Fri, Jul 13 at 7 p.m. | 90 minutes
A central feature of gaining “whiteness” is silence and erasure. This Olio will examine how these themes are reproduced in dominant narratives within institutions.
What Does It Mean to Be a 'Good' American
In a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, Americans were asked: “What does it mean to be a true American?” Some of the top answers given included, speaking English, being Christian, and sharing American customs and traditions. Many of these themes are subtly tied to whiteness. Indeed, historically, American citizenship depended on one’s ability to prove whiteness. People of color presented interesting and thoughtful cases to the Supreme Court during the early twentieth century to show that they were, in fact, “white.” A central feature of gaining “whiteness” is silence and erasure. This Olio will examine how these themes are reproduced in dominant narratives, especially in the case of Asian Americans.
Fuck the Alamo and Fuck Your Stupid Wall
Many Americans know little to nothing about the Mexican American War. We “Remember the Alamo” by virtue of forgetting the actual cause of the conflict: the expansion of slavery. We instruct our children to celebrate Davy Crockett without teaching them that he fought on the side of slaveholders. This oversight is not simply a case of flawed history or ignorance—this intentional forgetting is an act of white supremacy rooted in the myth of Manifest Destiny. As we listen to our president refer to immigrants at the Mexican-American border as “animals,” it is imperative that we remind ourselves just how that border came into existence.
Think Olio is here to put the liberation back into the liberal arts.
Classically, the liberal arts, were the education considered essential for a free person to take an active part in civic life. To counter a humanities that has been institutionalized and dehumanized we infuse critical thinking, openness, playfulness, and compassion into our learning experience.
Read more about our mission, our story, and how we are doing this.
Scenius Membership
If Friday night lectures, museum field trips, and living room salons sound like your kind of thing, then you've found your people. We can't wait to welcome you to the Think Olio Scenius. More info