This is the effect that the liberal mainstream media is having on our nation’s youth.
Students at the University of Southern California are now in an uproar over a John Wayne exhibit on the campus.
The legendary Hollywood actor attended USC, and an exhibit was erected in his honor at the USC School of Cinemaic Arts.
Claiming that the exhibit endorses “white supremacy” and the “removal of indigineous people” since Wayne starred in Westerns, some students are protesting in a bid to have the exhibit removed from campus.
One of the leading protestors, Eric Plant, says that the exhibit makes students feel "unsafe" on campus.
Here's more from the USC newspaper Daily Trojan:
The School of Cinematic Arts will decide if its John Wayne exhibition will be removed by the end of this semester, an SCA official announced at a Wednesday discussion hosted by the school’s Council for Diversity & Inclusion.
Nearly 50 students attended the discussion prompted by a protest from two SCA students who held a banner in front of the Cinema Complex, calling for the removal of the exhibit, which they said supports Wayne’s legacy of endorsing white supremacy and the removal of indigenous people.
SCA Interim Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Evan Hughes began the event by explaining the Council’s efforts to approach the controversy surrounding the exhibit, which features movie posters and memorabilia honoring the alumnus and football player’s film career. He also said that the conversation would provide recommendations to SCA administration for future action related to the exhibit.
“This has been an issue that the [Council] has debated over a long period of time,” Hughes said. “At the end of last semester, we were trying to figure out different options for paths to move forward with this particular exhibit because not even students, but faculty that have walked by the exhibit said that we don’t think this accurately represents film history as it should probably should be represented.”
Some students opposed the exhibit’s possible removal, stating the actor contributed to the Western genre in film. They said removing his legacy would erase an aspect of filmmaking history that many students strongly connect with. During the discussion, students were allowed to remain anonymous to create a safe space for conversation.
“Wayne made terrible and condemnable comments … but [that] is not what he is known for,” one student said. “I think there are many positive elements of John Wayne and looking at a figure historically, you have to look at the negative sides and point them out, and I think we should definitely do that, but I also think that he is a net positive figure.”
The initial proposal from SCA included adding a plaque to the exhibit critiquing Wayne’s anti-indigenous and racist work and beliefs. While many students supported this proposal, others argued that the only solution would be removing Wayne completely from SCA.
Recent controversy surrounding Wayne arose after a 1971 interview with Playboy, in which the actor expressed support for white supremacy and the removal of indigenous people, resurfaced. Reanna Cruz, a junior majoring in cinematic arts, film and television production, said the exhibit promotes racist attitudes and ideas.
“Since the reemergence of this particular quotes in [the Playboy interview] I have felt viscerally uncomfortable because of the promotion and glorification of a noted white supremacist [and] racist,” Cruz said. “Having his items up is a stance against people like myself. And it honors and therefore by extension … is complicit in the promotion of white supremacy.”
New York Daily News also commented on this:
If a group of students at the University of Southern California get their way, a longstanding exhibit celebrating the career of legendary Hollywood actor John Wayne will be long gone.
Because of the late actor’s racist viewpoints, student activists at the private Los Angeles-based school are calling for the end of the shrine celebrating the trailblazing career of Wayne, who claimed USC as his alma mater.
A USC spokesperson told the Daily News that The Wayne Collection exhibit went up in June of 2012 and is comprised of movie posters, memorabilia, awards and personal correspondence of the Duke, who attended the college in the late 1920s when he was still known by his birth name, Marion Morrison.
According to the Daily Trojan, the student newspaper, Wayne’s “legacy of endorsing white supremacy and the removal of indigenous people” is the cause for the call for removal.
This interpretation of the iconic star mostly comes from a controversial 1971 interviewWayne conducted with Playboy magazine.
Earlier this year, quotes from the interview resurfaced and were widely circulated on social media, bringing new light to the once beloved actor – affectionately known as “The Duke” and what has been interpreted as his antiquated, conservative and racist beliefs.
“Since the reemergence of [the Playboy interview] I have felt viscerally uncomfortable [with the exhibit] because of the promotion and glorification of a noted white supremacist and racist,” film student Reanna Cruz told the outlet.
In 1971, the 63-year old Interset, IA. native was a dedicated anti-communist who backed the Vietnam War, dismissed student anti-war protesters and railed against the critically-acclaimed counterculture films such as “Easy Rider” and “Midnight Cowboy” - calling them “perverted films.”
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