The image. Via Caroline Holland.
The Dorchester Historical Society is apologizing for a postcard advertising a holiday event that features a graphic of its headquarters building in a snow globe and the slogan: "We're Dreaming of a White Dorchester."
In a series of tweets today, in response to people getting or seeing the postcard, the society says it now realizes why that could be taken the wrong way and that that was never its intent - it was trying to riff off the Bing Crosby Christmas song:
We are very truly sorry about our graphic used for this event. This was an unfortunate oversight on our part and the event photograph has been removed from our social media. We were simply changing the words to the classic Christmas carol and did not think it through properly.
We certainly are not happy with its VERY unintended implications; horrified might not be strong enough of a word.
We are truly horrified as we never want to project that message.
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Comments
I'm glad they apologized
By StillFromDorchester
Tue, 11/27/2018 - 9:00am
Oh ffs ...I thought it meant they wanted only white people to live in Dorchester, Now I know it was just an honest mistake.
I can do without the snow myself.
To those who take outrage at
By dvg
Tue, 11/27/2018 - 11:32am
To those who take outrage at the PC crowd, sure, if you ignore Dorchester’s recent history –and by extension the City and entire Country’s history- this is a perfectly fine and innocent message. But then there is this thing called context, and one doesn’t have to look far at all to find out that the propaganda of white supremacists is filled with innuendos and double entendre. How do you think the message “Make America Great Again!” resonate to most African Americans?
I know some of the people at the Dot historical society and I have no reason to believe that the message on this card was intentionally duplicitous. Their apology is likely sincere and I’d give them a pass. That said it may be a good time for these folks to reflect on what the Dorchester Historical Society stands for. When your board is filled with older white folks, you are less likely to catch such blunders.
Colonial and Victorian times are interesting and fun to learn about, but not particularly relevant to the majority of today’s Dorchester residents. How about bringing some Vietnameses, Blacks, Cape Verdeans and Hispanics on board and have exhibits speaking of recent migrations to the area, red lining, (wishful) school desegregation and more recent neighborhood changes that make Dorchester what it is today? If thoughtfully designed, that’s an exhibit I would want to visit. As much as I enjoy those, I’ve seen enough dusty chandeliers, portraits of white men, and weedy graveyards already.
The Dorchester Historical
By cw in boston
Tue, 11/27/2018 - 11:27am
Society is an all-volunteer non-profit organization. They are always looking for new members and volunteers. It's an opportunity to get involved, contribute, and participate in future programming.
Time for a change
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 11/27/2018 - 12:35pm
Medford had a citizen insurrection remove the entrenched, tone deaf, corrupt old-boy group that was running the historical society. (Massive 501c(3) violations and poor management of properties and resistance to volunteers).
This is perhaps a bit more benign - a case of some completely isolated and clueless people who could use some input from the non-isolated world? It can be done either way.
Hahahaha
By Roman
Tue, 11/27/2018 - 5:04pm
"citizen insurrection"
Are you serious?
I'm sorry Swirls. I'm sure you're dead serious. It was Henry V at Agincourt. They'll be signing songs about it for ages.
Chortle.
Look it up - people went to jail
By anon
Wed, 11/28/2018 - 12:00pm
One group was controlling the organization and illegally using properties and vehicles for personal gain. They wouldn't release records that they were legally required to, and wouldn't hold votes and and didn't recognize new members.
One person called the IRS and BOOM it was over.
I always thought it was an urban legend...
By Ward8Mahatma
Tue, 11/27/2018 - 12:02pm
...but having seen vintage campaign buttons & posters on offer at e-bay and on Pinterest, I have to say it’s true: The Nixon re-election campaign used or, at least allowed to be used, the following slogan’ “You Can’t Lick Our Dick”. Supposedly supporters of a certain age remained completely oblivious to the double entendre and proudly stuck bumper stickers with the slogan on their vehicles.
On the other side, down in
By Vicki
Tue, 11/27/2018 - 2:04pm
On the other side, down in New York City someone in the McGovern campaign ordered "Queens for McGovern" and "McGovern for Queens" buttons. Yes, that's a part of New York City, but still poor wording. (We lived in Queens, and my father grabbed one of each, not to wear but for his collection.)
So, yes, mistakes happen; I'm prepared to believe "we weren't thinking, we're sorry" from whoever ordered that card, but that doesn't make it a harmless mistake.
Tragic Limits of Language
By scooterdude
Tue, 11/27/2018 - 12:35pm
I'm told the Inuit People up North have several words for snow.
It's really too bad that English is so limited, that a color for a snowy Christmas must also be the same word denoting race.
Imagine if there were precise words for each intention and each meaning.
It would liberate us in so many ways.
Miscommunication wouldn't be so easy. Misundertanding wouldn't be probable.
How about this?
By Refugee
Wed, 11/28/2018 - 9:54am
I'm dreaming of a #FFFFFF Dorchester.
Yes it's also tragic that the
By Scratchie
Wed, 11/28/2018 - 10:11am
Yes it's also tragic that the color of snow isn't, like, mauve or teal or something that would remove the possibility of "confusion", but here we are, in the real world, where snow is white and words sometimes have more than one meaning.
Somehow, most of us (excluding, obviously, the Dorchester Historical Society) are capable of looking at a phrase like "White Dorchester" and considering whether it might be taken more than one way.
Uh, I guess stay to the east
By Steeve
Tue, 11/27/2018 - 12:41pm
Uh, I guess stay to the east of Dot Ave if you really need that sort of thing.
It's a ton of volunteers, so
By John Martin
Wed, 11/28/2018 - 2:30am
It's a ton of volunteers, so they don't have any expert individuals around them attempting to turn this thing and I sincerely think they committed a legitimate error. https://www.gethomeworkonline.com/write-my-college-essay
Time and Place
By anon
Wed, 11/28/2018 - 8:58am
The mistake was innocent, but the substitution of Christmas, a time of year, was replaced by a place, so I'm a little surprised that they didn't see this as a problem since it really don't make sense. Why wouldn't it just be "...Christmas in Dorchester?" Did they not want to use Christmas?
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