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brown university
culture
Brown University Faculty Votes To Hijack History
Joshua ChaneyPosted: Apr 14th 2009 9:50PM
Filed under: Culture, Breaking News, News, Brown University, Microtrends on Campus, American University, Muskingum CollegeAn obsession with political correctness at American universities has rapidly become a national phenomenon in recent years. A few colleges have really taken it too far.
Brown University's faculty voted last week to rename Columbus Day "Fall Weekend" on the University's calendar, a move that apparently was in step with the wishes of students according to a poll by the college newspaper The Brown Daily Herald. The poll revealed a majority of students disapproved of continuing to call the holiday Columbus Day.
The decision came after weeks of pressure from student groups proposing change.
American University's Undergraduate Senate passed a similar resolution a few years ago declaring the holiday "Indigenous People's Day" instead.
Columbus Day is named of course after Christopher Columbus, the man incorrectly attributed with discovering North America. As we know today, Columbus was tied to the enslavement and abuse of native inhabitants of the West Indies. Columbus Day has been celebrated since 1971.
But really, Columbus Day? It seems strange that academics would be so willing to hijack history for the sake of an extremist obsession to purify it. Owning a history book doesn't give one the right to rewrite it, however. Columbus Day still exists as does U.S. history in its entirety - dark spots as well as bright.
The faculty might have instead used the day instead to ... oh, I dunno, teach? Since when is it an acceptable standard in American academia to ignore history instead of use its errors as a basis to teach and educate?
"Brown University made itself an example to the nation by carefully exploring its ties to the slave trade and using that process to promote greater understanding," Providence mayor David Cicilline, a 1983 graduate of Brown, said in a press release last week. But the decision to "simply erase the celebration of an incredibly significant moment in world history and Italian-American culture for the sake of political correctness does just the opposite," he added.
While Columbus might not be credited now with being the first person to discover America, many Italian-American organizations still credit Columbus, an Italian explorer, as a major historical influence on western civilization's introduction to a new part of the world.
Providence newspaper columnist Bob Kerr called the decision "detached," especially because of the large number of Italian descendants residing in Providence. Rush Limbaugh also opined on the decision, attacking the students who urged for the change.
One Brown student said Columbus is "undeserving of a holiday." Another said "what they teach us in elementary school is misleading - hero worshiping."
The decision was "a progressive step," he added.
I couldn't disagree more. The most feasible part of the students' argument is that Columbus wasn't deserving of the holiday in the first place. But what is certain is that the holiday is also is a yearly reminder of how far we've come. It provides a basis on which teachers can educate their students.
A much greater injustice is done in ignoring the sacrifices made at the hands of the ignorant. Their story deserves to be told, not swept under the rug and the best way to do that is for Columbus Day to remain untouched. It is not an elementary teacher's place to go all philosophical on an 8-year-old, and I don't think children are educated to idolize Columbus - at least I wasn't.
At a higher level of learning, the flaws of such individuals need to be observed and critiqued.
The decisions by both American University and Brown University were more accurately in step with those attempting to censor historical scars, and call it cliche, but those who ignore history are, indeed, destined to repeat it.
Brown University's faculty voted last week to rename Columbus Day "Fall Weekend" on the University's calendar, a move that apparently was in step with the wishes of students according to a poll by the college newspaper The Brown Daily Herald. The poll revealed a majority of students disapproved of continuing to call the holiday Columbus Day.
The decision came after weeks of pressure from student groups proposing change.
American University's Undergraduate Senate passed a similar resolution a few years ago declaring the holiday "Indigenous People's Day" instead.
Columbus Day is named of course after Christopher Columbus, the man incorrectly attributed with discovering North America. As we know today, Columbus was tied to the enslavement and abuse of native inhabitants of the West Indies. Columbus Day has been celebrated since 1971.
But really, Columbus Day? It seems strange that academics would be so willing to hijack history for the sake of an extremist obsession to purify it. Owning a history book doesn't give one the right to rewrite it, however. Columbus Day still exists as does U.S. history in its entirety - dark spots as well as bright.
The faculty might have instead used the day instead to ... oh, I dunno, teach? Since when is it an acceptable standard in American academia to ignore history instead of use its errors as a basis to teach and educate?
"Brown University made itself an example to the nation by carefully exploring its ties to the slave trade and using that process to promote greater understanding," Providence mayor David Cicilline, a 1983 graduate of Brown, said in a press release last week. But the decision to "simply erase the celebration of an incredibly significant moment in world history and Italian-American culture for the sake of political correctness does just the opposite," he added.
While Columbus might not be credited now with being the first person to discover America, many Italian-American organizations still credit Columbus, an Italian explorer, as a major historical influence on western civilization's introduction to a new part of the world.
Providence newspaper columnist Bob Kerr called the decision "detached," especially because of the large number of Italian descendants residing in Providence. Rush Limbaugh also opined on the decision, attacking the students who urged for the change.
One Brown student said Columbus is "undeserving of a holiday." Another said "what they teach us in elementary school is misleading - hero worshiping."
The decision was "a progressive step," he added.
I couldn't disagree more. The most feasible part of the students' argument is that Columbus wasn't deserving of the holiday in the first place. But what is certain is that the holiday is also is a yearly reminder of how far we've come. It provides a basis on which teachers can educate their students.
A much greater injustice is done in ignoring the sacrifices made at the hands of the ignorant. Their story deserves to be told, not swept under the rug and the best way to do that is for Columbus Day to remain untouched. It is not an elementary teacher's place to go all philosophical on an 8-year-old, and I don't think children are educated to idolize Columbus - at least I wasn't.
At a higher level of learning, the flaws of such individuals need to be observed and critiqued.
The decisions by both American University and Brown University were more accurately in step with those attempting to censor historical scars, and call it cliche, but those who ignore history are, indeed, destined to repeat it.
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Eddie C
11:26PM 11:26PM Apr 14th 2009
Thank God for the Ivies! What's the color of sh*t?......BROWN!!
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Willard
10:11PM 10:11PM May 1st 2009
lol, what about bird poop? or bat droppings? ...c'mon, what are you, seven? really?
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Not So Nutty
1:34AM 1:34AM Apr 15th 2009
At first blush, this sounds ridiculous. And as a "cause," it sounds like a colossal waste of time and energy. But when you read the whole article condemning it, it actually starts to make more sense. "Columbus Day" is not merely a commemoration of an historic (and historical) event, it is a day which honors Christopher Columbus. If the truth is that Columbus doesn't deserve to be honored, then we should change the name of the day. Why were the names of Stalingrad and Leningrad changed? To whitewash history, or for some other reason? Brown students already know history. I'll bet that at least some of them have read Dusklands, a pair of novellas by J. M. Coetzee, the Nobel prize winning writer. Read that and see whether it changes your mind about what history is. It's not "politically correct," it's reality.
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Jay
8:13AM 8:13AM Apr 15th 2009
Uh?...WTF are you talking about? Most American holidays have baggage attached. From Christmas to May Day some minority has a problem with it. Too many minorities try to make the holiday 'politically correct' or protest the holiday to put forth their own agenda. None of which works on the 60%-70% of the American population who could care less. It's not that they don't care about minorities problems, but they feel using a 'bank holiday' to make a point is just...stupid? I was a witness to a local protest last President's Day when several (and I mean very few) local political figures protested "W"'s presidency by calling for a sit in or sit out...a 'stand' against tyranny. While I ate my lunch in the park and watched them hand out fliers and chant I noticed 95% of the passing crowd either laughed openly or looked confused. When you elevate most of your holidays to the question of "Do I have to work?" or "Is the bank open today?" using them as a polictical stump just reduces your agenda. On a personal note, using Columbus as your beating boy is, as I said before, just stupid. Who do we switch the Holiday to? Lief Erikson day? (You know the nice and easy going vikings were here first). Or...for the west coast "Chinese Founding Day"? (There is some circumstantial evidence that asians made it here). What about the evidence that eastern europeans came over the ice bridge in the Barrents? The "Indian Day" idea is not stupid...but they didn't 'find' the Americas...they were already here. As the author of this story alluded, being politically correct can quickly carry you past making a statement into the place where most people ignore you on general principles. I also agree parially with another poster...if the students REALLY wanted to make a stand...vote to ignore it and have a regular school day. THAT would have gotten my attention more. THAT would make people actually look without rolling their eyes. THAT would have been a 'real' political statement. Jay.
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VerbalKent
1:01PM 1:01PM Apr 15th 2009
Well said!
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Broshack
9:10PM 9:10PM Apr 15th 2009
Thanks "Not So Nutty" for the reference to J. M. Coetzee. I am in the process of downloading one of his books from audible.com right now.
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Bejentl
6:26AM 6:26AM Apr 15th 2009
When we find that history has been created to favor instead of record, it is upon the seekers of truth to correct the error. History is what it is, not what we make or want it to be. And for future generations should be recorded accurately.
I think the fear is that as time passes and people are more honest about history, many things we once thought will be challenged with truth leaving those that think themselves the masters of the universe wallowing in self pity when they find that it was the contributions of all that made America and the world what it is, not a select few.
When I lie is told and the truth is known we must always favor truth.
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paul
8:48AM 8:48AM Apr 15th 2009
I can top this story. A couple of years ago some JERK in Pittsburgh started calling Christmas SPARKLE SEASON and the media and powers that be hung on to this like a T-bone in a pitbull's mouth. It took awhile but eventually common sense and Christmas Season won out. Gotta watch these super egotistical jerks. They seem like they were molested as children or have psychiatric problems....
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Dr. Manuel Luciano da Silva
12:28PM 12:28PM Apr 15th 2009
Brown University delivers a kick to Columbus’ ass!
By Manuel Luciano da Silva, Medical Doctor
Brown University has a campus in the City of Providence, capital of the State of Rhode Island, which is the smallest of the 50 American States. It was founded in 1764, as an independent university, non-profit, based on Christian-Judaic Philosophy. At the present time it has 7,882 students and 789 professors. Amongst more than five thousand universities that exist in the USA, it is considered an university of elite status, or Ivy League.
It is also one of the most expensive American universities. Let us examine one example. A medical School student, (the medical course is 8 years long), pays $36,342 dollars in tuition and $9,606 for room and board, a total of $45,348 per year! In this university 52 percent of the students are women and 7 percent are international students. NINETY SIX percent of the students that attend Brown University are from OUT of the State of Rhode Island!
Rhode Island Statistics
The State of Rhode Island has an area of 1,545 square miles and a population of 1,076,146. Continental Portugal, with an area of 35,672 square miles, has a population of 10,524,145. This means that Rhode Island is 24 times SMALLER than Portugal and has ten times LESS the population. Despite of these differences, Rhode Island has three Technological Institutes and ELEVEN universities!
The kick on Columbus’ ass
For the reasons stated above, it is easy for us to understand that the teachers, as well as the students at Brown University, are very presumptuous and petulant. They do not pay attention even to the other similar elements of the other universities in this state. But Brown University, like all other universities in the world, has two kinds of professors: cream and crap, or Honey and Shit!
Similar characteristics exist among the students. Because ninety six percent of the students at Brown are from OUT of the state of Rhode Island, these take on to opportunism based on the American liberties and they do not even care if their behavior becomes anti-American because what they are concerned with is to show to the world that they have original ideas, that they possess great intelligences and that are indeed wise guys!..
That’s what happened with one group of students who were admitted into Brown University because they belong to the Minority Group, descendents of Indo-American and Afro-American, and perhaps they did not even pay their tuition on their own because of their classification, They wrote a petition to eliminate the Columbus Day Holiday, stating that this navigator and his sailors brought to America, in 1492, many infectious diseases which killed lots of American Indians. This proposal was signed by eight hundred students of Brown University and then was submitted to the plenary assembly of the university professors, who approved unanimously the same proposal! This news gave origin to large headlines on newspapers, radio and TV.
This is the Seal of Brown University
What the students and professors of Brown University should
do now is change the word of its Seal to: DESESPERAMUS.
“The Providence Journal”, the largest in the State of Rhode Island, published an extensive article, with several interviews and photos, describing the entire episode.
Because I believe that the students and the professors at Brown University are wrong and are ignorant of the scientific historical facts, I decided to send a letter to the Editor of the same paper. I hope they will publish my letter. Here it is:
To the Editor:
Columbus was Portuguese!
(This is the title I suggested if my letter is published).
The Faculty of Brown University dropping the Holiday of "Columbus Day" in favor of a "Fall Weekend" reveals total ignorance of its student body and its teaching staff about the scientific historical facts. Unfortunately it continues to be taught, erroneously, in the USA that the infectious diseases that were brought by Columbus and the sailors that came to the Americas from Europe after1492 caused more deaths to the native Indians than the infectious agents and toxic products that only exist in America and have spread all over the world. Let us look at the facts. Let us list the diseases of the Old World or Europe that were brought over by the sailors. Viral diseases; flu, measles, small pox, common cold. These killed many thousands of American Indians that did not have immunity against those viral diseases. That is true.
Now let us list the diseases that ONLY exist in the Americas and for the last five hundred years have been spread all over the world; syphilis, roundworms, tapeworms or taeniasis, Leishmaniasis, oxiuriasis, Chagas' disease, tobacco and several stupefacients or narcotics. When we analyze the factual statistics, we can verify that the American agents have caused in the last five centuries and CONTINUE to cause, much larger numbers of deaths all over the world than the viral diseases which came from Europe after 1492. Everyone understands that tobacco ALONE - it being an exclusive American product - has caused and CONTINUES to cause more millions of deaths all over the world than the number of deaths among the American Indians!
The professors and students at Brown University should go together to the Library of the Vatican in Rome and verify that the two Papal Bulls of May 3rd and 4th, dated 1493 by Pope Alexander VI, revealed that the navigator's name, which appears on both of these documents, is written in old Portuguese: Cristofõm Colon (not Columbus)
Respectfully,
(a)
Manuel Luciano da Silva, Medical Doctor
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Jim
10:55PM 10:55PM Apr 16th 2009
Columbus was a Genoian, or from Genoa Italy, so history says. Portugal? maybe. But also an interesting fact, Genoa ruled the island of Chios, now claimed by Greece, so way he Italian, Greek or what? The good doctor is correct about spreading diseases but if the white man had not occupied and explored North America, who knows what we would be like today. The Lewis and Clark expedition definitely brought disease to the Northwest. The natives tended to stay within geographical areas. Once the natives were killed off, such as the enslavement of King Phillip and his people and their export as slaves, the illegal slave trade began. Columbus did not discover America, it was never lost.
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Dr. Manuel Luciano da Silva
12:00PM 12:00PM Apr 17th 2009
Dear Jim:
Many thanks for commenting on my article concerning the change of "Columbus Day" to "Fall Weekend" approved by the Professors of Brown University.
If you want to know ALL the documental truth, please read the book that my wife and I published 3 months ago entitled "Christopher Columbus was Portuguese!" This is the American Ediction.
You do not have to spend any money to read this book. You can find copies of our book at Public Libraries of Cumberland, Valley Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, East Providence, Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Porstmouth, Middletown, Newport,
Tiverton and Little Compton, to mention just a few public Libraries.
If you have any spare time see this article on my websit:
http://www.dightonrock.com/collectaneaofitsautopsies.htm
Remember: "From the discussion that is where we get the light!"
If you have more quetions do not hesitate to get in touch directley with me at:
drlucianodasilva@gmail.com
Best of luck and best regards,
Luciano da Silva
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Angiebaby
9:57AM 9:57AM Apr 15th 2009
Political correctness, my ass. Seems to me if the students overwhelmingly disapproved of the Columbus Day holiday, they would have voted to ignore it and attend classes as scheduled. Perhaps the Federal Government declared the day a holiday, but the American people have not embraced it as such. Columbus Day is not a day we celebrate anything. When's the last time your family gathered to celebrate Columbus discovering the New World? It is yet another day for banks and federal offices to close, and department stores to have sales.
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nancy
10:04AM 10:04AM Apr 15th 2009
The students' argument would make more sense if they wanted to abolish the holiday rather rhan change the name and keep the day off.
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Annee
1:07PM 1:07PM Apr 15th 2009
There is nothing wrong with creating commentary or discussion of history in the light of today's standards. However, for those charged with maintaining the integrity of history to feel they can change the reality of history is an abomination. So the "students" don't "like" Columbus; so what? In his historical context, Columbus was one of the "good" guys, admired much like we admire astronauts today. His actions were accepted practice for the times. While I would lead students in a discussion of why some actions would not be acceptable today, it is wrong to condemn those who lived in a different time with different standards.
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Wish Belkin
5:38PM 5:38PM Apr 15th 2009
All history is revisionist, generally writen by the jackass du-jour. It would seem Brown is full of them.
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revblueroor
6:13PM 6:13PM Apr 15th 2009
the title of this article sugessts that the facukty of brown has somehow chosen to ignore history. it the starts it's arguement by pointing out that the reason for the day's name is non-historical. if, as the author states, mr. columbus did not discover america 9as most historians agree) then why should there be a holiday to celebrate his non-discovery? if we want to proclaim holidays, for non events, how about having a week of holidays in november honoring vice president palin, president dewey, pres. kerry, president seymore, well you get the idea.
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DonG
6:19PM 6:19PM Apr 15th 2009
The people at Brown are the ones for whom the expression "educated fools" was coined for.
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MyTravelswithJim
6:42PM 6:42PM Apr 15th 2009
I think it is only fair that the 96% of Brown students from outside Rhode Island a campus club called "The Carpetbahggers Club" and the 4% of native born students have their own campus club called "The Rhodies Club"-it's the politically correct thing to do......and ,since travel is an education in itself,
Christopher Columbus deserves the same respect as Capt. Cook...............
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Jim Sweeney
6:41PM 6:41PM Apr 15th 2009
I think the current Brown students who are NOT native born Rhode Islanders should have a campus club called "The Carpetbaggers Club" and the 4% of students who are native born Rhode Islanders should have a campus club called "The Rhodies Club"...............
and,last but not least,Christopher Columbus deserves the same respect as Capt.Cook because,travel and exploring other parts of the World is an education in itself..................Brown students should appreciate this..................
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Ashley
7:01PM 7:01PM Apr 15th 2009
I disagree, Annee. Would you not condemn colonial slavery or Nazi Germany? Just because it was accepted at the time doesn't mean that it wasn't wrong or should be celebrated as a holiday. I'd take Jay's advice and do away with the holiday completely. Use the extra day of school to learn about the history. Simply renaming it just silly.
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