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https://www.techdirt.com/2025/07/08/national-park-visitors-reject-trump-administrations-bigoted-attempt-to-erase-history/>
"In Trump’s eyes, anything that doesn’t make white people appear to be the
saviors of the world is something that should be buried. Whatever the phrase
“fake news” won’t make go away is subject to seemingly daily government edicts
that declare any recognition of racial diversity or America’s racist past (and
present) to be un-American activities subject to censorship, stifling, or
complete removal from the public record.
Not content to saddle businesses, law firms, the military, and the public
sector generally with “anti-woke” mandates, the Department of Interior has
issued guidance to the National Park Service, tasking them with setting up
complaint boxes to be stuffed with bitching from park visitors who align
themselves with open bigotry.
Here’s what’s being posted in national parks around the nation, thanks to DOI
head Doug Burgum’s adherence to Trump’s executive order that aims to rewrite
history in favor of rich white people:
An example image of a sign leaked to NPR for Wilson’s Creek National
Battlefield in Missouri, the site of the second major battle of the Civil
War, ahead of its potential installation, asks visitors to identify “any
signs or other information that are negative about either past or living
Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of
landscapes and other natural features.” (The sign also asks for feedback
concerning areas and services that need repair or improvement.)
Supposedly, this will help “restore truth and sanity to American history,”
which sounds like the title of an openly racist podcast that caters to
“Christian” homeschoolers, but actually is the completely real title of a Trump
Administration executive order.
This isn’t going to end up the way Trump wants it to. For one thing, his
administration hasn’t learned anything from its past failures. Doomed to repeat
forgotten history, the Burgum-overseen National Park Service has created an
online portal for NPS-related complaints, which will certainly be overstuffed
with all sorts of internet detritus before the plug is pulled on it.
But Trump has also misjudged the cultural makeup of those most likely to visit
national parks. Most parks either preserve nature or big up patriotism. The US
hasn’t been great about admitting its past faults and it’s certainly reluctant
to make these amends in permanent, landmark form.
So, when asked to wipe out what Trump thinks shouldn’t matter, park visitors
are rejecting this invitation to participate in the administration’s
revisionist history program."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics