"the nation’s Semiquincentennial" is a barbarism. Sestercentennial is how the 250th anniversary would be said in Latin. At 2:30 we say in English "half past two" but many other languages would say "halfway to three" ("halb drei" in German for example), and this is how the Romans thought of it, shortening semis "half" and tertius "third" to sestertius "2 1/2"; no language would call 2:30 "half of five o'clock".
It is typical of 21st century America that those in charge of arranging the anniversary commemorations not only know no Latin, but could not have been bothered to ask anyone who does.
"Art is Truth." At least that's what my favorite Zadig & Voltaire t-shirt says. Pretty. sure that mean's the ARTIST's truth--not Bethany Mandel's so-called truth, or Donald Trump's (which, God willing, will once again face litigation in court), or JD Vance's.
If your truth happens to be "Jesus is my boyfriend," you go express that in sequins on silk print. Please enjoy the freedom! Curation (museums do this) means you probably won't see your truth reflected at the Smithsonian, because the chances are that you--like everyone else--lack talent.
Talent is the part the Bethany Mandels of this world don't get, probably because they don't have any.
"she went to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History only to discover that instead of celebrating America, they kept going on about science."
`
We went to the neighbor's cook-out for Fourth of July. One of the other guests' kid started to cry because his hamburger had meat in it. To be fair, he's six years old.
Well the entire staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was put "on leave" last month so Mandel and her ilk might just get to see their dream of museum exhibits everywhere that reflect only the world as they're comfortable seeing it, not as it truly was or what it might some day become. Why didn't this bitch just go to Ark Encounter or a Hate Chicken Story-Time?
I certainly hope The Ark Museum doesn't get any government funding. If so, we liberals have every right to insist that all the conservative indoctrination there be removed.
yet another example of the conservative right experiencing FOMO - why should we get to go to museums and art galleries, see stuff we didn't already vibe, be shown stuff that might clash with our personal world view, and engage thoughtfully and curiously with it instead of screaming and fainting and/or going full karen and demanding to see the manager? honestly, these people are so ... tiny
This reminds me of when the offspring was meant to spend the summer with my mother and stepfather. As they drove from Vermont to their home in Florida, they stopped off at Cooperstown to bring my baseball-mad kid to the Hall of Fame.
My mother (who does not give a shit about baseball but who is a dedicated Fox Nooz watcher) saw an exhibit called "Beisbol," celebrating the achievements and contributions of Latino players and promptly lost her fucking mind. She marched up to some hapless employee and demanded to speak to the curator... and then complained to him at length about how baseball was an American game and the Baseball Hall of Fame should never encourage the dreaded Spanish language in its exhibits.
The only reason I found out about this charming episode was because the offspring - then all of 11 years old - texted me to say "Grandma's pretty racist, isn't she?"
While Hitchens walked among us one of his favorite tales involved believers that believed that what they believed was not only totes believable but also inarguably true. And within their 3x5 card file of preferences was a card that read "The world was made like this the way it is just for me to be me and mine" instead of the obvious and correct "The world is what it is and made me a part of it as just one aspect of the physical processes continuing to this very day".
So, aside from evidence of the banality of their beliefs we learn that at the core there is, of course, the less mentioned, Monstrous, Choking, Blinding Arrogance of Believers.
No! Dear Leader. His story should be the focus of all museums.
How he was born a poor kid in New York, and with only his father buying his way into an elite military prep school and then a university he was nowhere close to being qualified for, with only a measly a tinly $1 million loan, the Great One pulled himself up by his bootstraps after inheriting just $400 million.
Truly a rags to riches story, and one that all school children should be taught every week in school from pre-K through an advanced college degree.
Also, all homes should have a large portrait of Dear Leader, and if anyone lets the frame collect dust it's off to the gulag for them.
They changed the slippers from diamond to ruby because it was one of the few movies in 1939 filmed in technicolor, and sparkly red slippers would look cooler on the screen.
"the nation’s Semiquincentennial" is a barbarism. Sestercentennial is how the 250th anniversary would be said in Latin. At 2:30 we say in English "half past two" but many other languages would say "halfway to three" ("halb drei" in German for example), and this is how the Romans thought of it, shortening semis "half" and tertius "third" to sestertius "2 1/2"; no language would call 2:30 "half of five o'clock".
It is typical of 21st century America that those in charge of arranging the anniversary commemorations not only know no Latin, but could not have been bothered to ask anyone who does.
"Art is Truth." At least that's what my favorite Zadig & Voltaire t-shirt says. Pretty. sure that mean's the ARTIST's truth--not Bethany Mandel's so-called truth, or Donald Trump's (which, God willing, will once again face litigation in court), or JD Vance's.
If your truth happens to be "Jesus is my boyfriend," you go express that in sequins on silk print. Please enjoy the freedom! Curation (museums do this) means you probably won't see your truth reflected at the Smithsonian, because the chances are that you--like everyone else--lack talent.
Talent is the part the Bethany Mandels of this world don't get, probably because they don't have any.
"In other words: climate change, colonialism, capitalism — buzzword bingo in a single art exhibit."
In other words, she thinks accepted decades-old terms-of-art in academic disciplines is a front for the introduction of Stalinism in the USA.
Sure, Jan.
It's not society's job to coddle troglodytes. That includes museums.
"she went to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History only to discover that instead of celebrating America, they kept going on about science."
`
We went to the neighbor's cook-out for Fourth of July. One of the other guests' kid started to cry because his hamburger had meat in it. To be fair, he's six years old.
Shoulda gone to Arby's, no problem.
So weird the press and the First Amendment Warriors are so silent on these fuckers only wanting THEIR world views shown...anywhere.
Nor do I stop and contend with every raving lunatic I encounter on a street-corner.
Well the entire staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was put "on leave" last month so Mandel and her ilk might just get to see their dream of museum exhibits everywhere that reflect only the world as they're comfortable seeing it, not as it truly was or what it might some day become. Why didn't this bitch just go to Ark Encounter or a Hate Chicken Story-Time?
The truth is liberal. Not just biased that way. 100% unflinchingly honest about our past, present and probable futures.
Ta, Robyn. Bigots gonna bigot; whiners gonna whine.
Toe-suckers gonna...
...well, you get the idea.
I certainly hope The Ark Museum doesn't get any government funding. If so, we liberals have every right to insist that all the conservative indoctrination there be removed.
“Eliminate political bias” just means a different political bias.
LOL, classic Lévi-Strauss!
yet another example of the conservative right experiencing FOMO - why should we get to go to museums and art galleries, see stuff we didn't already vibe, be shown stuff that might clash with our personal world view, and engage thoughtfully and curiously with it instead of screaming and fainting and/or going full karen and demanding to see the manager? honestly, these people are so ... tiny
And proud of it!
This reminds me of when the offspring was meant to spend the summer with my mother and stepfather. As they drove from Vermont to their home in Florida, they stopped off at Cooperstown to bring my baseball-mad kid to the Hall of Fame.
My mother (who does not give a shit about baseball but who is a dedicated Fox Nooz watcher) saw an exhibit called "Beisbol," celebrating the achievements and contributions of Latino players and promptly lost her fucking mind. She marched up to some hapless employee and demanded to speak to the curator... and then complained to him at length about how baseball was an American game and the Baseball Hall of Fame should never encourage the dreaded Spanish language in its exhibits.
The only reason I found out about this charming episode was because the offspring - then all of 11 years old - texted me to say "Grandma's pretty racist, isn't she?"
To which I had to reply "yep."
Be sure to let the kid know that baseball was invented in Canada.
The kidsthesedays™ love to watch racist grandma heads go all splodey.
While Hitchens walked among us one of his favorite tales involved believers that believed that what they believed was not only totes believable but also inarguably true. And within their 3x5 card file of preferences was a card that read "The world was made like this the way it is just for me to be me and mine" instead of the obvious and correct "The world is what it is and made me a part of it as just one aspect of the physical processes continuing to this very day".
So, aside from evidence of the banality of their beliefs we learn that at the core there is, of course, the less mentioned, Monstrous, Choking, Blinding Arrogance of Believers.
It's the story of the puddle who got a warm feeling thinking "This pot-hole was made JUST for me, it fits my contours PERFECTLY."
Poetry!
I can't claim authorship, but thanks.
I point and laugh.
"Hate the belief not the believer or both"
"Hate the belief...DEAL WITH the believer."
"Quite frankly, if that is what they want, they’re probably going to have to close the museums entirely. "
Actually, if the Smithsonian simply turned over all their museums to telling the story of Kid Rock, wouldn't this country finally be great again?
Don't forget the "Haus der Deutschen Kunst."
No! Dear Leader. His story should be the focus of all museums.
How he was born a poor kid in New York, and with only his father buying his way into an elite military prep school and then a university he was nowhere close to being qualified for, with only a measly a tinly $1 million loan, the Great One pulled himself up by his bootstraps after inheriting just $400 million.
Truly a rags to riches story, and one that all school children should be taught every week in school from pre-K through an advanced college degree.
Also, all homes should have a large portrait of Dear Leader, and if anyone lets the frame collect dust it's off to the gulag for them.
"Obviously because she was a baby-eating liberal like Tom Hanks! Or because communism!"
But Tom Hanks only had one red shoe.
You do not do, you do not do, anymore, black shoe...
Yes, I'm going insane
And I'm laughing at the frozen rain
Well, I'm so alone
Honey, when they gonna send me home?
Bad sneakers and a piña colada, my friend
Stomping on the avenue by Radio City with a
Transistor and a large sum of money to spend
They changed the slippers from diamond to ruby because it was one of the few movies in 1939 filmed in technicolor, and sparkly red slippers would look cooler on the screen.
So, nothing to do with eating babies or Tom Hanks?
Producers don't give a fuck about eating babies or Tom Hanks unless it's going to affect the box office gross.