Create accountLogin

Recent searches

No recent searches

Search options

Only available when logged in.
toad.social is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
Mastodon server operated by David Troy, a tech pioneer and investigative journalist addressing threats to democracy. Thoughtful participation and discussion welcome.

Administered by:

Server stats:

387
active users

toad.social: AboutProfiles directoryPrivacy policy

Mastodon: AboutGet the appKeyboard shortcutsView source codev4.3.7

#smithsonian

18 posts17 participants1 post today
Continued thread
Public
AnarchoNinaAnalyzes

Many critics, who almost invariably do not work in the fields of historical study or education, will reflexively scoff at the idea that the Trump regime is attempting to erase, or re-write history in a way that supports a Christian Nationalist worldview as the official truth and indeed the only valid, legal way to speak about history; often while admitting that Trump is functionally illiterate and certainly doesn't read much history. Of course that argument is irrelevant because he's surrounded by a whole bunch of white nationalist freaks who certainly do read and care about history, in so much as it furthers their project to transform America into a permanent fascist dictatorship and white ethnostate; Stephen Miller, who is clearly functioning as the regime's Goebbels, has certainly read a history book or two. Even setting that obvious reality aside however, sometimes Trump's executive orders just come right out and admit this is the plan. Take for example Der Führer's recent order to put noted white nationalist (and Vice President) JD Vance in charge of scrubbing the Smithsonian museum (and zoo) complex of "improper ideology."

commondreams.org/news/trump-sm

'Unabashed Fascism': Trump Executive Order Targets 'Improper Ideology' at Smithsonian

"U.S. President Donald Trump has elicited a fresh wave of anger after he signed an executive order on Thursday targeting exhibits or programs critical of the United States at the Smithsonian Institution, a sprawling network of largely free museums and Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo.

The order aims to prevent federal money from going to displays that "divide Americans based on race" or "promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy," as well as remove "improper ideology" from Smithsonian's museums, education centers, and research centers.

"This is unabashed fascism," wrote the journalist Lauren Wolfe on X on Thursday. Amy Rutenberg, a history professor at Iowa State University, wrote: "Last week, while visiting several Smithsonian museums, I kept wondering how long it would take for this administration to direct exhibits to be pulled. Not long, it turns out."

Look, if you think I'm being uncharitable about the purpose of this executive order, you can simply read the order yourself (here: whitehouse.gov/presidential-ac) because Downmarket Mussolini makes it very clear this is about erasing the history of slavery, structural racism, the existence of trans women, and anything that makes white people uncomfortable about the history of a white supremacist country built on chattel slavery and genocide. Trump even pinned the tail on the donkey by instructing the interior secretary to reinstall statues and monuments removed or changed since January 1st, 2020; and if your memory is failing you, that date is clearly about undoing projects to remove monuments to racists and Confederate slavers, in response to the efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement and the George Floyd protests.

Anyone arguing this is about preserving history from ideology (a phrase that makes zero sense because history is affected by the ideologies governing human behavior at the time it happens; obviously) somehow, is literally pushing fascist propaganda; this is about establishing an official narrative in support of a white nationalist permanent social and political order, and slowly eliminating any source of facts that might argue with that narrative. This is ideological policing, and history has shown us that these efforts to rewrite the past and eliminate dissenting narratives typically end in, literal, mass graves.

Common Dreams · 'Unabashed Fascism': Trump Executive Order Targets 'Improper Ideology' at Smithsonian | Common DreamsPresident Trump's latest executive order targeting the Smithsonian is a blatant attack on American history and culture, say critics.
#Fascism#Trump#JDVance
Public *
AnnaAnthro

« While the #Trump executive order claims the exhibition is an example of how the #Smithsonian has "come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology," visitors and critics see a collection that probes historical representation, stereotypes and identity. »

« The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and Sculpture shows 82 artworks by 70 artists, spanning from the late 1700s to the present .»

This art exhibition is 'divisive' or 'eye-opening' — it depends npr.org/2025/04/02/nx-s1-53459

Public
Vas

Trump, who has sought to root out “wokeness” since returning to power in January, accused the Smithsonian of trying to rewrite history on issues of race and gender.
In an executive order entitled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”, he directed the removal of “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” from its storied museums..#Smithsonian..#GOP..#whitenationalism theguardian.com/us-news/2025/m

The Guardian · ‘It reminds you of a fascist state’: Smithsonian Institution braces for Trump rewrite of US historyBy David Smith
Public
Christian Schwägerl

Jetzt gibt #Trump in den USA in seiner #Smithsonian Executive Order die Parole aus, Rasse sei eine “biologische Realität”.

Wirklich bitter, dass es in der letzten Legislaturperiode nicht gelungen ist, das Wort “Rasse” aus dem deutschen Grundgesetz zu streichen bzw. den Passus so umzuformulieren, dass klar wird, Rassismus ist Menschen so zu behandeln, als gäbe es Rassen.
Was nicht der Fall ist, “Rasse” ist ein seit Ewigkeiten widerlegter pseudowissenschaftlicher Unfug.

whitehouse.gov/presidential-ac

The White House · Restoring Truth and Sanity to American HistoryBy the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose and
Public
Pete H :verified: CISSP/ISO27K

Welcome to the Ministry of Culture: Where Art Goes to Die Quietly in a Patriotically Approved Corner

Nothing screams “freedom” quite like the government telling museums which stories are too real and which artists are too brown.

In the latest installment of “Make Art Great Again,” Trump’s regime has decided that cultural institutions like the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center are just a little too independent. Can’t have artists running around making people think or, doG forbid, reflect. So out goes “The Shape of Power” exhibit for being “divisive,” and in comes a new aesthetic: Norman Rockwell, but make it autocratic.

The Smithsonian’s been told to clean house, and we all know what that means. Anything that centers race, systemic injustice, queer identity, or uncomfortable truths gets quietly repatriated to oblivion. Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center has seen its Social Impact team dismantled and its Artistic Director fired; for what? Caring too much about actual impact. Apparently, art that speaks to society is now “inappropriate.” Unless, of course, it’s glorifying flags, founding fathers, or folks who’ve never had to protest anything other than brunch prices.

We’ve seen this playbook before. It ran in Germany. It aired in Italy. It sold out stadiums in 1930s Europe. Authoritarian regimes don’t hate art—they just hate art they can’t control. And now, in 2025 America, the long knives have been replaced by executive orders and budget cuts.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a culture war. It’s a cultural purge; a forced rewriting of national memory, where history gets edited with the same grace and subtlety as a Soviet photo archive.

You might think, “Well, they’re just targeting a few exhibits or programs.” But this is death by a thousand redactions. A chilling signal to artists, curators, and institutions: Comply or be cut. Conform or be canceled (ironically, by the same people who whine about cancel culture between golf rounds and grift emails).

The real tragedy? We’re watching it happen in real time—this gutting of public arts, this sanitizing of culture—and people are still asking, “But isn’t this just about restoring balance?” Sure. If by balance you mean tipping everything into the sea and lighting it on fire.

So here’s to the brave artists who refuse to be scrubbed out of history, and to the rest of us: wake up. Because the last time governments told museums what they could show, the world got a lot darker. And no one’s commissioning murals about that. #ArtsAndCulture #Censorship #FreedomOfExpression #CulturalHeritage #MuseumLeadership #ArtsAdvocacy #HumanRights #PublicPolicy #CreativeFreedom #LeadershipInCrisis #DefendTheArts #HistoricalNarrative #SocialImpact #CivicEngagement #Smithsonian #KennedyCenter #Authoritarianism #RewritingHistory #ArtMatters #voicesthatmatter

Public
Michael Fenichel

PROPER IDEOLOGY -
Cartoon by Dennis Goris

"Those who cannot learn from history"... are determined that others will not learn either....

> "I love poorly educated people" - Sir #TrumpVirus of the #BrainSpurs

Welcome to the dumbed-down #GQP #AlternativeFacts land of lower (or no) #education, 24/7 #disinformation and buried #reality - Bye bye #history / #facts

Hello Ministry of #Truth & #Doublespeak

#Smithsonian #learning #censorship
#BrainSpurs

Cartoon by Goris: A young boy and adult (father & son ?) are watching a worker on top of a long ladder to the top of the columns at the entrance to The Smithsonian Museum of History. But the worker has just removed the H from History, and below is a garbage bin, where the H and other letters will be discarded. Asks the boy: "What does it mean?" Man: "We're doomed to repeat it."
ExploreLive feeds
About