As detailed by Konrad Yakabuski in The Globe and Mail of Dec. 17, the National Gallery of Canada has been rebranding itself over the last couple of years, its adoption of the Indigenous term “Ankose,” which means “everything is connected,” clearly indicating its devotion to Inclusiveness over artistic merit. The article cites a 2021 Rembrandt exhibition “which juxtaposed the 17th century Dutch master’s work against the crimes of colonialism committed in his era.” The main point of the exhibition, as admitted by the museum’s annual report, seems to have been exposing “the devastating impact of colonialism then and now for Indigenous and Black people.” So we have an “art gallery” which is now primarily devoted to politics rather than an objective appreciation of the arts!
Of course there may be works by Indigenous and Black artists that are worthy of inclusion in our national gallery. But given the dementia that has taken hold of our “progressive” elites, there is no doubt whatsoever that racial/statistical parity rather than genuine artistic merit is now the defining criterion of what will hang upon that gallery’s walls.
The same obsession with Inclusion over Merit was recently exposed by newly elected Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin when he appeared on ABC and expressed his outrage that 7 high schools in his state had failed to announce the recipients of various National Merit Awards for fear of hurting the feelings of those students who had not been so honored. These awards, apparently, can be of huge benefit in seeking entry to the most prestigious of schools in the pursuit of one’s higher education.
Youngkin declared the schools in question “have a maniacal focus on equal outcomes for all students at all costs. And at the heart of the American dream is excelling, is advancing….” His Lt. Governor, Winsome Sears, a woman of color, agreed, saying: “We cannot punish success in order to have “equal outcomes at all costs.” Both politicians, of course, are Republicans.
On Jan. 2, Harry Jackson, a man of color and the father of one of the students deprived of their award, appeared on Fox News and responded to the claim of a school board official that the situation in question was the result of a mere oversight. Jackson disagreed: “This is not a one-time error …. This is essentially a systemic pattern of injustice that has been occurring since 2017.” Significantly, the award winning students were ultimately informed of their accomplishments, but only after certain deadlines had elapsed which precluded them from fully benefiting from them. This, I find utterly inexcusable.
In responding to an affirmative action initiative brought before the Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas said he found it “dehumanizing,” insisting that rewards granted on the basis of race or gender “demean us all.” As his choice of words implies, he is a Humanist, which is to say a rational “conservative.” No doubt “progressives” such as Bill Maher have become increasingly critical of the contemporary Left [He recently said it often embarrasses him!] because they realize it is that sector that is now the chief haven for those foolishly narrow racist and sexist views that are making meaningful political discourse virtually impossible today. .