Uh oh … what’s he done now?
We’re used to seeing President Trump being dragged for everything he says and does, but it was a bit of a surprise to find out that he was in hot water with an assistant professor of classics at the University of Iowa for calling Ancient Greece the birthplace of democracy and Western Civilization.
Trump made the “controversial remarks” in the East Room of the White House on March 22 at the White House’s official Greek Independence Day celebration, triggering Professor Sarah Bond.
Let me say it again: By falsely making Greece the "birthplace" of "Western Civilization" (As Trump did in his remarks this morning), you exclude the great contributions of Africa, Egypt & Mesopotamia & continue to reify an imagined "West" that never was. https://t.co/izWioomwU8 pic.twitter.com/Gut4Hdtt9K
— Sarah Bond (@SarahEBond) March 25, 2018
Her tweet slowly caught on, and a lot of people aren’t seeing the problem, particularly as the president was speaking at an event celebrating Greek independence and Greece’s influence on America’s politics, philosophy, architecture, and more.
Trump said Greece was the "birthplace of western civilization," an extremely common sentiment, at an event honoring Greek independence
This is apparently controversial now because we're a stupid country https://t.co/M6PNVgcB7j
— And He Disrespected the WuTang Clan (@notwokieleaks) March 27, 2018
I too am shocked the president didn't bring up Egypt in *looks at notes* a celebration of Greek independence day
— And He Disrespected the WuTang Clan (@notwokieleaks) March 27, 2018
Yep. Let's avoid saying nice things about someone at their birthday party unless we do the same for every other person in the family. https://t.co/JEYohBtm1g
— Lowell George Washington (@deanriehm) March 27, 2018
From the department of You Can't Praise Anybody If You Won't Praise Everybody: https://t.co/JEhSUVKCEo
— The Don Lachlan (@brightlancer) March 27, 2018
You're absolutely right. Trump should have just said that the Greeks's contributions aren't worth dick compared to others on their independence day. https://t.co/PXqWcFKtJD
— Junior Senator DryChris Del Monte (I-ON) (@GameJudgeTPS) March 27, 2018
Come on. He was at event about Greece and said something nice about Greece.
I mean OK the nuances and contradictions of civilizational development are incalculable & "civilization" itself is a reifying construct always already embedded in formations of power & etc.
But come on. https://t.co/Pb0rFU1ijk
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) March 27, 2018
The absolute state of Classics right now https://t.co/2SIWnLBdrH
— Sebastian Milbank ? (@JSMilbank) March 27, 2018
That Greece is the birthplace of Western Civilization is now contested?! What the hell is wrong with these people? https://t.co/hF6PtnOcbE
— Firas Modad (@FirasModad) March 27, 2018
Trump is right. These people are stretching.
When people talk about the birth of Western Civilization they generally mean the post-Socratics. https://t.co/OppV3iZzg3
— David Betz (@DFBetz) March 25, 2018
Who could possibly forget the great Mesopotamian Republic, or the Egyptian Senate? https://t.co/QIKAECkOK7
— Rancor Keeper (@Mama_kili) March 27, 2018
Those places aren't part of the west and in fact are highly easternized philosophies in terms of culture, religion, and human development. No one said those places didn't contribute to the world, just not as much to Western Civ as they did to overall human advancement. https://t.co/BzsqaBTzbh
— The Ghost Who Walks (@patr_brown) March 27, 2018
None of those are "western", none of those had democracy, ancient Greece is definetly the birthplace of western civilisation, and none of this matter because it's all irrelevant at a speech about sodding Greece. https://t.co/d2BcLAc3T2
— George (@CryptykAlt) March 27, 2018
It's an accurate tweet — all cultures are result of imagination & post hoc curation. Sadly, as with most leftist contributions to academia, these insights are rarely applied to non-western cultures, which, instead are lauded as "authentic". https://t.co/vRtLYSJrEQ
— Byzantine Ambassador (@byzantinepower) March 27, 2018
the 'West' never existed, but every other civilisation has always existed and the evil 'West' is evil for 'excluding' the contributions of all the other existent and real civilisations towards the non existing 'West' that you say doesn't exist. Got it. https://t.co/urnYtXJ2R8
— PaulPopper (@formerleft) March 26, 2018
Of course it's true that the Greek achievement didn't happen in isolation, and western civilization developed in a multicultural setting, but to describe Greece as "the birthplace of Western Civilization" is perfectly sensible and meaningful. A bit precious to pretend otherwise https://t.co/rOdrezSSDQ
— JerryS01 (@JerryS01) March 26, 2018
These days leftist academics call that cultural appropriation. https://t.co/GFo64tShxV
— Rev. Mauldin ? (@Reverend_Ducati) March 27, 2018
Even by lauding Greek civilization at a celebration of Greek independence, Trump managed to trigger academics:
This idea originates in 19th century white imperialistic views about civization. So not really a surprise to see the Trumpinator spouting such retrograde opinions https://t.co/yoy7JvcwpE
— Ysrith (@Ysrith) March 25, 2018
Every Classical bone in my body weeps when this idiot opens his mouth https://t.co/la8UgyB3F5
— SEKHMETSUNLIONESS (@Paleopath9) March 25, 2018
Sorry?
