# Dutch museum renaming art for cultural sensitivity **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 16, 2015, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620 "2015-12-16T18:09:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/41 "2015-12-17T06:06:54Z")
No 10 new threads a week on whether or not something is racist. Waste of brain power is the issue here. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/42 "2015-12-17T06:24:42Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > No 10 new threads a week on whether or not something is racist. Waste of brain power is the issue here. Uh ok. And where are you spending all this excess brain power that third world living affords you? Dropping “first world problems” comments into art naming threads. Way to go, buddy. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/43 "2015-12-17T06:28:43Z")
The way you pose questions, you can debate with yourself all day. Even better. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/44 "2015-12-17T06:31:06Z")
Those are called rhetorical questions. When I answer them I’m not debating myself. Free english lesson for you there. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/45 "2015-12-17T06:50:16Z")
Then you can spout out rhetoricals to yourself all day. And thanks. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/46 "2015-12-17T07:06:06Z")
I’m not spouting them to myself. But I got to go to bed and don’t feel like explaining anymore. Just google some of the words I used, there’s free online translation if you need it too. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/47 "2015-12-17T07:10:52Z")
I said this type of discussion dulls the brain, didn’t I? So sweet dreams and get ready for tomorrow’s topic. As for me, the whole thing’s a no-brainer from the start. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/48 "2015-12-17T11:26:08Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > There’s something nice about living in a third world country. We view politics as having more money or guns than anyone else. > [@CarnalK](#): > > What’s nice about that? Takes less brainpower to figure out? Take the snide remarks to The BBQ Pit. Knock it off. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/49 "2015-12-17T12:36:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Except neither was the artists title, which seems to have been “Portrait of Mrs Allwood / Mrs Alting.” > > _The museum_ renamed it “Little Negress”" > [http://www.trevorpatemanblog.com/2015/12/the-rijksmuseum-amsterdam-political.html](http://www.trevorpatemanblog.com/2015/12/the-rijksmuseum-amsterdam-political.html) Then that should be the name. “Girl With A Fan” is fraudulent. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/50 "2015-12-17T14:22:13Z")
It’s not just the art world. The debate about cultural sensitivity/oversensitivity has also reached horticulture. One of my favorite seed companies\* has decided that it is no longer acceptable to offer a variety with dark red-purple foliage under its original name (Dahlia “Redskin”). They’ve decided to make up [a name of their own](http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/SeedlistDA-DE.htm) which presumably no one could find offensive although it is rather dumb (semi-hilariously, the catalog describes not wanting to give offense to “American Indians”, when “Native Americans” would have been a better choice). And what about another seed company I have done business with, which offers the heirloom watermelon varieties “Tom Watson” and “Stone Mountain”? This firm (Baker Creek Seed Co.) tells us that watermelon was first grown in the South from seed brought by slaves from Africa, but sells seed of a variety named not for the golfer, but the Tom Watson (one-time Senator from Georgia) who was one of the South’s most virulent racists and anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic bigots (Watson supported disenfranchisement of blacks and is blamed for rhetoric leading to the lynching of Leo Frank). As for Stone Mountain - back when that particular watermelon was popular, Stone Mountain was probably mostly known for being the site of the reborn Ku Klux Klan. Shouldn’t these varieties be renamed as something innocuous? Or dump them from the catalog entirely. \*coincidentally (?) the catalog of this company features pithy quotes from numerous left-wing/radical sources i.e. Emma Goldman). Baker Creek meanwhile is known for its strong anti-GMO stand. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/51 "2015-12-17T14:44:09Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > In other words, you’re saying… Please learn to attribute correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/52 "2015-12-17T14:47:45Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > In what “meaningful” way will viewers who look at a 1900 Dutch painting with a 21st-century English title instead of an earlier 20th-century English title, neither of which is entirely equivalent to the earliest known Dutch title which may or may not have been what the Dutch artist actually called the painting, not “be seeing the whole piece” simply due to the change in the accompanying **English** title? > [@Kimstu](#): > > And how come you’re okay with using “Young Negro Girl” as an alternative title to the earlier “The Little Negress”? What happened to your previous insistence on the importance of preserving the exact shade of historical racism represented by an original title? :dubious: Those seem like pretty much equivalent expressions to me, and neither is a strictly original title. The key point is retained–that artist, contemporary viewers, and art history see the subject’s race as significant. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/53 "2015-12-17T15:06:57Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Recently a Spanish town decided to change it’s name from “[death to Jews camp](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/22/spanish-village-drops-kill-jews-name)” to “Jews’ hill camp.” That is a clear improvement. It seems like you are advocating the use of racial slurs for the sole reason that people in the past used racial slurs. There’s a difference between: > [ol] > [li]“Welcome to black point, before the 1990’s this was called ‘nigger point’ by the locals”[/li][li]“Welcome to ‘nigger point’”[/li][/ol]Sensibilities change, and history is still preserved; there’s no loss here. It’s actually a recovery of the original name, corrected for current grammar. What’s not clear is if the one-letter change from Motajudíos (the original) to Matajudíos was purposeful or not. Hijack: _Castrillo_ means “small castle” or “small fortified village”, would “camp” truly be a good translation for that? 😕 Then again, I’d translate _Matajudíos_ as He Who Kills Jews or They Who Kill Jews, not as Death To Jews… ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/54 "2015-12-17T15:14:43Z")
The fact that the news story uses the word “negro” to describe a word that is supposed to be offensive shows how stupid this effort is. A word is not just a word, it has meaning only in context. People can handle that, at least sane people can. Just as we can read the story and the word in it, we can read the titles of old art. And “negro” isn’t even offensive, just out of date. It means “black” in Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/55 "2015-12-17T15:31:54Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > These works have historical nomenclature that has defined them for decades (if not centuries). This is political correctness infiltrating history and art. As an artist, I don’t care for it one bit. I shouldn’t have to read the historical name of a piece of art from my iPhone, when it stands a few feet from me. Inform your heirs & collectors that, no matter how much money is offered, none if your work will be going to the Rijksmuseum! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/56 "2015-12-17T18:43:50Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Then that should be the name. “Girl With A Fan” is fraudulent. So then is “Little Negress”. It should be:“Portrait of Mrs Allwood / Mrs Alting.” ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/57 "2015-12-17T23:21:46Z")
“Little Negress” is less fraudulent as that has been the historically-attributed name of the work. In order of legitimacy it goes: 1. Artist’s intended title 2. Historical title 3. Fraudulent politically-correct title made up by museum ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/58 "2015-12-17T23:28:40Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > “Little Negress” is less fraudulent as that has been the historically-attributed name of the work. > > In order of legitimacy it goes: > > 1. Artist’s intended title > > 2. Historical title > > 3. Fraudulent politically-correct title made up by museum You are ignoring the fact that #2 is the Fraudulent non-politically-correct title\* made up by museum.\* Mind you, i think they should have gone back to the original. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620/59 "2015-12-17T23:33:53Z")
In other news, ISIS has announced they are in process of renaming the culturally insensitive site Palmyra to the less insensitive Heaping Pile of Rubble… with Fan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-museum-renaming-art-for-cultural-sensitivity/740620.md?page=2)