Farewell, Bigots!

THE editor of National Geographic magazine, Susan Goldberg, apologizes for the racist opinions of her predecessors in the latest issue.
I’m the tenth editor of National Geographic since its founding in 1888. I’m the first woman and the first Jewish person—a member of two groups that also once faced discrimination here. It hurts to share the appalling stories from the magazine’s past.
Aside from the substance — or lack of substance — of Ms. Goldberg’s apology, it’s an odd thing for an editor to do. Editors don’t normally seek to denigrate their publications in public.
It seems that it is Ms. Goldberg who is the bigot.
Would the magazine of WASP racists fascinated by exotic cultures in far-off lands (though they did feature too many pictures of naked women — just like the mainstream media today) have ever so undercut the confidence of native, non-white cultures by portraying their children in sexual confusion (see below)? (Sorry, previous link was a fake.) I think not. I would wager that no previous editor of National Geographic has had anything remotely like the political agenda of Susan Goldberg and her backers in the entertainment industry, of which National Geographic is now a part. (more…)


