It seems to be impossible to scan social media, read a paper, listen to the news or even a radio without encountering some kind of discussion, debate or argument regarding removing offensive statues.
Some city workers of New Orleans took the statues of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard, down under the shelter of darkness. They had been deemed a public nuisance by the City Council, so down they came.
Lately, it seems that we no longer bother with a democratic process, a bit of rope and some really pissed off people suffices. The latest, a woman in North Carolina pulled down a Confederate statue with many people, including police, looking on. From the looks of it, it was a really big statue — had I been anywhere near it, I would have run for the hills (or a brewery).
I have no idea what is inside of a statue, but I would guess that as it lands, parts go flying. Politics aside, an impulsive removal of a statue is really dangerous!
Should they be removed? I do not believe that by removing a statue, we erase history. That is nonsense. History is history, you can’t erase it (although the idea is tempting and I have had some parts of my history that I wouldn’t mind erasing). The intent of a statue is not to tell history, but to memorialize and honor it. They are monuments of honor and respect that a community feels and wishes to display. But here’s the deal — that community changes.
That’s the really cool thing about a community, it evolves. People die and people are born and everyone forms opinions, tastes and preferences based in a large part upon the community, city, state or country one is a member of. Peers, media, family, etc all influence people and help shape every single individual into a unique person. The unique people of 2017 are quite different from the unique people of 1870. Perhaps the only things in common with the people of different generations, are that both are unique and the process of how they became the people they were or are, pretty much stays the same.
So, a statue that was extremely meaningful to a community in 1870, might not be as important to the community in the exact same geographic location but is a completely different community than the one that erected the statue.
Just as we remove buildings to create a park, or homes to build a freeway, or when a brewpub appears in an abandoned church, our community is constantly changing born of the ever changing needs and wants of the people that make up that community. Statues are no different.
A statue is kind of cool. I appreciate the artistic skill (some, not so much) that goes into creating a great monument. I respect the sentiment, usually. If I disagree, I simply mind my business, much like I do at an art gallery, and move on.
My point is, it is up to each community to decide what they want displayed in public areas. If something is deemed offensive by the majority, or by an elected body of people, then it can and should come down. It does not erase history, thankfully we have libraries and Wikipedia for that. It is just a reflection of an evolving community. A statue has no right to occupy a plot of land for the remainder of the world’s life, nonsense. So if New Orleans decides that it no longer wants Robert E. Lee hanging out in a park and that he might be better off in a museum, office or garage, that is its prerogative. Thank goodness my community never erected a statue of Bill Cosby!
Personally, I feel that Confederate statues’ time has come to accept that their tenure of public real estate has passed and they should gracefully go to a museum, where their roles in history can be explained, for good or bad. It was a bad time, a bad thing and their existence is a painful reminder to many people of a painful past. It should never be forgotten, but it should also not be memorialized in a way that conveys respect — just my opinion. I don’t live in the South, but if I did, I would want the statues to be replaced.
I would also like to add, that no matter how awful a person, group or even community feels a statue is, it is anarchy to allow an individual or individuals to impulsively tear it down. This is how riots begin, emotions erupt, police respond… trust me, it usually does not end well. There are legitimate and safer ways to remove anything offensive from public property and I am on the side of “going through the channels.”
I realize that the current and active movement to extract offensive articles, and rename parks, airports, and buildings in our community is a slippery slope — where does it stop (or should it)? Recently, my community decided that the name of a popular lake needed to be changed because it was named after a slave owner. I actually have no problem with renaming a lake; we renamed a mountain in Alaska from McKinley to Denali and that seemed to be fine, no rioting, no earthquakes, the sun still rose and set each day.
My problem with renaming our lake was that the name that was selected - Mde Maka Ska, which very few people can pronounce, or even remember (I had to look it up). Forget about even spelling it. It means Great White Lake, so why didn’t we call it that? I suspect what will happen to the new name, because few can say it much less remember, it will continue to be called Lake Calhoun, further ensuring that the offending name will be remembered forever.
A majority of our founding fathers owned slaves, lots of slaves! George Washington owned over 300. Jefferson, while a huge opponent of slavery and a champion of human rights, wasn’t such a “champ” back home. He owned many slaves. He even gave a moving speech against slavery, but also said that he couldn’t set his free because they could never take care of themselves…. So, as a nation should we rename all things Washington or Jefferson? Time to remove their monuments? I guess it depends on each community’s perception.
It is my opinion that we can only follow our hearts today and do what we believe to be just. Taking down a statue is not desecration, or an attempt to change history. It is a reflection of an evolving population that chooses to honor and respect people that exemplify their values. Sometimes, I agree, sometimes, I disagree, but people, such is life.
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