Editorial

University Of Southern California Will Take Down John Wayne Exhibit

(Photo: STAFF/AFP/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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John Wayne’s exhibit at the University of Southern California is coming down.

The Hollywood legend has been in the news a ton lately after people have pushed to get the John Wayne airport re-named because of a 1971 interview he gave to Playboy. He made very insensitive and offensive comments about black people not being responsible or educated. Now, those comments have cost him his exhibit at USC nearly 50 years later. (REVIEW: ‘Westworld’ Season 3 Ends With The Possible Deaths Of Multiple Characters)

“It has been decided that the Wayne Exhibit will be removed. We are grateful to our community members who were willing to share their experiences and feelings about the exhibit – thank you,” USC said in part in a Friday statement.

You can read the full statement below.

As I said with the airport situation when it first started bubbling up, this is a very dangerous journey to travel.

Let’s be crystal clear, there’s no debate about whether or not Wayne’s comments to Playboy were acceptable or appropriate. They weren’t.

He said, “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.”

There’s no defending the comments, and we have to just be open about that. However, are we now at the point where a man’s legacy gets destroyed 49 years later?

Where does it end? Does it end at all or do we just erase anyone whoever said anything offensive from history.

USC is free to do whatever they want, but we should be open and debate washing away historical figures to appease people in 2020. Trust me, it won’t end with John Wayne, who also attended USC. That much is for sure, and judging people from decades or centuries ago by the standards of today might not work out as well as people think.