Racism is in all of us. We tend to feel most comfortable with people who
look like us and whose customs are like our's. Institutional racism is
preferential treatment of certain people that is legislated, cast into
stone. We need to work on both kinds. But institutional racism can be
tackled with changes in laws and procedures and its irradication would fit
with our national ideals.
Miriam
________________________________
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of R. E. Driscoll Sr
Sent: Friday, July 10, 2015 1:09 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Racism, yes or no?
All:
An opinion.
:Racism is in the eyes of the beholder and within his/her interpretation of
what is needed to allow the gaining of his/her objectives."
You may fire when ready.
R. E. (Dick) Driscoll, Sr.
On 7/9/2015 7:55 PM, Roger Loran Bailey (Redacted sender
rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx for DMARC) wrote:
I think the claim of racism is embodied in the use of the word
minstrelsy. That is, it is a form of caricature instead of an accurate
representation.
On 7/9/2015 5:41 PM, Bob Hachey wrote:
Hi all,
Here's a rather interesting story on an exhibit at Boston's
Museum of Fine Arts that was altered due to protests of racism. I must say
that I cannot see what is racist about the original exhibit. I recall that
when we were studying Native Americans at perkins School for the Blind, we
had the opportunity to try on Native American head pieces. If the MFA
exhibit is racist, then I'm wondering if the lessons we got on Native
Americans was equally racist. One thing that was wrong, we all, including
the teacher called them Indians, but then again, so did everyone else back
in the early 1970's.
I see nothing wrong with women trying on a kimono as part of
a museum exhibit. IT does not seem as though the exhibit was poking fun at
the Japanese. But, perhaps if Japanese feel offended then this exhibit was
indeed racist. They kept the exhibit, but just don't allow the visitors to
try on the kimonos. What do others think?
Bob Hachey
MFA backs down over kimono event in response
to protests . In an episode that speaks volumes about cultural institutions,
ethnic sensitivity, and the power of protest in the digital age, the Museum
of Fine Arts is hastily pulling back on an event that protesters labeled a
latter-day form of racist minstrelsy. MFA officials announced Tuesday they
would recast "Kimono Wednesdays," an attraction scheduled to run throughout
July. It is extremely rare for the MFA to change exhibition plans in the
wake of protests; it appears such action had not been taken for decades.
Created as a light summer distraction, "Kimono Wednesdays" invited visitors
to "channel your inner Camille Monet" by donning museum-provided kimonos and
posing for photos in front of Claude Monet's "La Japonaise," a painting of
the artist's wife wearing a kimono. But the event quickly raised the hackles
of protesters, who charged that the museum was perpetuating racist
stereotypes by presenting Asian culture as quintessentially exotic. At a
celebration for departing MFA director Malcolm Rogers on June 24, a small
group of protesters stood vigil. "This is appropriation, this is
Orientalism," read one sign. Rogers himself didn't seem fazed , telling the
Globe, "A little controversy never did any harm. MFA's exhibits of Japanese
art open with a party But the protesters were back on July 1.
"Asian-Americans in this country have a history of being mis- or
underrepresented - they're either completely absent from the media or only
depicted as Kung Fu, exoticized, mystical, dragon ladies, prostitutes, or
what have you," said Christina Wang, 29, who held a sign that read, "Try on
the kimono, learn what it's like to be a racist imperialist !!! today!!! She
added: "This event that the MFA is putting on - asking the public to come
don the kimono - is part of that legacy. 'It's fair to say we were all quite
surprised by the response. We thought it would be an educational
opportunity. Katie Getchell, Museum of Fine Arts deputy director On Tuesday
afternoon, the MFA issued a statement that read in part, "We apologize for
offending any visitors. Starting Wednesday, visitors will be able to touch,
but not to wear, the kimonos, which will be presented with an educational
talk until the event ends on July 29. "It's fair to say we were all quite
surprised by the response," said MFA deputy director Katie Getchell. "We
thought it would be an educational opportunity for people to have direct
encounters with works of art and understand different cultures and times
better. The protests have been small by almost any standard, with only two
protesters showing up last Wednesday (and one person "in support") to hold
signs as patrons tried on the kimonos and posed for pictures. (Suggested
hashtag: #mfaBoston.) Still, their presence made some visitors
uncomfortable. John Blanding/Globe Staff Sue Danielson (visiting from
Kentucky) with Monet's "La Japonaise" during the Cheers to Malcolm! event at
the Museum of Fine Arts on June 24. The museum initially stood its ground,
presenting staffers with an internal memo defending the event and saying it
would continue. "We don't think this is racist," states the memo, a copy of
which was obtained by the Globe (and by protesters, who posted it online ).
But if the protests were small on the ground, the core group of activists
garnered wider support online, setting up a Facebook event page and a Tumblr
account. And nowhere was the outrage greater than on the MFA's own Facebook
page , where commenters decried the event as "vilely racist" and called for
the museum to apologize. "Just stop," said Ames Siyuan, 26, a protest
organizer, who declared that the MFA can "do better. "I don't see how this
is arts education. If anything, it perpetuates Halloween costumes of various
races. Monet's 1876 painting, which shows his wife, Camille, wearing a
blazing red kimono, is thought to be the artist's wry commentary on the
craze for all things Japanese that swept Parisian art circles in the 1870s.
Surrounded by fans, Camille posed in a blond wig, an intentional choice to
highlight her European descent. Art historians believe Monet was poking fun
at his contemporaries and the movement known as "japonisme. Today, however,
some activists and scholars regard the 19th-century European fascination
with Asia in a more sinister light, dubbing it "Orientalism," a handmaiden
of Imperialism whereby nonwestern cultures are reduced to a handful of
mysterious traits - unknowable exotics and therefore less human. "We should
have a conversation about Orientalism and why it's wrong," said Siyuan.
"They're perpetuating Orientalism. They don't give any context. They're
like, try this on, and that's it. That's not the way to do it. But if the
protesters were certain of their message, their meaning was lost on some
visitors. "They're obviously here to make a point," said Katelin Hardy, who
arrived at the MFA last week intending to try on a kimono. After speaking at
length with the protesters, however, she decided to forgo the opportunity,
even if she wasn't "quite sure" about their objections. "They said everyone
was racist," said Hardy. "Maybe there needs to be a little more context to
it, but by the time I was done, we were leaving, and I just couldn't. The
kimonos, which are replicas of the garment in the painting, were
commissioned by the Japanese broadcaster NHK to accompany "La Japonaise" for
the recent traveling exhibit "Looking East"; visitors to museums in Tokyo,
Kyoto, and the MFA's sister museum in Nagoya could try them on as part of
the exhibit. "It was very successful in Japan, and we wanted to provide an
opportunity to further the visitor experience in Boston," said Getchell, who
added that the MFA presented an educational talk on the event's inaugural
night. "People really appreciated the opportunity to see the kimonos, to try
it on, to feel it, to appreciate its craftsmanship, and to think about what
it would be like for a Parisian woman to have worn that at the time for her
husband to paint her. But Siyuan and Wang say that things are more
complicated in the United States, where Japanese and other Asians represent
an often-overlooked minority. The event amounted to "cultural
appropriation," Siyuan said. "It's white person after white person after
white person saying this is not racist. In its statement, the MFA
acknowledged the protesters' concerns and hoped the programming change would
further dialogue. "We hope that it will be an opportunity to achieve our
original goal to understand the artwork and the culture of its time," said
Getchell. "We didn't intend to offend. Malcolm Gay can be reached at
malcolm.gay@xxxxxxxxx . Follow him on Twitter at @malcolmgay . .
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