The three wise monkeys — described as a Japanese pictorial maxim, embodying the proverbial principle “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” — have been banished in England’s York University.
But then, is this surprising when institutions of higher learning are providing safe spaces to protect hypersensitive students from hearing world views that may differ from their own?
The University of York pulled an image of the three wise monkeys from its website because it was deemed to be racist, according to The Times.
“Academics at the University of York have decided that they could be seen as an oppressive racial stereotype, and pulled an image of the animals from their website to avoid offence,” the British newspaper reported.
The University of York has surprised scholars by pulling artwork of the three wise monkeys from their website to avoid “racist stereotypes”.
Experts in Japanese culture note that the monkeys are normally seen as “sacred beings” with positive connotations https://t.co/gginaEoN4a
— The Times (@thetimes) January 22, 2021
Organizers of an upcoming art history conference apologized for using the image in calling for submissions.
“Upon reflection, we strongly believe that our first poster is not appropriate as its iconology promulgates a longstanding visual legacy of oppression and exploits racist stereotypes,” the organizers wrote. “We bring this to your attention, so that we may be held accountable for our actions and, in our privileges, do and be better.”
It would be hard to argue that the action seen across the pond is not a product of the American left’s decade-plus battle for alleged racial justice, ushered in by the election of the first black president of the U.S., Barack Obama.
With the emergence of the oft-violent Black Lives Matter movement — which gained prominence after a police officer was forced to defend himself against a violent attack by Michael Brown, an 18-year-old who outweighed the officer by 100 pounds — and images of rioting, looting and American cities burning being commonplace, the world took notice.
Never mind that the cases prompting the unrest often turned out to less than what they were initially billed as — George Floyd being one example, while the imagery of an officer kneeling on the deceased man’s neck was horrific, autopsy results suggest that he died from a fentanyl overdose.
The left’s toxic critical race theory declares all white people are inherently racist, and now that it’s Democratic policy it may be fair to say that for a person walking around with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:
It’s a travesty that common sense has flown out of the window in under a year, replaced by wild paranoia and finger-pointing sloganism. With the self-proclaimed ‘academic’ elite leading the charge over a cliff into dimfinity.
— OneMoreTime (@OneMoreTime82) January 22, 2021
If you see three monkeys and think of racism, you’re the racist.
— Véronique Semtex (@VeroniqueSemtex) January 22, 2021
When will this madness stop?
— Juan Nel-Cocolas 🇬🇷 (@juannel) January 22, 2021
This says much more about the lenses through which *they* look at life, rather than what is actually being observed.
— Lewis Blackman (@HandsomeInvest) January 22, 2021
Shall we get rid of these emojis too then? 🙈🙉🙊
— Mark Dodsley (@Mdi2929) January 22, 2021
Shall we get rid of these emojis too then? 🙈🙉🙊
— Mark Dodsley (@Mdi2929) January 22, 2021
Why can’t three wise monkeys be three wise monkeys?🤔🤔🤔
— Ann Collinson (@AnnColl02782394) January 22, 2021
Which race would that be? It seems that people are now clutching at straws to prove they are more woke than others. It is almost as if they have a ridiculousness competition going on.
— Corner Stone (@CornerS62135536) January 22, 2021
What is it about our universities? Surely academics of all people should understand the incredible risks and dangers to society of trying to pervert history and culture to suit their own politics.
— Henry Bolton OBE 🇬🇧 (@_HenryBolton) January 22, 2021
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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