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Re: Today in mistaken premises for dumb articles - murky - 06-14-2017

(06-13-2017, 02:07 PM)Boston Card link Wrote:[quote author=burger link=topic=16972.msg194733#msg194733 date=1497373334]
Does anyone know if Leland Stanford (Sr.) actually did anything racist as governor or in some other capacity?  The 19th century was a terrible time in a lot of ways, and I suspect that if you poured over most public figures' writings, you could find something offensive.  Personally, I'm more concerned about what people do than what they say (recognizing that this distinction is somewhat artificial, I know).

I'm not sure if this helps Leland's case, but there was a black student in the pioneer class at Stanford.  I'm not sure how long it took before other minorities were admitted.  Anyone know?

The piece was completely ironic.  If you read about the Abbeville Institute, you will find that its mission is:

Quote:to preserve and present what is true and valuable in the Southern tradition. The fellowship has grown to over 170 scholars and associates. Among other activities, the Institute has conducted annual summer schools for college and graduate students, conferences for academics, and educational programs for the public.

I don't want to get sidetracked into a discussion of the merits and drawbacks of "preserving the Southern tradition" as the Abbeville institute does, but for their purposes, this article is either a gentle satire of people who advocate the removal of symbols, monuments, and commemorations of the "Souther Tradition" or a case of whataboutism.  The problem, as I mentioned, is of course that the school is not named after père Stanford... but I do think it is healthy that we are engaging in an open debate about Leland Stanford's full legacy, both good and bad, even though he is not the namesake of our University.

BC
[/quote]

Leland Stanford Jr. University could still be indicted on the transitive property of bad namesakes. 

Joking aside, the middle name of my father, who is Black, is Lee.  I gave that middle name to my daughter.  He was both honored and conflicted.


Re: Today in mistaken premises for dumb articles - Mick - 06-14-2017

(06-14-2017, 10:00 AM)murky link Wrote:Joking aside, the middle name of my father, who is Black, is Lee.  I gave that middle name to my daughter.  He was both honored and conflicted.


I always liked Lee as a middle name for girls.


Re: Today in mistaken premises for dumb articles - CowboyIndian - 06-14-2017

My cousin, Karen Lee N. and classmate Perry Leigh W......agree.


Re: Today in mistaken premises for dumb articles - 2 for 2028 - 06-14-2017

(06-14-2017, 10:11 AM)Mick link Wrote:[quote author=murky link=topic=16972.msg194767#msg194767 date=1497459635]
Joking aside, the middle name of my father, who is Black, is Lee.  I gave that middle name to my daughter.  He was both honored and conflicted.


I always liked Lee as a middle name for girls.
[/quote]

My daughter's middle name is Lee after my father.  Never once in my life did I ever think of a connection with the name to the civil war general, because there isn't one.


Re: Today in mistaken premises for dumb articles - BostonCard - 06-14-2017

My son's middle name is Leland.  Maybe I should change his name. ;)


Re: Today in mistaken premises for dumb articles - murky - 06-14-2017

(06-14-2017, 02:46 PM)2 for 2028 link Wrote:[quote author=Mick link=topic=16972.msg194769#msg194769 date=1497460291]
[quote author=murky link=topic=16972.msg194767#msg194767 date=1497459635]
Joking aside, the middle name of my father, who is Black, is Lee.  I gave that middle name to my daughter.  He was both honored and conflicted.


I always liked Lee as a middle name for girls.
[/quote]

My daughter's middle name is Lee after my father.  Never once in my life did I ever think of a connection with the name to the civil war general, because there isn't one.
[/quote]

Well, my father is from Louisiana and he told me there is a connection that he is ashamed of.


Re: Today in mistaken premises for dumb articles - 81alum - 06-15-2017

The speeches by Leland Stanford show a high resemblance to some of those by Abraham Lincoln of the same time period.  Lincoln and Stanford sought to gain credibility for their anti-slavery views by denying that they were advocating anything as "radical" as social equality for the races.  My students in the 21st century are often shocked to see just how many abolitionists spewed racist rhetoric.  Their public statements about race were often not very different than those of the pro-slavery forces. 

That was probably not the lesson that the Abbeville Institute, founded by Donald Livingston--a man who supports nullification, secession, and Southern political culture--wants us to draw.  Livingstone and his crowd hate Lincoln and the Republicans for destroying their "way of life" and creating modern American "big government" nationalism.  So yes, that piece is ironic and a poke at political correctness--but not necessarily in the way you think.  If its author is like the Institute's founder, he probably does hate Leland Stanford.

http://www.chronicle.com/article/Secretive-Scholars-of-the-Old/49337Â