless assassinations of Lincoln, Kennedy and MLK, etc. Yet, history is always in motion and future is made from correcting or avoiding the mistakes of a difficult past.
Historians will always continue to be uncovered via archeology, opening once hidden records such as the 100s of 1,000s of records about families once hidden behind the Iron Curtain like records about the members of my family 98+% of whom murdered in the Shoah by the ego-maniacal behaviors of small men (i.e., Hitler, Himmler, etc.) that were big for a time, or ruthless like Mao or Stalin or other lesser know petty dictators known who impacted lives by cruelty, slavery, or sewing the seeds of discontent just long enough to attain power for their own self-aggrandizement. What we choose to learn from and face from history is about have the courage to question the history we have been taught or that we are told we should believe just because we should without question.
Perhaps it is worth repeating to seek reflection on 52 simple yet powerful words in the Preamble to the United States Constitution:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Ask yourself these questions:
If “We the people…” are “…to form a more perfect union…” then what must (or) should a genuine unvarnished (i.e., uncensored) and especially unbiased (i.e., no political agenda) presentation of history with all its warts be about, if not for the uncovering of the hidden truths and facts that led to facts we know of the history we have thus far been taught?
If “We the people…” are to “…establish justice…” then are we not obligated to better understand the injustices that people have suffered and how we can learn from such injustice to have a world that is based in justice not just for the few or the privileged, but justice that is fair, that is honest and justice that restores hope and builds trust between diverse human hearts?
If “We the people…” are to “…insure domestic tranquility…” are we not obligated to study what contributes to domestic non-tranquility and be honest even in the face of those who call violence “non-violence” miss-naming behaviors that “any” grandmother worth her salt would be offended by measured by any rational historical yardstick?
If “We the people…” are to “…provide for the common defense…” then are we to remind, deaf, and mute to the practices of the few to control via fear, via intimidation, via greed, or via the kinds of human weakness leading to abuse that must be checked with common sense so that every kind of community or culture can flourish to present its most beautiful contributions in the proper course of human events?
If “We the people…” are to “…promote the general welfare…” can we afford to have standards of personal integrity and accountability that are so slack and so fluid that good is bad and bad is good and many are confused, be they are unable to know the difference? Therefore, how is the ability to “…promote the general welfare…” served when the seeds of evil are sown within the seductive language covered in the dripping honey of intentional deceit?
If “We the people…” are to “…secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity…” are we not called to face a difficult history and in so facing that history, it is done with honor and mutual respect for all those whose lives have been impacted. How do we know what LIBERTY looks like for ourselves unless we are also seeking to know how is looks for others? {Byline – My 37-yo daughter paid a visit a couple of days ago. We discussed something she had experienced, and I was taken with her passion for the injustice she says and how she approached its resolution at the time it took place. I had not heard this story, but realized as a white woman she saw an injustice being committed against those not of her skin tone and confronted the supervisor of her skin tone only to be told in not so many word to – butt out! It was not long before she had to find other safer employment away from a major University whose subtle supervisor level behaviors were insidious and hidden or perhaps covertly condoned. My daughter’s story was also not unlike the subtle things I had also seen and questioned only to be told in those same not so many words manner to – shut-up and go away!} So, when the blessings of LIBERTY are challenged for others, how willing are we in NON-violent ways prepared to handle daily “real” injustices of the negative lived experiences we observe toward those being impacted seemingly choose to ignore or are unaware of but for the subtleness of their execution?
If “We the people…” are to re-“ordain and…” re-“establish…” the “…Constitution of the United States of America” so that there is “…liberty and justice for all…” then we as a whole people with diverse skills, multiple intelligences, and hidden talents must realize that for history to be an effective teacher we have desire that it should be revised with integrity without intended prejudice or deliberate bias or “…purpose of evasion…”
So, I ask you this question:
Do you agree with Ms. Curtis’ assessment that we must learn to celebrate the everyday miracles that are the courage and conviction of everyday people who may not be extraordinary by the standards “We the people…” have constructed, but should be celebrated more often than not because it is their everyday manner that impacts the humanity of lived experiences – everyday?
Museums should honor the everyday, not just the extraordinary
Posted from ted.com
World History
American History
Ancient History
Human Rights
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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I think that before we can answer that question we have to ask a different one: who are museums intended for?
I believe that museums are intended for today, not for tomorrow. There is a difference between history and posterity.
So, a museum that looks at history should ABSOLUTELY celebrate both the mundane and the extraordinary. And most of our museums do this. We see civil war artifacts from the Generals, sure. But also from the Privates. We have love letters from the wives, and letters home to the children. We HAVE the mundane.
So, to for most of our museums. The problem is that as we go further back in history, getting the items of the mundane is harder to do, as wood and cloth rot away, but fine metals and gems - the purview of the elites - survive. The poor are buried out back without even a box, while the rulers get elaborate tombs.
It isn't a question of unwillingness to understand or display the mundane, but rather lack of insight due to not having artifacts.
But should modern museums be celebrating the CONTEMPORARY mundane? Absolutely not. Because we already know and live it. There is no FUNCTION in a museum of modern culture that expresses what we all know and live. One that let's us peek behind the curtain at things us "normal folk" don't normally get to see or experience has purpose. So for modern museums, yes, we SHOULD be highlighting the extraordinary.
Now, if we want to talk posterity, that is why we build time capsules.
Just my $0.02.
I believe that museums are intended for today, not for tomorrow. There is a difference between history and posterity.
So, a museum that looks at history should ABSOLUTELY celebrate both the mundane and the extraordinary. And most of our museums do this. We see civil war artifacts from the Generals, sure. But also from the Privates. We have love letters from the wives, and letters home to the children. We HAVE the mundane.
So, to for most of our museums. The problem is that as we go further back in history, getting the items of the mundane is harder to do, as wood and cloth rot away, but fine metals and gems - the purview of the elites - survive. The poor are buried out back without even a box, while the rulers get elaborate tombs.
It isn't a question of unwillingness to understand or display the mundane, but rather lack of insight due to not having artifacts.
But should modern museums be celebrating the CONTEMPORARY mundane? Absolutely not. Because we already know and live it. There is no FUNCTION in a museum of modern culture that expresses what we all know and live. One that let's us peek behind the curtain at things us "normal folk" don't normally get to see or experience has purpose. So for modern museums, yes, we SHOULD be highlighting the extraordinary.
Now, if we want to talk posterity, that is why we build time capsules.
Just my $0.02.
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Honesty is the best policy--but today's academics don't know the meaning of the word in far too many cases.
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CPO Nate S.
Yes! Honesty is the best policy for any discussion including situational ethics.
I would add WADR to SFC Casey O'Mally who makes some good points, that museums are for yes, for TODAY, but that are for tomorrow (i.e., posterity) as well.
Why? Because when I go to a museum and see history, I think about how that history has impacted today and what history is being made today that was built-on yesterday will be understood tomorrow. History informs posterity because if we continue to do or not do what history warns / informs us about then posterity is impacted.
I have been to the Smithsonian many times before September 2016 when the new African-American museum opened. When it is safe to return to the Nation's Capital, I would like to visit this new museum with my family, especially my grandchildren, especially the Holocaust museum, which I did several years ago.
Yes, many of today's academics lack courage.
Finally, I value what SFC Casey O'Mally stated that "...There is no FUNCTION in a museum of modern culture that expresses what we all know and live. One that let's us peek behind the curtain at things us "normal folk" don't normally get to see or experience has purpose..." Yet, I wonder could their be a way to create such a function in the museum of modern culture to help us all peek behind the door? There may be an answer, but it will require great courage and the rethinking a number of things....................
My nickels ($0.05) worth (LoL).......................
I would add WADR to SFC Casey O'Mally who makes some good points, that museums are for yes, for TODAY, but that are for tomorrow (i.e., posterity) as well.
Why? Because when I go to a museum and see history, I think about how that history has impacted today and what history is being made today that was built-on yesterday will be understood tomorrow. History informs posterity because if we continue to do or not do what history warns / informs us about then posterity is impacted.
I have been to the Smithsonian many times before September 2016 when the new African-American museum opened. When it is safe to return to the Nation's Capital, I would like to visit this new museum with my family, especially my grandchildren, especially the Holocaust museum, which I did several years ago.
Yes, many of today's academics lack courage.
Finally, I value what SFC Casey O'Mally stated that "...There is no FUNCTION in a museum of modern culture that expresses what we all know and live. One that let's us peek behind the curtain at things us "normal folk" don't normally get to see or experience has purpose..." Yet, I wonder could their be a way to create such a function in the museum of modern culture to help us all peek behind the door? There may be an answer, but it will require great courage and the rethinking a number of things....................
My nickels ($0.05) worth (LoL).......................
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