It has been three years since the last House oversight hearing of the prestigious Smithsonian complex, but it finally happened on December 12, and problems have come to light. The institution is two-thirds taxpayer funded with an overall budget of $1.14 billion, which appears to have been spent on the woke and ridiculous ideas – not facts – of a handful of progressives who claim that white people are worthless, evil-intended, spoiled rotten brats whose accomplishments must be erased.
Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) called the hearing to order with a brief opening statement hitting the high points before deferring to his minority counterpart, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY). Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, who oversees the massive Smithsonian enterprise, expressed his statement full of pride for the organization's accomplishments, and it was off to the nitty-gritty of tough questions and cagey answers – a plethora of polite gibberish for 90 minutes with veiled threats, innuendos, and anti-Caucasian slurs hidden in plain sight.
Queens, Caucasians, and Hyphenation
Secretary Bunch shared a wealth of information in a calm, reassuring tone – even when pressured by Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK), who queried:
"How does hosting drag shows for children help the Smithsonian achieve its mission of catalyzing public engagement, sparking curiosity by learning, and connecting the knowledge, resources, and expertise of the Smithsonian with a vital network of cultural and educational organizations?"
(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Smithsonian Latino Museum)
Who knew taxpayer dollars were used for that? Bunch didn't miss a beat. "That is a small part of whatever we do. And the reality is the Smithsonian is trying to make sure that it embraces the totality of who we are as Americans," Bunch said with a smile. "But this is not a major part of what we do at all."
The Smithsonian has been under fire for a few of the woke revisionists' decisions of late. In a preview of a proposed Latino Museum addition, House Latino Republicans threatened to cut funding for the newest project because the exhibit depicted Latinos as "deserters, traitors, and victims of oppression." Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY) led the questioning on pending exhibits. Bunch rerouted his answers by saying he didn't know what would be on display and that he was "committed to creating inclusive programming."
No congressional hearing would be complete without a good, solid pandering to race relations and the Smithsonian's own White Culture Traits hullabaloo. In 2020, the museum put out charts, downloadable information sheets, and guidelines entitled "Aspects and Assumptions of Whiteness in the United States." The Smithsonian was soon apologizing and hoping for a funding reprieve. Part of the published "data" was "rational thinking and hard work" that characterizes white folks' values. “White culture” was described as Protestant and rugged individualism in an online accessible portal. Seriously, a white trait is labeled as "steak and potatoes and bland is best."
The museum took down most of the graphics, but also held its ground on the backstory: "At a time when the soul of our country is being tested, our Talking About Race portal will help individuals and communities foster constructive conversations and much-needed dialogue about one of our nation's most challenging topics: Racism and its corrosive impact," the museum tweeted in 2020.
Prominently plastered on the Smithsonian race discussion pages is this quote by author-activist Toni Morrison, who said: "In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate." There's a perfect example of claiming a narrative and reversing its course. Black, brown, beige, and pasty folks were all simply American until liberal leaders turned back the clock on race relations to well before the civil rights movement.
Smithsonian – Scabs, Scars, and History
Referring to the practice of using the brains of black people and Native Americans for scientific study, Rep. Morelle fumbled on what could have been the biggest play of the day, asking, "I want to hear if we're making headway on repatriation of body parts." A poor choice of words in regards to the use someone else's brains, but his heart was in the right place. "Like you, I was very upset when I learned about these human remains. And my goal was very quickly to really have a new policy that allows us to understand how we return remains, what kind of research we should still do," Bunch said.
Since its founding 175 years ago, the Smithsonian complex has been the most visited museum on the planet. It tells a story of America like no other institution and should take the utmost care in relating the country's history without fictionalizing or speculating or accusing. But suppose this organization tries to rewrite history to appease a political ideology?
Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said it best:
"Determined leftists who understand the importance of capturing institutions – and seek to use their newfound power to indoctrinate the population into a narrative that counters the national worldview – convince society that all they are doing is giving voice to the voiceless. Conservatives who are either well-intentioned, naive, or fearful of being tarred as racists go along with the agenda and approve everything.”
And it's being done before our very eyes.
