U of M expands on grievance studies

Lakota "tipis"

I remember a particularly good rebuttal to the idea that we need cultural diversity emphasis in our higher education institutions. Right at the moment I am thinking that these institutions have an existential challenge. Can they even survive in the kind of form that they have traditionally followed? But re. diversity that seems to have become a buzzword here at Morris, consider the following opposite point of view: "Since when has being conscious of our differences ever helped us get along better?" 

You cannot diss the logic in that. But higher education has its own survival agenda. 

"Diversity" gave academic people lots to study. And it's to the point where you can now get a doctoral degree in American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota. 

The Star Tribune talks about a "landmark report" that called on U leaders to repair relationships with tribes. Those poor U leaders: always feeling pressure to serve endless constituencies. 

Faculty themselves are a special interest: they need academic programs to offer. Talk about existential. 

The alternative to "diversity?" Well it would be the American melting pot ideal. "The great American melting pot" as you might characterize it. And it really is great, a high ideal. But the problem in the eyes of academics is that it's boring. There is nothing to study, nothing that would be the foundation for a degree, certainly not a "doctoral" degree like what we see at present re. the Natives. 

I'm sure all the terminology must be handled with kit gloves. So why are we talking about "American Indian studies" even? Why not "Native American?" Anyone risks a scolding if mishandling the words. 

Any society needs standards and for better or worse, the whole set of European standards took over in America. It happened with "Manifest Destiny." And are we to turn our backs on that? Sometimes with the kind of gestures made toward the Natives, I wonder. I feel the government has actually been very generous toward our Natives. But we need more? 

And now even our Morris community is brought into the discussion via the Star Tribune article. I'm not sure the article says enough about this. Some of us might need a primer. For most of my life I had the understanding that our campus here started out to "serve" the Indians. I have read an account that the "intentions were good" - yes I've read that - but it did not work out. Indians had too much trouble transitioning to the more "advanced" culture. 

And I have to put "advanced" in quotes because I remember social sciences instruction when I was in college. I think the emphasis here is on "anthropology." And I put that in quotes too. I think it was a faddish discipline at one time. And in anthropology, you as a student never wanted to say, to even hint, that any one body of people around the globe was more "advanced" than any other. I am not exaggerating, really truly. 

So we here in Morris cannot prop ourselves up over the tribes of New Guinea, I guess. And again I am not exaggerating. Do the social sciences professors of today still peddle this sheep-dip? Isn't it commendable to have real science and real medicine to undergird your culture, your nation? Don't we want to develop by studying how better to be healthy and live longer, to travel and to experience advanced fine arts? 

How do I feel about Indians? Well I judge all people the same. It's too simple a concept for professional educators to endorse. They need stuff to dispense in their classrooms. I would suggest they are losing this battle continually. But they keep rolling up their sleeves to see how they can bounce back. And this we see in the new Native American doctoral program. 

I take no pleasure in reminding you of this but the Natives of the pre-Columbian world did not have this big peaceable kingdom where everyone loved each other. Of course they had aspects in their routine that promoted the loving qualities. But on the whole the lifestyle was primitive. Advocates now for the Indian studies I'm sure simply want to promote the loving stuff. 

I think they called it the "Honor Song" at our UMM graduation with the drumming and chanting or wailing or singing or however it might be termed. To the untrained ear like mine it could have been a war chant like you'd hear in a 1950s John Wayne western. 

The historical record may show that such rituals existed, some benign and maybe even loving, others dark and violent. But academia is going to distort all this to try to create an exemplary panorama of life with the Native Americans. As if it serves as a model. A society with no science or medicine. 

Hollywood showed us the "medicine man" of course. Hey, maybe we'd get more reasonable billing than from the local clinic/hospital heh heh. But seriously, let's move on to the future with the real "development" that we know carries value, that would clearly make us more "advanced" than the New Guinea tribes, despite what "anthropology" professors say. And they would leap to their feet to describe me as ignorant, a fool, a knave. And that's because people like me might threaten the foundation for their professional "racket." Tenure contracts, ivory tower. 

But this has been fading quite fine on its own, without any histrionics from people like me. It's called the digital world. Daily it sweeps aside the pretense of academia. 

So, the Star Tribune cites Morris and our campus. Always nice to get mentioned in the state's prime media. We learn of the TRUTH Project that yielded a 554-page report. It's political in objective as it calls on the U to "reframe how Minnesotans view the University" - huh? - and called on U leaders to atone for all sorts of bad stuff in connection to Natives. 

Well don't you know: history in its essence is the story of the strong exploiting the weak. 

The newest version of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" had American leaders worrying about what the more advanced space aliens were going to do. Through all such strife and exploitation, we need only tap into our moral and Judeo-Christian instincts. Know right from wrong. Be caring. 

We should even be religious as long as it isn't the MAGA form of Christianity. It should be the form of Christianity promoted by Christ himself. "Diversity" studies on campuses just reinforce our differences. 

Martha-Ann Alito

Martha-Ann Alito is very conscious of having "German" blood and she now uses this to threaten people. We all know exactly where she is coming from as she is invoking the autocratic reign of mid-20th Century Germany. Slowly but surely the sinister stuff is arising again in world politics. 

We may start hearing more and more "war chants." Just imagine: the real re-emergence of Trump with real power. 

Why does this new Indian studies thing need to be a "doctoral" degree? More grievance studies. Like "women's studies." The whole "Ph.D." thing is pretentious. 

As a matter of pure history it is fine to examine the pre-Columbian Natives. It can in fact be very interesting. As a practical matter it is no model for how to live. The "melting pot" is. Science/medicine is. 

Whoever is going to be leading these academic studies will laugh at someone like me, a cretin in their eyes. I have dealt with this before. I think a big chunk of academia is just a "racket," self-serving, self-glorifying. Hey we all have to try to make a living. 

Be careful of talking about the emperor having no clothes. Trump liked his porn star friends when they were not wearing clothes.

 

Further blogging

I invite you to read my current post on my companion blog "Morris of Course," which relates to what is here. Specifically it is inspired by the quite dated Errol Flynn movie "They Died With Their Boots On." Indians were faceless. The soundtrack music for them projected mystery and danger. You may read this post with this permalink, and thanks:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/06/popular-entertainment-reacts-to-history.html

 

The Lakota

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com