Story: A collection of essays that explore how museums, theme parks, and other cultural institutions preserve and sometimes distort the past, and what can be done to give citizens a more sophisticated understanding of history.
Review: That the rich and powerful in America have dictated the interpretation and portrayal of American history, particularly in popular institutions, probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Still, there’s something shocking about the vividness with which Mike Wallace (a history professor, not the guy from 60 Minutes) discusses the issue in “Mickey Mouse History.” Whether it’s the original, slave-free version of restored colonial Williamsburg or the corporate-designed exhibits at Disneyland and EPCOT, the depictions of America’s past that have been most heavily marketed to the American public are free of almost any real historical context, or any inkling that there is debate over the positive and negative effects of various events of the past. The strength of this book, other than its detail, is that it takes conclusions others have reached – such as those about Americans’ connection to their own pasts or about the need to commemorate the lives of “average” Americans, minorities and women – and marries them to a need for historical rigor and standards. Wallace makes clear that the past should not be sanitized or exaggerated for any purpose, no matter how noble. And he makes clear how dangerous distortions of the past can be, particularly in chapters that discuss Ronald Reagan’s or Newt Gingrich’s…shall we say, passing acquaintance with history as it happened as opposed to how they wish it had happened.
That last sentence makes pretty clear that Wallace has an ideology of his own. He interprets much of American history in terms of the conflict between classes. The emphasis is on the role corporations and the wealthy play in shaping exhibits; much less is done to address other groups’ roles in the cultural and historical conflict. To be sure, Wallace never claims that his interpretation is the only valid one; he consistently argues that what is important is that history not be presented as something simple about which the One Clear Truth has been written, but as something that is constantly being battled over by intelligent people with good motives. And I presume that in his other works, he makes the case for his own interpretation in more detail. Still, the ideological agenda can be somewhat troublesome.
What is even more troublesome, however, is the series of events in the book’s final chapter, recounting the controversy over the Smithsonian’s proposed Enola Gay exhibit. The draft that Wallace describes sounds like a balanced, nuanced attempt to discuss the events that led to the end of World War II. The manner in which certain right wing and military critics took elements of that script out of context in order to inflame passions and create controversy truly frightened me. The way in which Wallace links the controversy to the 1994 elections and to the “culture wars” being fought over educational standards was even more disheartening, as people like Lynne Cheney placed a greater emphasis on depicting heroes and creating a feel-good sense about America than on achieving an understanding. If I can get on my own soapbox, there’s nothing wrong with being proud of America, but that pride should be based on knowledge, not ignorance. Wallace’s essays will hopefully provide fortitude to those willing to fight for the former against the latter.
Year: 1996
Author: Mike Wallace
Publisher: Temple University Press
Pages: 318