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To all –

Thank you for a thoughtful discussion.  I subscribe via digest, and so get
all the day’s messages every evening.  I will respond to several below.

Beryl –

Few of our visitors are archaeologists.  I haven’t seen BCE / CE in any
other contexts.  The original post argued in favor of this system for PC
reasons.

Wesley and others  –

I agree.  When possible, I try to use “years ago,” or the year number
without the AD designator.  It gets problematic only when you need to refer
to specific BC dates.

David –

I am not Christian either, though my personal faith doesn’t enter into this
discussion of museum practice.

I have well over a dozen data points from Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims,
followers of American Indian religions, atheists, pagans and wiccans, as
well as Christians.  (Seriously.  It was at a large metropolitan museum with
a very diverse work force.)  None objected to BC / AD; most were nonplussed,
wondering why this was an issue.  I also have one friend (Orthodox Jew) who
agrees with you.

My Muslim girlfriend, on the other hand, is particularly strident in her
disagreement.  She had used a sacred calendar in her native country, and has
no problem with other cultures creating their own calendars for their own
reasons.  As a person of faith, she is disappointed to learn that Westerners
would so willingly abandon their own heritage.  And, as a minority, she’s
offended that we would do so ostensibly for her benefit.  To paraphrase her
reaction (after she was done rolling her eyes): Minorities are not poor,
helpless children, in need of the White Man’s protection to shelter us from
the big, bad world.  My faith has survived in that world a good long time,
and this over-sensitivity smacks of colonialism.

We can all cite anecdotes on various sides of this (or any) issue.  It is my
experience that the number of people who would be offended by any of these
abbreviations is extremely small, and perhaps equal on both sides.  The
number of people who would be confused or at least taken aback by the
unfamiliar terminology, however, is significantly larger.

Education is indeed what we are about.  The question is, what are we trying
to teach at any given moment?  I recently helped out on an exhibit on
Chinese astronomy, a topic which does use some specific BC dates.  We
considered using BCE, but felt an exhibit where we are trying to educate
visitors about the history of Chinese astronomy was not the place to also
try to educate them about changing attitudes in Western archaeology.
(Advice which came from yet another of my data points.)

Jonah –

Each exhibit at SMM has its own developers and writers.  Some feel
differently about this issue than I.  (The friend mentioned above works at
SMM; this person uses CE / BCE.)

Edith –

Whether you consider Jesus to be “true God and true man” (Roman
Catholicism), or merely “a very special teacher” (Universal Unitarianism),
the BC / AD system recognizes His place in Western history.  CE / BCE does
not.  Some Christians find this offensive.  (My original post did not
include the word “some.”  That was my error, made in haste, and I apologize
for making such a sweeping statement.)

Bob –

You rock!  But I would argue this *is* about education, insofar as education
depends on clear, effective communication.  My position is that CE / BCE
works against that for most visitors.

-- Eugene Dillenburg

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