this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2025
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Memes

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[–] [email protected] 72 points 21 hours ago (5 children)

The history of Washingtons teeth is uncertain. The evidence that those were slave teeth seems to show that the teeth were purchased.

Internet pictures with words are fucking dumb.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I'm 30 and this is the first I've ever heard about this. my southern Baptist homeschool curriculum told me that his teeth were made of wood and it was never something i thought to fact check as an adult.

gotta love homeschooling 🙄

[–] lath 1 points 3 hours ago

According to a documentary I watched in passing on tv some years back, he had several types of dentures and most of them caused him great pain. One could even say his need for teeth helped in small part advance denture technology in the US.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (2 children)

Washington owned slaves. He was not some moral high ground individual. The only reason why they even got independence from Britain was that Britain wanted to stop the expansion of the territory and the people in the colonies wanted to continue it and kill all the natives.

Edit:

In 1784, Washington paid unnamed “Negroes” for nine teeth. We don’t know the precise circumstances, says Van Horn: “The president’s decision to pay his slaves for their teeth may have been a recognition on his part that teeth were something sacrosanct and personal.” On the other hand, being enslaved meant that any economic exchange was inherently not fair.

He literally took advantage of enslaved people to get their teeth and you consider it as just “bought”. Top tier cracker mindset. I guess that to you it was also fair for him to own his slaves because he “bought” them.

https://daily.jstor.org/were-george-washingtons-teeth-taken-from-enslaved-people/

[–] [email protected] 12 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I didn't suggest anything about his character, and we could probably have an entirely separate discussion about imperialism.

What is important is how you source information when it comes to dental prosthetics.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Oh please, criticizing the meme because “the teeth were bought” Is an attempt to save his caharacter. And then saying that images with words are all dumb. People can see through your attempt of white washing.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I don't give a fuck about his character.

You are making assumptions about my intent or what I believe, which is a childish argument tactic.

Again, internet pictures with words are fucking dumb. You might get a ton of likes on Facebook with that shit though.

[–] lath 2 points 20 hours ago

Wow that's such a dumb thing I didn't expect to read today. I can see why you would think so, but still... Wow.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

I was at the museum at his estate on the potomac; the dentures were there. The plaque underneath claimed it was slaves.

[–] stickly 4 points 11 hours ago

Is that not how dentures worked at the time? Any tooth you got was from someone so poor they had to sell it or who had it taken from them.

Modern equivalent would be displaying shoes made in a sweatshop. Yeah terrible practice, but so commonplace its generally not a huge reflection on the character of the owner.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

Both conditions apply, was the intent. Teeth from slaves that were also purchased. My wording was unclear, sorry.

It was so unclear, it seems that I am white washing racist now.

[–] hime0321 4 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

it seems that I am white washing racist now

Me too, when I called out their childish behavior.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 15 hours ago

And that's OK! Some people just need to blame everyone else for everything that is fucked up in their own lives. I don't support that, but it is what it is.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I don't mean to imply you are racist at all. Whatever it turns out the provenance of those teeth are has no bearing on whether or not you are racist.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 14 hours ago

I was referencing another thread in this post, so it's not you. Sorry to give the wrong impression.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Internet pictures with words are fucking dumb

Memers in shambles right now. Webcomic artists, to shreds. Researchers who use diagrams with legends in their publications, pulverized. Journalists, atomised.

A child draws a picture of his father and writes "I love you" for it is the man's birthday. He posts the picture online.

YOU FOOLS!

Yells the mother, as she beats them both to death with a large brick.

In the halls of the United Nations, an envoy reads the latest finding of his commission: "I'm afraid every character of every alphabet is ultimately a drawing."

"But that would mean..."

"Yes, I'm afraid. Every text online counts as internet picture with words. Including the meeting reports that Stephanie posts on our site." Sound of typing stops, as Stephanie looks up, aghast The discussion resumes, the tone rises and descends again, a consensus is reached. It is a hard choice, but a fair one. All the lettered people are to be buried alive.

[–] Maroon 6 points 17 hours ago

Walk up honey, new copypasta just dropped!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 19 hours ago

Lulz, good points. I should clarify that internet pictures with "facts" are fucking dumb. While that wording has gaps as well, maybe we can hone in on some specificity.

[–] lath 8 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Washington's teeth were made of diamonds and you can't convince me otherwise.