Well, what about offensive historical public monuments?
Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 12:23 pm
All of the sudden clamor over various people suddenly outraged over old monuments and historical things - ready to destroy them or have them removed - has gotten me to thinking: Where does that end - to what degree do we do so?
First thing is, they are everywhere. There are monuments on the grounds of SC's statehouse honoring a few people from history that I find despicable racists - and so I don't think they are appropriate, find them offensive - particularly those whose public appeal was based upon such terrible views and statements. But where does such wholesale removals take us - and how far do we go? And, no doubt, whenever some agenda-laden group (especially over race or politics) decides some symbol from the past must go, it stirs up anger in those that find their cultural and personal meanings in their racial self-identification (whatever it might be). So, as if we don't have enough hatred and problems, people want to create immediate controversies that the media can help feed - as if it's a crisis. Really dangerous road to go down.
And how far do we take the removal of historical symbols. Do we bulldoze the houses of Jefferson and Washington - both slaveowners of hundreds of people? What about the American Indian museum - countless massacres of innocents by some tribes - and most of them carried out against other tribes - took slaves, too! Take away the American flag - some pretty terrible actions were done under that flag in the distant past. How about in other countries - how about destroying the tourist attractions of ancient Aztec and other warrior societies - where they not only took slaves, but also sacrificed children and virgins to pagan gods? Egypt, same deal? Europe - destroy all of those ancient slaveholding Greek and Roman sites - like the Coliseum - untold barbarity forced upon slaves.
I'll end with the Lincoln Memorial - perhaps we should bulldoze our cherished memorial to "St. Lincoln" - due to his comments upon blacks and slaves, made during the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates (just two years before he was elected president):
"I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race."
So, based upon the above, should not the Lincoln Memorial be razed as well???!!! See, it's a slippery slope with no end, even though clearly there are some monuments to people that were really bad human beings (I don't include Lincoln so much in that - as he was a man of his time, and I think his racial views slowly moderated, his actions mostly helpful. In fact, he received famous black abolitionist Frederick Douglas in the White House in 1863, and subsequently invited him back in 1864).
First thing is, they are everywhere. There are monuments on the grounds of SC's statehouse honoring a few people from history that I find despicable racists - and so I don't think they are appropriate, find them offensive - particularly those whose public appeal was based upon such terrible views and statements. But where does such wholesale removals take us - and how far do we go? And, no doubt, whenever some agenda-laden group (especially over race or politics) decides some symbol from the past must go, it stirs up anger in those that find their cultural and personal meanings in their racial self-identification (whatever it might be). So, as if we don't have enough hatred and problems, people want to create immediate controversies that the media can help feed - as if it's a crisis. Really dangerous road to go down.
And how far do we take the removal of historical symbols. Do we bulldoze the houses of Jefferson and Washington - both slaveowners of hundreds of people? What about the American Indian museum - countless massacres of innocents by some tribes - and most of them carried out against other tribes - took slaves, too! Take away the American flag - some pretty terrible actions were done under that flag in the distant past. How about in other countries - how about destroying the tourist attractions of ancient Aztec and other warrior societies - where they not only took slaves, but also sacrificed children and virgins to pagan gods? Egypt, same deal? Europe - destroy all of those ancient slaveholding Greek and Roman sites - like the Coliseum - untold barbarity forced upon slaves.
I'll end with the Lincoln Memorial - perhaps we should bulldoze our cherished memorial to "St. Lincoln" - due to his comments upon blacks and slaves, made during the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates (just two years before he was elected president):
"I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race."
So, based upon the above, should not the Lincoln Memorial be razed as well???!!! See, it's a slippery slope with no end, even though clearly there are some monuments to people that were really bad human beings (I don't include Lincoln so much in that - as he was a man of his time, and I think his racial views slowly moderated, his actions mostly helpful. In fact, he received famous black abolitionist Frederick Douglas in the White House in 1863, and subsequently invited him back in 1864).