Political Correctness as absurd as it can get !!!!

[MORTARDUDE]

Short version. Bolton High School is where my kids graduated. The history is that a large amount of money was given to fund a college that later turned into a county high school. They still use the money to fund projects for the school. The person who left it was a slave trader and was killed in a duel in 1869. A mural was painted recently that used for his image the likeness on his gravestone. He is not dressed in a Confederate uniform. The mural had no Confederate flags, just a Tennessee state flag. Someone complained that it "looked too Confederate" and the state flag was "like the Confederate flag". The mural was painted over. Posted below are stories about this. Nowhere is there any mention of the money being tainted...UNBELIEVABLE !!!

[MORTARDUDE]

NOTE :

go to the bottom and read up...I posted these in reverse order...


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Bolton High students object after school paints over mural
By Wayne Risher

risher@gomemphis.com
August 20, 2003

Bolton High students gave school officials flunking grades Tuesday for painting over a historical mural of the school's slave-trading benefactor. "I think it was a bunch of bull and they should put it back up," senior Lee Lee Barrett said.

"I think it was dumb," sophomore Cody Masters said.
"It's stupid," junior Nichols Whitaker said.
An art teacher commissioned by the Class of 2003 painted the mural. It showed Wade Bolton, 19th-Century planter and slave merchant, as depicted in a funereal statue in Elmwood Cemetery.
A faculty committee decided to paint over the mural after a teacher objected it was "too gray, too Confederate," and might be racially insensitive, principal Snowden 'Butch' Carruthers said.
At the country store where students gather after school, the word was that school officials blew it: First by hiding the mural, then removing it.
I don't like being lied to," said senior Kevin Dotson, 17, one of several white students wearing clothing featuring Confederate battle flags. "They were keeping it a secret from us, and that isn't right," said 17-year-old senior Amber Sowell.
Carruthers was noncommittal when asked if officials made the right call. "I really don't have anything else to say about it," he said. "The ball's in somebody else's court now."
Wade Bolton (1812-1869) left money to found Bolton College, which later became a county high school. The school still receives income from Bolton's endowment.
The mural also depicted Tennessee flags, school flags, and buildings from the school's 126-year history.
After the complaint, the mural was covered with fabric and students were told it was an uncompleted artwork. The complaining teacher hasn't been identified.
Bolton's student population is about 20 percent black.
"I'm a black African-American, and to me it was not offensive at all," said Barrett, 17. "The school has changed. It's black and white, and we all get along."
Barrett said she didn't hear about the controversy until this week, when her history teacher asked students to write about it in their journals and discuss it.
Senior Allison Hughes, 17, said she saw the covered section of wall, but didn't know what it was.
"I was mad because they painted over it," she said.
Justin Payne, 18, a 2003 graduate, said he chipped in $2 to help pay for the senior art project. He was disappointed he didn't get to see the finished product.
Although the mural has vanished, there's a chance art teacher Christy Burns didn't paint in vain.
Rep. Paul Stanley has offered to pay her to re-create the mural on canvas.
"I think we taught those kids how to paint over a mural and disguise a problem," the Germantown Republican said.
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Letters 8/19: Fate of Bolton mural has disturbing implications
August 19, 2003
As an art historian, I view Bolton High School's ill-fated mural as one of the worst examples imaginable of political correctness taken to an irrational extent (Aug. 16 article, ''Is Bolton mural art, or offensive history? Either way, it's history").
Everyone admits the mural of the school's founder, Wade Bolton, had no offensive content. Because an unidentified faculty member subjectively objected that the Tennessee state flag resembled the Confederate flag and Bolton's gray suit looked like a Confederate uniform, a faculty committee voted to destroy the mural and replace it with a sanitized one.

Apparently the ultraliberal committee believes something is worthy of censorship simply because it vaguely resembles something controversial. The implications of this attitude are disturbing, and one wonders to what extent such a prohibitive attitude will be taken.
One thing was very revealing: School authorities lied to students by telling them the mural had been covered because it had not been finished. One bad decision is usually followed by another, and once again censorship is accompanied by dishonesty. That is a great example to set for Bolton students.
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Letters to the Editor

Robert W. Torchia
Memphis

It was with much relief that I read that a mural painted as a tribute to Wade Bolton, whose generosity has allowed thousands of children to receive an education, will be painted over because of a complaint by a Bolton faculty member.
Thank goodness this teacher saw what no one else did: Bolton is dressed in - gasp! - Confederate gray, and our state flag looks like a Confederate flag.
I submit we should go further than painting over the mural. I say we demolish the school. After all, it was built with the dirty money of a slave owner. Then we burn every tree and blade of grass, in case Bolton ever touched any of it. Finally, we should dig up the soil and treat it as hazardous waste.
This decision should have been put to a vote by faculty and students. I believe many black faculty members and students would see things differently. Bolton lived in a time when being a slave owner, though morally wrong, was legal and accepted. Many things in the past are hideous to today's society. The passage of time and the timely passage of laws have changed many of these, including slavery and segregation.
Racism still exists, and as long as we allow petty whining to overrule common sense, it will continue. We know the name of the artist, but not the name of the whining teacher. What is he or she afraid of?

Richard L. Jacobs Sr.
Bartlett

Your article said that Wade Bolton, a 19th Century plantation owner who died in 1869, left a trust fund to establish Bolton College in Shelby County. The college became a county school in the 1920s, and the trust fund's support has continued. The fund paid for half of a football stadium 15 years ago, and provides $84,000 a year in college scholarships to Bolton students.
Members of the Class of 2003 wanted to honor their benefactor with a mural, and gave an art teacher an $1,800 commission to paint the mural. Now the finished work does not meet someone's historical perspective, and will be painted over without students having seen it.
The Bolton faculty and administration have disrespected their benefactor, dismissed the Class of 2003's gift as worthless and denigrated the artwork. Further, they lied to students about the artwork not being finished.
It is no wonder our kids grow up with such little respect for history and culture when they have such leadership examples to follow in our school system.
I hope the Bolton College Trust finds a worthier recipient for its funds than a school that dishonors its benefactor. After these do-gooders paint over this mural, they should go to downtown Memphis and bulldoze the Lorraine Motel so we will not have to be saddled with that painful memory.

Woody Savage
Cordova

The complaining teacher thought Bolton's clothing in the mural resembled the uniform of a Confederate soldier, and the three-star Tennessee state flag looked like a Confederate flag. The real story is that Bolton, whose trust continues to finance scholarships and other initiatives, was a slave trader.
This has to be the most infuriating, insulting and mindless decision I have ever heard about. The hypocrisy is all too evident: Let's use this man's trust fund, but let's not dare associate ourselves with his actual legacy, his clothing or his state flag - the flag of the bozos who decided to destroy the mural.

Mark Lindsey
Collierville

The only people who have been insulted are Bolton students, who never had a chance to see the mural and make up their minds about it, and the artist. Appeasing one teacher's narrow-minded, divisive point of view is wrong.
Wade Bolton 's contributions to this wonderful school should be honored. We can't rewrite history, but we need to move on. The whining teacher should be assigned to find out how many students, black and white, have received college scholarships thanks to the monetary gifts of the Bolton family.

Donna Scearce
Bartlett

Shame on our society for giving in to a whiny troublemaker who is so easily offended by historical fact or art that accurately represents the past. Confusing racism with historical fact promotes ignorance and shows a desire for continued hatred and racism. This person should not be employed as or called a teacher.
All races have family members or ancestors who at some time have suffered from slavery, repression, war or another horrific event. My advice to the teacher: Quit trying to alter the past for your personal benefit. Look to the future, where you can do some good.

Jim McGehee
Germantown

May I suggest to the Bolton College Trust that its money might be "too Confederate"? Perhaps its board members should consider making their donations to causes that would appreciate them. The cowards at Bolton High need no longer apply.
I' m sure the teacher who objected to the mural would be happy to pick up the slack.

Wayne J. Hoerske
Germantown

It is an outrage for this mural to be removed because of resemblances to something "Confederate." It is preposterous that this misguided teacher's complaint was taken seriously by anyone, let alone discussed and acted on by supposedly well-educated people.

Bill Giannini
Lakeland

Bolton High has a teacher who doesn't know the difference between the Tennessee flag and the Confederate flag. Something is wrong with this picture, and I'm not talking about the mural.

Steve Hall
Memphis

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Editorial 8/19: Mural's removal doesn't erase history August 19, 2003 BOLTON HIGH School administrators and faculty had a splendid opportunity to provide the school's 2,400 students with what educators like to call a "teaching moment." Instead, they and Shelby County Schools officials ran away from it. Last year's Bolton seniors hired an art teacher at the school to paint a mural of Wade Bolton, for whom the school is named, as their class gift. Bolton, a 19th Century planter - and slave trader - endowed a trust fund that created the high school's predecessor institution. Proceeds from the fund continue to subsidize scholarships and other school activities.

The mural's image of Bolton derived from his statue at Historic Elmwood Cemetery. The school's principal told The Commercial Appeal he didn't "see anything controversial" about the artwork. But an unidentified Bolton teacher reportedly complained that the mural's depiction of Bolton in gray clothing and of the Tennessee state flag looked "too Confederate." A faculty committee, backed by county school officials, decided to replace the mural with what a school district spokesman called "a nice white wall." The use of whitewash seems especially appropriate in this instance. The newspaper reported that Bolton officials told students, most of whom had not seen the mural, they were covering up the project because it wasn't done. School officials said they acted to protect the sensitivities of students and visitors; about one of five Bolton students is African-American. But an attempt to ignore history that some people find unpleasant does not change that history. The new mural could have stimulated classroom discussions of the role of the slave trade in the economy, culture and politics of antebellum West Tennessee. The unit could have examined how the social effects of that noxious commerce in human lives persist to this day. It also could have included Bolton's colorful personal history, including his death in a duel. It could have portrayed Bolton not as a hero, but rather as a product of his times. Instead, the school ignored that opportunity and engaged in an act of censorship. The students' gift and the teacher's work have been lost. Yet as critics noted, the school continues to accept money from the Bolton trust. The Bolton controversy is at least marginally reminiscent of the decision in 1933 to remove a mural by revolutionary Mexican artist Diego Rivera from Rockefeller Center in New York City because it included a portrait of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. Rivera called that choice by the building's managers and members of the Rock efeller family "an act of cultural vandalism." There are many - too many - legitimate complaints about the offensive misuse of the Confederate battle flag and other Confederate symbols. This isn't one of them. Instead, Bolton's students have learned from their teachers that the past is to be ignored if it is too controversial or distressing. Some lesson.

Is Bolton mural art, or offensive history? Either way, it's history now By Wayne Risher risher@gomemphis.com August 16, 2003 Bolton High School blotted out a likeness of founder Wade Bolton after a teacher's complaint that a mural of the 19th Century planter and slave trader was "too Confederate." Principal Snowden 'Butch' Carruthers said a faculty committee decided Friday to paint over the new mural to avoid offending anyone.

Wade Bolton left money to establish Bolton College in northeast Shelby County when he was shot dead in a feud in 1869. The college became a county school in the early 1920s, and Bolton's trust fund still supports the school. The Class of 2003 gave art teacher Christy Burns an $1,800 commission to paint a historical mural as a parting gift. She completed the painting a couple of weeks ago on a wall outside the library. A teacher took offense at a gray-clad Wade Bolton flanked by Tennessee and school flags. The image of Bolton was based on a photo of his funereal statue in Historic Elmwood Cemetery. "Some people thought it looked too Confederate," Carruthers said. "I personally don't see anything controversial about it." Carruthers said the critic, whom he declined to identify, thought Bolton's clothing resembled a Confederate soldier's uniform and Tennessee's three-star flag looked like a Rebel flag. After registration Aug. 5, the mural was covered with cloth pending a discussion by faculty advisers about whether it should be altered or removed. Students were told it was covered because it wasn't completed. County school spokesman Mike Tebbe said the committee decided to paint over the mural. "They want everyone here when they come through the doors of Bolton High to feel comfortable and not be concerned about what's on the wall," he said. "It's going to be a nice white wall shortly." The decision came after county school officials viewed the mural over the past week. "All I looked at was here's something honoring the benefactor and all that he did for that school," said county school board member Ron Lollar, whose district includes Bolton. Carruthers said the discussion was distracting from more important matters, namely fitting nearly 2,400 students in buildings designed for about 2,200. About 18 percent of Bolton's students are black. Carruthers said he'll use school money to pay for another project for last spring's seniors to make up for the lost mural. "I'm disappointed it's just being dismissed," Burns said. The 33-year-old second-year teacher has been a mural artist for about 15 years. "I do feel this is a commissioned work of art that was paid for by a class, and the class has never seen it," Burns added. "The way it's being resolved is a negative. I don't think it's beneficial to either party." Jennifer Muirhead, a Bolton senior and art student, was shocked by school officials' decision. "Oh my gosh!" she said. "It's ridiculous to me. It infuriates me that this is happening. "Pretty much nobody knew about it," she said. "The teachers were told to tell students it was an art project that wasn't finished yet." "The thing I heard was people were offended that Wade Bolton was a slave owner. That's just factual history." Shelby County Historian Ed Williams, a board member of the Bolton College trust, said, "Without Wade Bolton there wouldn't be a school." The trust funnels revenues from Bolton's former plantation, called Hoboken, into the school and its students, Williams said. It paid for half a new football stadium 15 years ago and for the past decade has provided scholarships for top Bolton students who don't qualify for other college scholarships - about $84,000 annually in recent years.

[BLUEHAWK]

Larry -
Some of us had a similar discussion awhile back on a this topic in the Civil War forum, titled "Honoring American Flags".

There were not a few in those olden days who actually believed, in our own simple ways, the promises of our Constitution... we still do.

[revwardoc]

The University of Massachusetts and the town in which its main campus resides, Amherst. Amherst, MA was named after Lord Jeffery Amherst who, during the French & Indian War, gave smallpox infected blankets to Indians in order to eliminate the "problem". At the time he was hailed as a hero to Americans in general and Massachusetts settlers in particular (Amherst College's team knickname is The Lord Jeffs). A few years ago residents of that little "peoples' republic" tried to change the name of the town because they felt that it was wrong to honor someone who promoted genocide. With the aid of hindsight its easy to say what he did was wrong, but the action was very much welcomed in the 1760's. I'm not sure, but I believe that action is still pending.

At UMass, the knickname of the athletic teams was once The Redmen but the PC forces of that left-wing institution followed the tide of name changes and now the teams are called The Minutemen. After several years with that name and logo, the minority students at UMass protested that the minuteman was nothing more than "another white man with a gun" and demanded it be changed tohonor the grey wolf. An ensuing vote cancelled that notion but it was agreed to change the logo from the musket carrying militiaman to an almost Hannah-Barbera cartoon figure with his musket slung over his shoulder. Actually he kinda looks like the cartoon rendition of "Brom Bones" from the Disney cartoon, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".