4 ms·
I'd thought that these were related to the 9/11 quilts (though reading the article they turned out to be quite unrelated), at least one of which is still on dis
by kumarsw 5y ago
I'd thought that these were related to the 9/11 quilts (though reading the article they turned out to be quite unrelated), at least one of which is still on display at the Pentagon. I've never found a good explanation of the quilt phenomenon - unlike the Afghan carpets which were driven by a mixture of anti-Taliban sentiment and good-old-fashioned commercialism, the 9/11 quilts seemed to motivated by a return to traditional values in the aftermath of tragedy.
- ferdowsi 5y agoQuilting is a very Americana mode of remembrance. The African American community has a rich history of story quilting. Also see the AIDS quilt.
- ummwhat 5y agoGiven the history of quilts and infectious disease in the Americas (re: smallpox blankets), I always felt aids quilts were accidentally tasteless and, due to the sincerity of the good intentions behind them, kind of hilarious in a subtle dark humour way.
- azernik 5y ago1. The only documented case of blankets being intentionally used to spread smallpox was recorded simply as "blankets"; there is no indication they were specifically quilts. 2. Quilting as a tradition in WASP culture is so long and dense that any association with smallpox is far from the first; quilts with squares commemorating deaths are very very common.
- jacobolus 5y agoIt’s also unclear whether the gifting of smallpox blankets had any practical effect. Cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Pitt#Biological_warfare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Pitt#Biological_...
- PhasmaFelis 5y agoIt would be less of a stretch to say that wearing pants is offensive because the conquistadores wore them.
- ashtonkem 5y agoThey did however ruin a few forms of head wear.