On the day of Happy New Year 2009, the real opportunity of seeing the renovated and repackaged National American History Museum under the Smithsonian Institution operation after its grand re-opening day on November 21, 2008. This same museum underwent the recent $85 million dollars renovation from the public and private funding.
When I came into the "Walls of Inventors" exhibition on that day. I was totally shocked to see how the Smithsonian Institution's "National American History" somewhat painted Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) as a savior of the deaf people and inaccurately pointed out him as an inventor of the telephone.
http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/iap/inventors_bel.html
This online posting doesn't contain the same information from what I personally seen the exhibition display about the so-called great inventor, Alexander Graham Bell (AGB).
Don't the Smithsonian Institution's American History National Museum recall the 2002 fact-findings of the U.S. House of Representatives that the Italian sausage maker and innovator, Merucculi to be the real inventor of the telephone, not Alexander Graham Bell (AGB)?
Why the American History National Museum still post the historical inaccuracies of Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) at her exhibition display? Worst of all, the American History National Museum glorified Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) for his contribution to the deaf community without any rebuttals or opposing viewpoints from the Deaf America and deaf citizenry around the world about AGB's eugenics and deceitful practices most of his life.
How interesting about the American History National Museum mentioned several times about Alexander Graham Bell's love for doing the experimental stuff (experiment)! Bell definitely experimented on deaf people in name of scientific arrogance.
Don't the American History National Museum ought to do the permanent exhibition of what Alexander Graham Bell and other cultural and linguistic imperialists really done to us, deaf people over more than a century as part of balanced factual reporting and education for the American public?
"Thru Deaf Eyes" temporary exhibition had been gone from the "Arts and Industries" Museum after its ongoing renovation. It ought to be belonged to the American History National Museum to expand on the reflection of social and cultural and linguistic history of Deaf Americans as part of permanent exhibition to rebut with the museum's current portrayal of Alexander Graham Bell (AGB).
We, Deaf America would love to remind the American public, especially museum goers what and who Alexander Graham Bell really was all about as a master thief, impostor, eugenicist, propagandist and divider.
Alexander Graham Bell's so-called inventions have been on the exhibition displays around the museum. Look at that -
http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&objkey=107
http://hnn.us/articles/802.html
The American public ought to know that Alexander Graham Bell directly responsible for such unnecessary death of U.S. President James Garfield with his so-called invention - earliest cat scan to pinpoint the location of assassination bullet. The attending physicians were horrified what Alexander Graham Bell caused President Garfield much physical pains and delayed medical necessity with his untested invention.
Alexander Graham Bell ought to be branded as a real murderer of President Garfield after the known assassin. He caused the attending doctors from doing their jobs as waltzed in with his untested invention - earliest version of cat scan equipment.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/3d1d.html
The Smithsonian Institution DO make factual errors over years. The recent incident involved the fifth-grader boy noticed the scientific labeling error - http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/04/02/5th_grader_finds_mistake_at_smithsonian/
Another example of the Smithsonian Institution's continuous slap on the face of deaf people with Thomas Edison's museum exhibition displays. The American History National Museum never bother to acknowledge the historical fact of Thomas Alva Edison as a deaf person. The American public deserve to know the rich contributions of deaf people like Thomas Edison to the ways of life and human advancement. Don't we?
This online posting from the Smithsonian Institution's American History National Museum did mention Thomas Edison being a deaf person and proud to be deaf as a true blessing, but, but, but no reference to Edison as a deaf person on the museum exhibit display.
http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/edison/000_story_02.asp
What we ought to do? We ought to send a letter of e-petitions to the American History National Museum's Office of External Affairs, Curational Affairs and Department of Museum History how and why the museum keep peddling the myths and historical inaccuracies of Alexander Graham Bell as an inventor of the telephone to the museum goers.
We ought to demand that the American History National Museum to do the special and permanent exhibition of Deaf Americans along with other prominent cultural and historical figures in our American History moments beside "Thru Deaf Eyes" temporary exhibition.
The renovated American History National Museum is beyond the real horrors of dismantling and downplaying the fine displays of historical items collections and historical data. The museum somewhat do the upside part of renovation is much and more brighter environment unlike the past darkened museum.
The past American History National Museum exhibition displays were much worthwhile and appealing more than the renovated museum' present displays.
That is the time for the American public to learn about the real Alexander Graham Bell!
Great opportunity for the deaf students of the pre-K to 12's to do the school projects how to demand and change for the real social and cultural and linguistic justices to correct the historical inaccuracy of any museum exhibition displays. Here comes the greater social activism in the Age of Obama!
ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
