The University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout) has decided to pull two historical paintings depicting the early fur trade in Wisconsin’s history. The reason? The “Diversity Leadership Team” claimed some of the withering flowers the college calls students just couldn’t take the trauma of seeing a bygone era.
Since 1936, two large murals by Cal Peters portraying early Wisconsin history have dominated the common area of Harvey Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout). One mural shows French fur traders and American Indians traveling down the Red Cedar River by canoe, while another portrays a wooden fort constructed by the French. Neither painting shows any violence at all.But now, after 80 years, the murals are abruptly being given the heave-ho after concerns were raised that the paintings are offensive.
School chancellor Bob Meyer says some American Indian students have objected to what the paintings show.
“When they look at the art, to them it symbolizes an era of their history where land and possessions were taken away from them, and they feel bad when they look at them,” Meyer told Wisconsin Public Radio.
They feel bad? That stuff happened. Pretending it didn’t won’t make their special snowflake feelings change about that historical tidbit.