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I mean there is the slight difference that the statues intend to glorify the figures they represent, while this mural does the opposite - it's a pointed comment
by BeeOnRope 7y ago
I mean there is the slight difference that the statues intend to glorify the figures they represent, while this mural does the opposite - it's a pointed commentary on slavery and colonialism.
- rjf72 7y agoStatues are inanimate. What glorification happens is by people. When you see a statue of something or someone you find distasteful, do you find yourself glorifying whatever it represents or does the statue instead simply serve as a reminder to you of the past for which you make your own judgements? Do statues impose meaning, or do people find their own meaning in them? Of course the answer is self evident. One reason that purging of the past is so intrinsically tied to authoritarian regimes is because authoritarian regimes do not want people to think for themselves. They want to enforce their views and only their views with no possible ambiguity or counterpoint. This is the danger of flirting with authoritarianism, as I feel we have been doing in trying to purge the past. Once the momentum for 'cultural purification' grows, you may find that where you draw your personal line in the sand is not where the rest of those pursuing such ends choose to.