1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, A production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio, Hello and Happy Friday. I'm Holly Friday and 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:20,280 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy V. Wilson. We talked about Augustin Jean this week. 4 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: We did I'm glad you put this on your list 5 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: because someone asked us at some point in the past 6 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 1: for an episode on the Frenelle lens, and then I 7 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: was at I feel like I was at the one 8 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: of the museums in Gloucester, Massachusetts and saw one of 9 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: the lenses, and they're like, that's so cool. Someone asked 10 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: us for an episode on this. Maybe I will put 11 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: that on the list. And when I started looking into 12 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: maybe doing an episode, I was so focused on the 13 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:55,639 Speaker 1: lenses that I was like, I don't think I can 14 00:00:55,720 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: make this work. But you made it work barely, because 15 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: like I'm on the struggle bus with the science of 16 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: this one. So hopefully whoever wanted this episode, I don't 17 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: recall that email. It's not like you you messed it 18 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: all up. You made a mess fingers crossed. Yeah. So, 19 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: one of the things that is very cute and interesting 20 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: about for Nell is that when he started his career 21 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 1: as a civil engineer and I think this story it's 22 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 1: from a biography I read on him, and it was 23 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: when he was not fully uh completed. He was like 24 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: in his student but working the job phase that he 25 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: got posted to one of these towns where he was working, 26 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: and like the expectation would be, as someone is starting 27 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: their professional career, for them to like seek out, you know, 28 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: the town's leadership, society, people, etc. As like just a 29 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: matter of course in how you would establish yourself in 30 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: French society at the time. But he apparently didn't do 31 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 1: any of this. He instead got to be friends with 32 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: one of the teachers in town and just wanted him 33 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: to like teach him about more science stuff. And it 34 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 1: was like, Okay, I just want to be a goofball 35 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 1: and learn yeah, nerdnything. I found that so charming, Like 36 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: he did not care about social climbing, even if it 37 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: was gonna help his career. What he cared about was 38 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: I really love science and I want to learn more. 39 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: Who knows what I don't know? That's very very charming. 40 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:45,079 Speaker 1: Let me go find that person. I love that so much. 41 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: I love that so much. Yeah. There was also and 42 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: I didn't get into all of it because one it 43 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: would have taken us down a side street that I 44 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 1: didn't think it was really that interesting. And two, I 45 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: honestly had a hard time parsing it all out that 46 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: council of scientists that were reviewing his work, like Attago 47 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: that Otago was on. There was so much infighting among 48 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: those men, Like did it was? It was like the 49 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: real scientists of France. It was they just wanted to 50 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 1: argue about everything, and like they would be best friends 51 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: for a little while and then they would have a 52 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: falling out, and then they would you know, work on 53 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: a project together and then get in an argument over 54 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: who did more work. And just like the panel, like 55 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: Adigo and bo had fallen out, and then Poisson had 56 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: become Arago's enemy because they had both been up for 57 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: the same academic appointment and Pois soon got it and 58 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: Adigo didn't, even though he was the more deserving on paper, 59 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: and like they just drama. So like it's again one 60 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: of those things where I listen I watch Real Housewives 61 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: and I'm will judge no one for watching garbage television. 62 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: But the proclivity many people have to characterize women as 63 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: being you know, kind of dramatic and argumentative with their 64 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: friends and for there to be like frenemy issues is 65 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 1: usually characterized as something that women engage in, whereas you'll 66 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: see all the time on social media everywhere where it's 67 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: like men are just like yeah, whatever, and they just 68 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: keep going and it's like, m there's so many historical 69 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:33,039 Speaker 1: and contemporary, frankly examples of that not being the case 70 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: at all, and this was one because the cat fights 71 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 1: in this group. Here is my other personal takeaway from this, 72 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 1: which I love. Okay, and I want to preface this 73 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: by saying this is not me in any way voicing 74 00:04:55,080 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: my displeasure at my own work. But I have always 75 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,919 Speaker 1: felt very strongly, and I know people will disagree that 76 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 1: like your work should almost be the least interesting thing 77 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: about you, you know what I mean, Like that whole 78 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: thing of like follow your passion and it will never 79 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:15,720 Speaker 1: be work For a lot of people, that is boloney, 80 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: because the second your passion becomes like your responsibility and 81 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 1: your you know, way that you make money, it's now 82 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: it's a job. The fun falls off. But I love 83 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: that Frenelle had a whole career that he was doing 84 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: in civil engineering, but he got famous for his passion. Yeah, 85 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: and that makes me very happy because you can always 86 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: you're never locked into the one thing that you do 87 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:45,840 Speaker 1: to make a living right. You can be and if 88 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: you love your job, that's awesome, that's amazing and cool. 89 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: But like I know a lot of people who spend 90 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,480 Speaker 1: a lot of time saying things like I wish I 91 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: were doing something that is not my job, and I'm 92 00:05:57,680 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: always that friend that's it's not too late. You go 93 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 1: back to school, get your ecotology degree, do the thing 94 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:04,799 Speaker 1: or the thing. And I know that there is also 95 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 1: the fact that I do not understand because I am 96 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: not a parent, Like if you have a family, they're 97 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: just extra yeah. Extra. I don't want to say in 98 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,280 Speaker 1: a way that sounds like you know, I'm done greeting 99 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: kids or families, but they are extra responsibilities that are 100 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: a drag on your time and energy would make it 101 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,919 Speaker 1: harder to do extra stuff, extra projects. But I just 102 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: you can do things that are not It's kind of 103 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 1: like what I always tell people that want to get 104 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: into podcasting that only want to pitch shows to networks, 105 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: And I'm like, why, because you have all the technology 106 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: in your pocket. If you just want to start a 107 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: podcast today, you could do it. And I think people 108 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,800 Speaker 1: think they will magically get like a big paycheck if 109 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 1: they sign a deal with a network, and that's not 110 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: really always the case. And I'm like, if you just 111 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 1: want an easier job, there are probably others that are 112 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: actually easier. Yeah, and involve grabbling on the front end, 113 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: right especially I you know, anyway, there's I can have 114 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: a whole discussion about podcasting, but my point being you can. 115 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: You don't have to ask permission to do the projects 116 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: that you want to do. I know some things require 117 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: more overhead and resources than maybe the average person has, 118 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: but I also just feel like if you can figure 119 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: out a way to engage with the thing that you love, 120 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: you might be more fulfilled. And for me, I mean 121 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: I I care about the things we talk about and 122 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: I enjoy getting to learn things all the time and 123 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: share things all the time. But I also I always 124 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: caution people about your job is not your identity, because 125 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: unless you work for yourself, it can always change on 126 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:59,679 Speaker 1: a dime, and then it's very harowing. So yeah, anyway, yeah, anyway, 127 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: that's Holly's life lessons that you may or may not 128 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: want to discard. But anyway, Augusta Fra now smarter than 129 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: I can really comprehend. Like the whole idea of measuring 130 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: waves of light and making mathematical equations around them not 131 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: only is inscrutable to me, but it terrifies me, Like 132 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 1: I'm literally stricken with like, oh, I think my tummy hurts, 133 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 1: Like I don't. I don't mean to sound like a 134 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: math is hard person, but for me, mathematics is a challenge. Yeah, 135 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: at that level when you are trying to make sense 136 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 1: of things that are hard to easily see visually, Like 137 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: you can make a chart of what it is, you 138 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: can make a drawing of how a light wave works, 139 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: but I still am like yeah, for me, or arithmetic 140 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 1: is the bigger challenge. See the arithmetic part. I'm actually 141 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:59,719 Speaker 1: usually okay with the actual like doing of the s 142 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: and calculations, but coming up with the equations is the 143 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: part that for me, I'm like, who, no, thank you. 144 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: But then I remind myself if ever, you're having one 145 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: of these moments in your life where you're like, I 146 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: don't feel like a very bright person because I don't 147 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: understand this. My thing that I always tell myself is, well, 148 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:20,679 Speaker 1: I bet August Nowfronell couldn't make a dress, and I 149 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: can Yeah. Everybody has their skill sets. Yeah, and you 150 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: can learn most things if you really like focus your 151 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: energies on it. But I know that I will never 152 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: want to expend the level of energy and focus to 153 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,679 Speaker 1: learn these kinds of mathematics that it would take. So right, 154 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:41,680 Speaker 1: I'm just going to sit in all of the people 155 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: for whom they come naturally or for whom they have 156 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: learned how to do them, and then I'll go make 157 00:09:46,640 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: a dress. Yeah, do that. This week we talked about 158 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: Maria ampar Ruiz de Burton, who I find very interesting. 159 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: Most of what I have to talk about in the 160 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: behind the scenes, though, is not about her. It is 161 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: about the thing that inspired the whole episode, which was 162 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 1: a thing from the White House website that alleges that 163 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: President Trump is right about the Smithsonian by using a 164 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 1: bunch of out of context and distorted and sometimes just 165 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 1: frankly false stuff. The first thing on there we said 166 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: in the episode is this there. It was like an 167 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:40,200 Speaker 1: image from a portal that was called talking about Race 168 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,840 Speaker 1: that was at the National Museum of African American History 169 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 1: and Culture. And so I want to start by saying 170 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: I do understand why there were people that found this objectionable, 171 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: and there were people that found it objectionable coming from 172 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: multiple directions, because this was a graphic that was about 173 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: like things that are part of what we think of 174 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: as like the dominant white culture in the United States, right, 175 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: And it had things on it, like like what was 176 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: a good example, It had things on it, like there 177 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: were there were things about it that were related to 178 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: like work ethic. And so the incredibly reductive, least generous 179 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: possible read on that kind of stuff is what wound 180 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: up going viral, of course, and so people interpret it, 181 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: interpreted it as saying like the Smithsonian is saying that 182 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,319 Speaker 1: black people don't have a work ethic. Well, that's not 183 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 1: what it was saying at all, right, And also like 184 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: I can see how the knee jerk response to that 185 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: from multiple different angles could be, Like that is upsetting. 186 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 1: But also I think about the fact that, like we 187 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: live in a society where so much about a person's 188 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:03,360 Speaker 1: value is connected to their work and how much they work, 189 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: and like it's kind of a crappy way to live. Honestly. 190 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:11,719 Speaker 1: This ties into our recent discussion where I went on 191 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: a soapbox about how your job should not be your identity. Yeah, 192 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:18,959 Speaker 1: as I was thinking about this. I was thinking about how, 193 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: at the beginning of my career, I had a series 194 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: of jobs in North Carolina, not a great state for 195 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: worker protection. In fact, I think it has been ranked 196 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: last for worker protection. But I had a series of 197 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 1: jobs where in your first year of work you accrued 198 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: five days of vacation, but you were not allowed to 199 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: take any of that vacation until you had worked there 200 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:47,719 Speaker 1: for a year. Yeah, that's rough, which is stingy. And 201 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 1: because these jobs were terrible, I changed jobs after about 202 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: a year like three different times, which kind of meant that, 203 00:12:54,920 --> 00:13:00,439 Speaker 1: like I went three years with no kind of time off, right, 204 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: And you know, we were living in a society where 205 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: people were like, yeah, that's normal. I think that's bad, honestly. 206 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: So thing number one that was on this like White 207 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:15,599 Speaker 1: House article number one, I can I understand some of 208 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: the criticism. It was also at the time framed in 209 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,880 Speaker 1: like a very reductive and out of context kind of 210 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: way and again taken down five years ago and is 211 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: still the thing that people trot out to say, this 212 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 1: is why I think the Smithsonian is bad. Also, some 213 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: of the stuff that is in this list, I'm just 214 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 1: going to read a quote the National Museum of the 215 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: American Latino features programming, highlighting, and then a scare quote 216 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:48,599 Speaker 1: starts animated Latinos and Latinas with disabilities. That's actually a 217 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 1: quote from the museum website with content from a disabled 218 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: plus size actress and an embulatory wheelchair user who educates 219 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 1: on their identity being LATINX or LATINX. People pronounce that 220 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:06,199 Speaker 1: two different ways, LGBTQ plus and disabled. This is referencing 221 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:09,680 Speaker 1: a literally two minute long video with an audio description 222 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: of some of the visual elements so that it is 223 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:14,839 Speaker 1: accessible to blind people. And I'm like, what is your 224 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: problem with this? You're mad that there's program there's a 225 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:24,400 Speaker 1: there's a two minute video yep at the website that 226 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: has a disabled plus size actress Like, because how damer 227 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: how the exist and talk about their existence? Ambulatory wheelchair 228 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: users also exist and face a layer of like hostility 229 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:44,040 Speaker 1: in public that is infuriating. Hey, everybody, if you see 230 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 1: a person who is using a wheelchair and they get 231 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: out of the wheelchair for some reason, this is a 232 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: normal thing that can happen. Mind your business. It doesn't 233 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 1: mean they don't need the wheelchair. Correct. The next thing 234 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: I wrote down on this list. The Museum of America 235 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:04,440 Speaker 1: Art uses American sculpture quote to invite dialogue and reflection 236 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: on notions of power and identity. Who cares? What do 237 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 1: you think art is? For? Whoever or whatever wrote this article? Right? 238 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,840 Speaker 1: This is? I mean, my spouse thinks that a large 239 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:23,280 Speaker 1: language model wrote this. That that would explain the garbled 240 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: sentence that inspired episodes. That seems fair. I also though, 241 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 1: could see people who don't like art writing that, who 242 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,280 Speaker 1: don't understand what art is. If you think the purpose 243 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:39,360 Speaker 1: of art is to stand and look at something on 244 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: a while and go pretty, then maybe it is objectionable 245 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: to you or to validate what yeah, I already think 246 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: you know? That invite dialogue, fine, reflection on notions of 247 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 1: power and identity. Fine, it also says the American History 248 00:15:56,920 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: Museums exhibit about Benjamin Franklin focuses almost on slavery, directing 249 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 1: visitors to learn more about his electrical experiments and the 250 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: enslaved people of his household, noting his scientific accomplishments were 251 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: enabled by the social and economic system he worked within, 252 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:15,920 Speaker 1: the statement that this exhibit about Benjamin Franklin at the 253 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: American History Museum focuses almost solely on slavery is patently untrue. Also, 254 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: it's important that we recognize how many people's discoveries and 255 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: accomplishments were facilitated by the enslaved people who were enslaved 256 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: to their households, family members, including a lot of times wives, daughters, sisters, 257 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: who were doing a lot of the behind the scenes work. 258 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 1: If you have a problem with this, this is your problem, 259 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: not the Smithsonians. Well, and the thing is too, I think, 260 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: even if it's not a direct part of someone's work 261 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 1: that they got credit for, when you think about how 262 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:02,400 Speaker 1: much of so many people well that we have as 263 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: a country long revered as important and great thinkers, lawmakers, 264 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 1: et cetera, how much of their day to day life 265 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: was just easier and enabled them to think about those things, 266 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,439 Speaker 1: invent things, et cetera. Because other people were handling just 267 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:20,560 Speaker 1: the basics of their lives, right like making sure they 268 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:22,920 Speaker 1: were fed, that they had a clean place to sleep, 269 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: and that they like That is also part of that 270 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 1: contribution that enabled those achievements. That right, you know, is 271 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:33,919 Speaker 1: not necessarily a direct yeah collaboration on any of it, 272 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,760 Speaker 1: but is still a very important part of it. Happening. Yeah, 273 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 1: that just nobody gets acknowledged, right, correct, all of it. 274 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 1: So again, we're not gonna talking about every single thing 275 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:04,199 Speaker 1: on this list. There are so much stuff that's in 276 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:06,679 Speaker 1: it that is just like really distorted or out of 277 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:08,880 Speaker 1: context or cherry picked or framed in a weird way, 278 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 1: or the link goes back to the American Enterprise Institute 279 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:15,640 Speaker 1: and not the Smithsonian, so you cannot see for yourself 280 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: what is exactly it's referencing. But here is the thing 281 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 1: that infuriated me the most in the moment that I 282 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: was looking at it. Here's what this The White House 283 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: website says. An American History Museum exhibit features a depiction 284 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 1: of the Statue of Liberty quote holding a tomato in 285 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 1: her right hand instead of a torch, in a basket 286 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:38,040 Speaker 1: of tomatoes in her left hand, instead of a tablet. 287 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:45,879 Speaker 1: That is all that the sentence says. I feel like 288 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:53,239 Speaker 1: this sentence was selected to make uninformed people think that 289 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:55,880 Speaker 1: this is a depiction of the Statue of Liberty who 290 00:18:55,960 --> 00:19:00,320 Speaker 1: was about to throw a tomato at America. Maybe they're 291 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:05,680 Speaker 1: scared of lycopene. Oh my god, maybe tomatoes are too 292 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: acidic for their tummies in their post fifty age. Maybe uh. 293 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: This depiction of a statue of liberty is also the 294 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:17,679 Speaker 1: lead image from this federalist article that was a source 295 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,240 Speaker 1: of a lot of these White House complaints about the Smithsonian. 296 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: And this is the Amochali Statue of Liberty. It was 297 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:29,480 Speaker 1: made by the Coalition of Amocholi workers. The Coalition of 298 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 1: Amocholi Workers started out as a coalition of tomato workers 299 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 1: in Imocholi, Florida. Tomato workers are in fields in grueling conditions, 300 00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 1: picking the tomatoes and growing the tomatoes and caring for 301 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: the plants like they're literally feeding us. They were going 302 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: on a march for more than two hundred miles to 303 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: try to get better working conditions and a penny more 304 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: per bucket of tomato batoes a penny. The bosses were 305 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: refusing them a penny per bucket of tomatoes raised penny. 306 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:11,440 Speaker 1: They made a representation of the statue of liberty with 307 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: brown skin as many of them have, holding tomatoes, and 308 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 1: took it on a march for two hundred miles to 309 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: advocate for themselves. And the White House website has pulled 310 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,199 Speaker 1: this out of context to make it look like a 311 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: different thing instead of what is fundamentally an American story 312 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 1: workers in the fields trying to get a better life 313 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:37,240 Speaker 1: for themselves with a penny more for per a bucket 314 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: of tomatoes. If you have a problem with this, I 315 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:42,920 Speaker 1: am angry at you personally, right, And I think it's 316 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: important to note this isn't a thing that was made 317 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:50,400 Speaker 1: as a piece of statement artwork. It is paper mache, right, 318 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:52,639 Speaker 1: It's a piece that, as you said, was part of 319 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: a march that the Smithsonian then acquired as being culturally 320 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:01,960 Speaker 1: important in capturing this moment in our history. Yeah. Yeah, 321 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:04,359 Speaker 1: it is the kind of thing that should be in 322 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: the American History Museum. This whole article. We talked about 323 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: scare quotes at the introduction of the episode. This whole article. 324 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:17,360 Speaker 1: I'm putting article in scare quotes. That's a bulleted list 325 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,439 Speaker 1: that I am uncertain about the prominence of it. I 326 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: hated it. I hate everything that's that's going on with 327 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: the federal government targeting the Smithsonian and making like distorted, twisted, 328 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:33,679 Speaker 1: untrue arguments about what the museum is doing, and the 329 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,959 Speaker 1: fact that they were like, let's take this thing that 330 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:40,200 Speaker 1: was related to workers trying to get a penny more 331 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: per bucket of potato of tomatoes. I said, potatoes tomatoes 332 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:47,359 Speaker 1: is what it was obviously, and try to make this up, 333 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:53,679 Speaker 1: like distort it to make a political point of rooted 334 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: in things that are untrue infuriated me. The whole list 335 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:04,040 Speaker 1: was infuriating anyway to make things laughy, Okay, not that 336 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: we need to, but this isn't the laughing part. But 337 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: when the point in Maria's story where her husband dies 338 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,119 Speaker 1: and she goes back to decide that she's going to 339 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,359 Speaker 1: try to run the ranch, right, it also made me 340 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,040 Speaker 1: think of another woman we've talked about in California history 341 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:21,880 Speaker 1: who kind of like ended up becoming a captain of industry, 342 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:25,639 Speaker 1: which was Harriet Williams Russell Strong. Oh yeah, which also 343 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 1: has connections to the water right stuff. Correct, yeah, correct. 344 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:32,399 Speaker 1: And it was just kind of like the spiderweb of 345 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: history stories that all kind of come together to make 346 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:40,280 Speaker 1: the fabric of our ur story as humans. I was like, Oh, 347 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: I see the tendrils reaching each other. Yeah. And then 348 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: when you mentioned that she knew Mary Todd Lincoln, I 349 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: started laughing, which I don't think was edited into the thing, 350 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:52,000 Speaker 1: but only because I have been thinking about the play. 351 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:56,040 Speaker 1: Oh Mary, Oh sure, yeah, yeah, which I was hoping 352 00:22:56,119 --> 00:23:00,199 Speaker 1: to see when Jinks Monsoon was in it and not 353 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:02,280 Speaker 1: working out. And hopefully I will get up there for 354 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 1: one of the other other Mary's. But yeah, just yeah, 355 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,639 Speaker 1: just thank goodness for artists, is what I have to say. Yeah, 356 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: I'm also I'm also very curious about her friendship with 357 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: Verena Davis, Jefferson Davis's wife. Yeah, Jefferson Davis, president of 358 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:24,360 Speaker 1: the Confederacy. As I understand it from my limited knowledge, 359 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:33,520 Speaker 1: Verena was less like Jefferson Davis was the president of 360 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:38,679 Speaker 1: the Confederacy. The Confederacy existed because of slavery, to further 361 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,640 Speaker 1: the institution of slavery. That is why it was there. 362 00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:48,439 Speaker 1: And as I understand it, Verena was less strident in 363 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 1: these opinions than her husband was. But I did not, 364 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 1: you know, I don't know tons of detail about that, 365 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 1: but I like, I just I'm very curious about Maria's 366 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:01,040 Speaker 1: friendship with her. Yeah, I think think we do have 367 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 1: some correspondence between the two of them still surviving today. 368 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,679 Speaker 1: There is a there's a collection of Maria's correspondence. Much 369 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: of it is like the commentary on the correspondence is 370 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 1: in English, but a lot of the correspondence is in Spanish, 371 00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:18,320 Speaker 1: and my reading of Spanish is like preschool level, so 372 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 1: not something that I could personally read, right, But that 373 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 1: is something that if I had had like infinite time 374 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 1: to work on the episode, I would have explored more 375 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: of her relationships with both of them, both Mary Todd 376 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 1: Lincoln and Verena Davis. Yeah, that's the play, right, her 377 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: relationship with Verena Davis, Like yeah, I mean I will 378 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 1: say this from my own lens, which is not always 379 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: the most magnanimous, which is that I have a hard time, 380 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 1: like I don't want to break bread with people that 381 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:52,920 Speaker 1: disagree with me fundamentally on human rights. Right, I'm correct, Well, 382 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:59,679 Speaker 1: how does this work exactly? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, And I 383 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: don't know. And it's I also I don't fully know, 384 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 1: like how many other women were around when they were 385 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 1: in Virginia, so you know where Confederate prisoner prisoners of 386 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,320 Speaker 1: war were being held. Like what other opportunity does she 387 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,359 Speaker 1: have for socializing? I did not look much farther into that. 388 00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:21,200 Speaker 1: It's one of those things where like she Foresuore pointed 389 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:28,160 Speaker 1: out hypocrisies related to abolitionists and the fight to abolish slavery, 390 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:33,040 Speaker 1: with white abolitionists also often being very racist. But you 391 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: know she was operating within her own prejudices as well, 392 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:39,439 Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, yeah, I found her. I find her 393 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: very interesting and I had not heard of her until 394 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 1: this thing from the White House website made me so 395 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:49,439 Speaker 1: angry that I had to go on a tear or 396 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:57,159 Speaker 1: the podcast. Hooray uh uh. Whatever is happening for you 397 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:02,040 Speaker 1: this weekend, I hope it is great. If it can't 398 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 1: be great, I hope it's as good as possible and 399 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 1: as easy as possible, and if you're able to take 400 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:10,880 Speaker 1: some time to I just looked at how long we've 401 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:13,840 Speaker 1: been recording, and I'm like, man, this is along behind scenes, 402 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:17,919 Speaker 1: So I hope you're able to take some time to 403 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:22,479 Speaker 1: recover from my lengthy diatribes in today's behind the Scenes. 404 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:26,399 Speaker 1: We'll be back for a Saturday classic tomorrow and something 405 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:34,879 Speaker 1: brand new on Monday. Stuff you Missed in History Class 406 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 407 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:42,640 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 408 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:43,760 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.