Bolsonaro Out of AMNH!

April 12, 2019 2:30 PM

When a natural history museum hosts a president bent on destroying nature – Critics say that a planned event at the American Museum of Natural History honoring Jair Bolsonaro is antithetical to the institute’s mission and values.
posted by Tom-B (12 comments total)

I read the link before the title, so, until I got to 'Jair Bolsonaro,' I figured it was about the other one.
posted by box at 2:42 PM on April 12, 2019 [9 favorites]

Yeah, Bolsonaro is out to kill the Earth by killing the rainforests (but not before killing some of his own people first). The only way one should honor him is by getting him out of office.

I'm keeping my ear out for any NYC protests in the hopes that I can send people to them.
posted by dinty_moore at 3:14 PM on April 12, 2019 [1 favorite]

What were they thinking?
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:29 PM on April 12, 2019 [1 favorite]

They say when they agreed to host the event, the honoree was not yet chosen, and they're looking to see what their options are.
posted by ChuraChura at 3:39 PM on April 12, 2019 [7 favorites]

The man is an abomination.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro says Holocaust crimes can be forgiven
posted by adamvasco at 3:45 PM on April 12, 2019 [6 favorites]

One of the Koch Brothers was on the board until protests forced him to step down. What I'm saying is, keep protesting!
posted by lunasol at 4:06 PM on April 12, 2019 [8 favorites]

Can we drop the whale on him?
posted by The Whelk at 4:53 PM on April 12, 2019 [17 favorites]

Up until six weeks ago, renting Smithsonian event space was considerably more difficult. The previous special-events policy limited exhibit rentals to co-sponsored events that had to both raise money for the hosting museum and support its mission. But thanks to the Trump administration, there are new rental policies that open the door to anyone willing to pay:

Museum and research center directors decided which of five categories of special events they would host in their spaces and what types of events they would permit. If a museum accepted a category — such as corporate and nonprofit receptions or personal social events for adults — it will have to accept any group covered by it, said Karen Keller, director of Smithsonian special events and protocol. That means that an anti-climate-change group could hold a fundraiser in the Natural History Museum or that a white-nationalist group could seek space in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Hosting Bolsonaro at AMNH is a predictable bad outcome, there are sure to be more. These new rental policies are 3 year pilot program to test the idea. Continue to share your outrage with the AMNH, the Smithsonian, and your elected representatives; it is a shit policy they should discontinue.
posted by peeedro at 5:00 PM on April 12, 2019 [10 favorites]

Sorry, that was a rage-induced brain fart. I had AMNH in NYC mixed up with the National History Museum on the mall in DC. The Smithsonian's new policy has nothing to do with this event. Soory for that.
posted by peeedro at 5:27 PM on April 12, 2019 [2 favorites]

One of the quoted grad students is a friend of mine. She is an awesome scientist who loves the museum fiercely. Wouldn't it be nice if we lived in a world where those were the things that mattered?
posted by hydropsyche at 5:56 AM on April 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

Yes, this is about the AMNH in New York, not the NMNH, which is the museum that is part of the Smithsonian. The AMNH is not affiliated with the Smithsonian. With that said, the story should serve as a cautionary tale for the Smithsonian going forward with their new special events rental policy.
posted by gudrun at 7:34 AM on April 13, 2019

Update: Museum cancels event honouring Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro
posted by oulipian at 1:19 PM on April 16, 2019 [3 favorites]