Today in Identity Politics Obsession

Good to see that the New York Times is keeping up with the need to bring an intersectional perspective to every possible topic. Like the ancient ruins of Pompeii:

The new leader of this 2,000-year-old archaeological treasure is examining gender, race and class while using technology to try and save the site from the ravages of climate change. . .

“Many of the questions we are today addressing are inspired by other fields emerging here, such as gender studies and post-colonial studies,” [the new director] Zuchtriegel said. “We should not forget that all the wealth and art works that we see in Pompeii are really based on a society where not only slavery existed, but there was no concept of social welfare.” . . .

For some, it is about time that these issues were finally out in the open. Sarah E. Bond, an associate professor of history at the University of Iowa, said by phone that, “Oftentimes archaeologists can be conservative with the topics they address,” but added, “I am psyched to see things starting to come around in Pompeii.”

Increasingly, there has been a broader shift in scholarly research into the ancient world to investigate previously overlooked issues — “things like sexual assault and rape, or slavery” — Bond said. “It’s just great to now see Italian archaeologists overseeing Pompeii as a museum site, embracing important questions of gender, forced labor and violence in important ways.”

Being a leftist today means you never tire of being tedious. (And yes, I had to check to make sure this wasn’t a Babylon Bee satire.) And glad to see they aren’t forgetting climate change! Volcanos really do mess up the climate when they bury your city in ash.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses