Rebecca,

The museum field in general is very polarized – like the rest of the 
country – and the majority of museum employees are would probably 
consider themselves or their beliefs "liberal."

I had an experience at the last AAM that emphaiszed that point. There 
was a large audience of mostly exhibit developers. The commentator 
asked, "How many of you believe we live in an extrememly polarized 
country?" Almost every hand shot up. "Okay, how many of you voted for 
the current president?" Only a few hands remained in the air – the rest 
shot down. The point, of course, was that the country is split almost 
right down the middle, and the two sides are very far apart from each 
other. But we museum folk are trying to reach /all /audiences, and we 
have to be aware of that.

That said, Rebecca, I think the posters who commented about Mr. Bottoms 
article are not intolerant of different views. They are intolerant of 
the bigotry and hatred seething throughout Mr. Bottoms' message. This is 
not intolerance of a different point of view - this is a reaction 
against an ugly, reactionary article that does more harm to this great 
country and its many diverse people than the supposed threats the writer 
outlined.

Rebecca, I'll discuss issues with someone of a different point of view 
any day. I enjoy the discussion. It flexes my mental muscles. :) It's an 
excercise in intelligent, productive, thoughtful disagreement. And I 
will disagree with people. And we'll argue, and yell, and feel 
passionate about our views. But I'll respect the person with an opposing 
view afterwards.

Rebecca, I hope I've made the difference clear. Thoughtful, tolerant, 
and respectful disagreement between different people is healthy and 
great and encouraged. Mr. Bottoms' post promoted hatred, intolerance, 
and racism. I cannot respect Mr. Bottoms' post, and I'm not ashamed of 
the incredibly angry reaction against it. In fact, I'd be afraid if 
there wasn't.

With all respect,
George


Rebecca Fitzgerald wrote:

>Hmmm...it's very interesting that while Mr. Bottoms posted a quoted article
>that is certainly controversial and expresses the purported opinion of one
>retired general. But, Mr. Bottoms has not sunk to the depths of some members
>of this list. I've seen posts that referred to him as a "creep" or a
>"troll." Most posts dismissed him as a "mad ranter" or an inflammatory
>"baiter." 
>
>Mr. Bottom's post has actually helped expose a serious weakness of this
>list, and one that prevents me from recommending it to my colleagues and
>students. The Museum-L listserv is a very politically polarized list, very
>intolerant of any views other than the extremely liberal one. Folks who do
>express a contrary view are shouted down and characterized as bumpkins or
>ignorant. 
>
>I belong to several successful history listservs that could serve as models
>to this group. I'd like to recommend MARHST-L, a maritime history listserv.
>This list includes members from every corner of the world, and every
>political leaning. And because of the maritime content, politics and war are
>necessarily part of the discussion. The difference is that these discussions
>are framed carefully, respectful to ALL members, regardless of nation or
>viewpoint. We would do well to emulate this list.
>
>Successful listservs go beyond civility, to caring. I was in a meeting
>yesterday with colleagues from Iraq and Lebanon. The gentleman from Iraq was
>describing some of the country's internal problems that have resulted from
>the war, and the ensuing poverty. He insisted on using his English, and used
>the word "careless" to describe the behaviors of some of his countrymen:
>looting, robbing and mugging other Iraqis. His meaning was that they had no
>love of their own countrymen. I've thought lots about his use of the word
>and it seems to apply here. We don't mean to hurt with our words, but we are
>careless...meaning that we have no love/concern for the folks who are
>reading our posts. 
>
>Donning my asbestos suit!
>
>Becky Fitzgerald
>Susquehanna Museum
>
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-- 
George Garner
Director of Exhibitions
Center for History
808 West Washington, South Bend, IN 46601
www.centerforhistory.org // (574) 235-9664

--------

Celebrate Founders Month in August at the Center for History with a 
visit to the exhibitions, From Southold to South Bend and New Order on 
the Land.

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).