George Washington mural 'traumatizes' San Fran students; high school may remove art

Washington Times ^ | May 2, 2019 | By Douglas Ernst

[Brown Deer]

https://www.change.org/p/san-francisco-board-of-education-prevent-the-removal-of-victor-arnautoff-s-mural-from-george-washington-high-school

The “Reflection and Action Group” appointed by the San Francisco Unified School District has recommended that all thirteen panels of a mural painted in 1935-6 by Russian émigré artist Victor Arnautoff at George Washington High School be painted out because, in the words of the group’s recommendation, “the mural . . . glorifies slavery, genocide, colonization, manifest destiny, white supremacy… [and]… oppression.”

However, given Arnautoff’s political beliefs, and according to a recent 2017 biography by Dr. Robert Cherny, Victor Arnautoff and the Politics of Art, the purpose of these murals was to present a counter-narrative to typical high school textbooks of the day and to highlight exploitation and oppression of people of color in the United States.

In other words, through his art, Arnautoff was practicing a commitment to social justice and he was certainly not glorifying slavery, genocide, colonization, manifest destiny, or white supremacy. He was, instead, through his unique depictions of scenes of the life of George Washington, condemning those institutions and ideologies.

Arnautoff created the murals to protest both the genocide of Native Americans as well as slavery and oppression of African-Americans at a time when few openly discussed these aspects of American history. High school curricula in the United States, even today, neglect the history of Native Americans and First Peoples.

As such, the mural should serve as a critical educational tool and destroying or removing it only serves to promote an inaccurate perspective of the artist and his work.

There are several workable options that have been suggested to keep the mural intact and to allow faculty to use it to support their teaching. Erasing this work of art will not serve the interests of the students at George Washington High School and will divide the community.

[bert]

This is San Francisco...... not America

I’m offended that the city exists

[airborne]

I feel traumatized just seeing this posted here!

Where’s my check?

[antidemoncrat]

A whole fleet of Waaaaaambulances are on the way to save those snowflakes.

[blueplum]

shall we discuss the genocide, colonization, slave history, tribal supremacy, colorism, and other ‘crimes’ of the offended’s historical societies? In fact, every earth society from time beginning, with an understanding that early civilization was by nature violent? or is this just more white hate personified we must sit on our hands and close our mouths to?

[AFreeBird]

Great movie!

‘When you’re backed into a corner you got to get mean - mad dog mean...’

[imardmd1]

These art works, statues, and panoramas of our history depict the actual situations that existed in the past, even if they tend to idealize. The things of the past need not unhinge us from a future plan, unless the current agitators blackwash them to the point of enraging malleable minds into patterns of irrational hateful actions to eradicate these symbols of freedom.

What we are battling is the schooling of minds to accept mass hysteria, like responding to a rock-band waving-the-arms flow-with-the excited-feeling as tough engaged in a shared LSD hallucination, so different than a quiet, calming, thought-provoking reality-accepting walk through the woods in the vernal spring.

Destroying the trail of historical touch-stones means to replace them with--what?--in impressionable minds, eh? The .what will be a slate filled by one's own distorted imaginations or someone else's corrupting devilish caricaturizations, hard to dislodge after one's fabric of perceptions is woven, that cloak that excuses abandonment of "common" sense.

We need to douse the effects of that protected class of motivational mentors, once occupied only by truly professional educators, now by the charlatans that populate the poison-ivy halls of learning.

We need to abandon John Dewey's alluring socialistic "Humanist Manifesto" that intoxicates liberal minds, and re-engage Hyman Rickover's more rigorous interpretation of classical themes by studying them and applying them in daily life. (see pp. 149-193, esp. after p. 189 of the PDF of this reference for a detailed criticism of his efforts, as compared to today's status in public education).

I have in hand a facsimile of

______________________________

"THE

N E W -- E N G L A N D

P R I M E R

IMPROVED
For the more eafy attaining the true
reading of Englifh.
TO WHICH IS ADDED
The Affembly of Divines, and
Mr. COTTON'S Carechifm.

* * * * * * * * *

B O S T O N ;

1777.

______________________________

(I obtained this from David Barton's "Wallbuilders" site, a well-known provider of many resources to affirm the wonderful tale of the creation of a Land of Liberty by our godly conservative creative Founders.

One aspect of examining the roots of personal development of the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness would be for young people to examine this first and influential schooling text while their values are gelling, while their character can still be modified by seeing how their forefathers (and -mothers) learned to gain persomal independence of the mind. To assimilate the context of this Primer would indelibly shape the way a maturing youth would look at American history, IMHO. And furthermore, led by a wise adult through the pages would give the senior mentor the sense of useful achievement instilling the kind of behavioral platform lasting through the junior disciple's generation.

Respectfully,

imardmd1 (taken from Psalm 107:2 AV)

[sparklite2]

a rock-band waving-the-arms flow-with-the excited-feeling as though engaged in a shared LSD hallucination

---

American Idol has a section of the audience devoted to what I call the ‘seaweeds.’ I suppose it’s better than back when the AI audiences felt compelled to clap in time with even a slow ballad. But when the song has a fast beat, the poor seaweeds look to be having more of a seizure than an hallucination. I expect they perspire as freely as their teen age bodies allow.

[imardmd1]

Corrections:

. . . as tough though engaged . . .

Carechifm Catechifm

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Are they changing the name of the high school to Human Feces HS or something like that?

[imardmd1]

Yeah, I watched the Billboard Awards las night. Such total absorption in acting out fantasies both on and off stage. Even saw the server girls of the restaurant I was in copying some of these contortions, even while at work. I saw what was showing on the screen, but I just could not grasp what is so captivating, even using noisemaking that one could not identify as true music or logical communication. Think of the money spent on these extravaganzas that have no functional value.

[sport]

That is assuming that they can read.

[YogicCowboy]

I bought Confederate Flags in protest before they were banned.

[Trumpet 1]

If a disgusting communist painted it, I would have to assume that it was a hate America propaganda piece and should have been removed long long ago. Why do the Freepers want to keep commie hate America paintings on display to poison the minds of children.?!

[Old Grumpy]

>>> it “traumatizes students and community members.” <<<

What a bunch of pansies.

[SunkenCiv]

Snowflakes. Reminds me of some people I've recently met online. Thanks JimRob.

• Rights groups sue over U.S. decision to hold asylum seekers without bond
• Meet Obama-Appointed Judge Dolly M. Gee - The Woman Responsible for the One Million Illegals
• Jeb Bush Uses Democrat Talking Point: 'Not Sure' Sanctuary Cities for Illegals Are a 'Problem'(T)

[Right Wing Assault]

They should burn all the $1 bills they find.

I would like to give one of them a thousand $1 bills if they would burn them.