Natural History Museum Blog

I am sorry if I come off a bit angry in this post. The ultimate-frisbee tourney just finished, and I am in pain. So, sorry.

For the most part I enjoyed the museum. It brought back fond memories of when I used to visit the local natural history museum when I was a kid. I thought that the museums exhibits were a bit lacking. Not having the real skeletons seems like cheating. I can see when you have about 30% of a skeleton filling in the rest, but not a whole fake one.

While I am on the topic of skeletons and fossils, Lucy intrigued me. I wasn't interested that she was the "first upright walker". I was more interested in the fact that barely any of her skeleton was there. It seemed almost impossible that a few fragments of bone could yield that skeleton. I realize that I am no physics or calculus major, but it seems improbable that a tiny piece of an eye socket can wield a whole skull. It seems as if the scientists who were trying to figure out what the skeleton was ruched their research.

But I guess the focus was actually the race exhibit. I was disappointed with this part of the museum. I didn't really get what theme was coming across. I felt awkward going in to that room. I knew before hand that there would be a lot of things that dealt with a "white supremacy" point of view. I felt very awkward being a white kid in a room about race.

I did not see too much "white supremacy" themes. I got the impression that it was implied. For instance, a woman on a video said that some African-American person was considered "okay" by white people, which means that they consider him white.

A part of me felt bad, but in the end that is what happens. When you make a friend that you can trust and that you can relate to, race is no longer important. You make that person your friend. You make that person something comfortable to you. Whether it is a color, or an animal, it doesn't matter. The theme and mindset of having your opposite colored friends be the same color as you is more universal. Everyone has a comfort zone, and when someone is let into that comfort zone, they are accepted. It has nothing to do with race.

I also felt that a lot of the exhibits had to do with stereotypes. That was not fun. Of course I am going to think an Asian looking person is from China, or a black man from Jamaica, and a white woman from Norway. That is typically who live in those respective countries. It seemed as if this part of the museum wanted people to feel bad for thinking like everyone else. But they didn't get to me.

I assume that I have to relate this to some part of "Life of the Mind" so here I go. I believe that most of the exhibit was geared to the adaptive unconscious. Seeing a black man automatically makes him African. That would make sense because that is what my brain has knowledge of. I really thought that the exhibit would deal more with racial issues not tricking you into feeling bad. I think the main (intended) point of the exhibit was to make you aware of the stereotypes that infect our brain. Other than that, I don't really see how this exhibit connects with "Life of the Mind".

I did learn something from this exhibit. I learned that heritage is more important than race. I am prideful of my Celtic heritage. I do not see a problem with liking that my family came from the British Isles. And as I went through the exhibit I noticed that everyone that was interviewed had pride in their heritage. Even the people on the note cards said that they were proud of their bloodline. I am glad that I can now look past color and shade, and look at a human being, that is just descended from a different country than I am.

I am out,

Phluph