7 ms·

How to Topple a Statue Using Science

23 points by Koshkin 6y ago

gotoeleven 6y ago
I think it would be great if they just replaced all statues with holographic projectors so it would be easy to change the statue to whatever the people wanted at the moment. They could even use augmented reality glasses to make it so you only see exactly the 'statue' that you want to see. I think it would make public places more inclusive.
- hbogert 6y ago
  Satirical? I would +1 either way.
- Koshkin 6y ago
  The best description of the AR-based future that I've seen is in The Golden Age by John C. Wright.
- DenisM 6y ago
  I have to wonder what %% of statue-topping motivation is refusal to see those objectionable artifacts vs. attempts to deny others their object of worship. Already the activists demand that you state your (conformant) position or be damned as <bad words> for your silence. I can imagine in your AR world there will be activists demanding to see what's in your personal AR.
  - gotoeleven 6y ago
    The joke would be on them because I would set my statue AR glasses to Spongebob.
- Yetanfou 6y ago
  That word, inclusive, is taking on a totally differing meaning which is nearly the opposite of what it originally meant. The type of inclusivity it indicates leads to divisiveness, the splintering of society in a multitude of factions battling for a place on the agenda of inclusivity. The way to get a place generally lies in finding a common grievance and starting a drive for society to address it. Where statues were once meant to bind the people together through a shared history, these inclusive statues serve to split people into factions. Instead of realising that these monuments are not to be taken as literal examples of holiness but as symbols of some common cultural ancestry in time and space they will now be turned into egocentric billboards of the individual's personal mood of the day. I suggest replacing all toppled statues with one of emperor Nero playing a harp while watching the city of Rome burn since that is what the evisceration of history will lead to. History, good and bad, is there to learn from. You can not glorify the good parts without criticising the bad parts, however: You can not criticise the bad parts without at least acknowledging the good parts. Doing so is just as intellectually dishonest as doing the opposite.
hbogert 6y ago
Populisticmechanics.com
jimbob123 6y ago
This post is disgusting and should be removed. Encouraging destruction in chaos is not democratic discourse.
- iron0013 6y ago
  One may practice consensual statue toppling if one prefers.
- happytoexplain 6y ago
  I find it hard to imagine that you'd sneer in "disgust" and accuse people of "destruction" and "chaos" if they were knocking over a statue of somebody who murdered your family. This accusation is extremely easy to make, and it's always hypocritical on a long enough timeline.
  - nickthegreek 6y ago
    Favorite meme I've seen about the confederate statues goes like: "If someone kidnapped your child and sold them, where would you want us to put a statue of that person?"
    - gotoeleven 6y ago
      The one for Thomas Jefferson could be "if someone did more for the freedom and prosperity of the world than anyone else ever, where would you like the statue?"
      - Kednicma 6y ago
        "If". I would suggest, for freedom, that Abraham Lincoln did more to increase freedom by directly emancipating millions of slaves; for prosperity, I'd choose Albert Sabin, one of the vaccinators against polio. What, exactly, did Jefferson do that is comparable?
        gotoeleven 6y ago
golf3 6y ago
We must establish the new customs, new culture, new habits, new ideas of the proletariat.
DenisM 6y ago
I have mixed feelings. On one hand the Taliban tearing down statues is a bad thing, on the other hand the science part is intriguing. Is there such a thing as "responsible statue-toppling recreational activity"?
- derision 6y ago
  yes it's called interacting with your local government through the proper channels to get the statue removed
jasonpeacock 6y ago
Original Twitter thread with instructions from an Egyptologist: https://twitter.com/indyfromspace/status/1267271817439346689 https://twitter.com/indyfromspace/status/1267271817439346689
Yetanfou 6y ago
How to topple a statue using science, for real: Using the scientific method it has been noticed that the increased prevalence of the divisive ideologies which follow the general path of critical theory has led to less social cohesion, lower personal satisfaction, a dramatic lowering of educational outcomes, an increase in the number of suicides and a bevy of other negative outcomes. It is therefore concluded that critical theory, the practice of deconstruction and the ideologies these have brought forth need to be toppled from their pedestals in order to restore a semblance of normalcy in the academic world and the affected communities. The longer these ideologies are allowed to thrive and spread, the more damage there will be done and the longer it will take to guide society back towards a path which does not lead to chaos and dissolution.

23 points by Koshkin 6y ago

I think it would be great if they just replaced all statues with holographic projectors so it would be easy to change the statue to whatever the people wanted at the moment. They could even use augmented reality glasses to make it so you only see exactly the 'statue' that you want to see. I think it would make public places more inclusive.

hbogert 6y ago
Satirical? I would +1 either way.
Koshkin 6y ago
The best description of the AR-based future that I've seen is in The Golden Age by John C. Wright.
DenisM 6y ago
I have to wonder what %% of statue-topping motivation is refusal to see those objectionable artifacts vs. attempts to deny others their object of worship. Already the activists demand that you state your (conformant) position or be damned as <bad words> for your silence. I can imagine in your AR world there will be activists demanding to see what's in your personal AR.
- gotoeleven 6y ago
  The joke would be on them because I would set my statue AR glasses to Spongebob.
Yetanfou 6y ago
That word, inclusive, is taking on a totally differing meaning which is nearly the opposite of what it originally meant. The type of inclusivity it indicates leads to divisiveness, the splintering of society in a multitude of factions battling for a place on the agenda of inclusivity. The way to get a place generally lies in finding a common grievance and starting a drive for society to address it. Where statues were once meant to bind the people together through a shared history, these inclusive statues serve to split people into factions. Instead of realising that these monuments are not to be taken as literal examples of holiness but as symbols of some common cultural ancestry in time and space they will now be turned into egocentric billboards of the individual's personal mood of the day. I suggest replacing all toppled statues with one of emperor Nero playing a harp while watching the city of Rome burn since that is what the evisceration of history will lead to. History, good and bad, is there to learn from. You can not glorify the good parts without criticising the bad parts, however: You can not criticise the bad parts without at least acknowledging the good parts. Doing so is just as intellectually dishonest as doing the opposite.

hbogert 6y ago

Populisticmechanics.com

jimbob123 6y ago

This post is disgusting and should be removed. Encouraging destruction in chaos is not democratic discourse.

iron0013 6y ago
One may practice consensual statue toppling if one prefers.
happytoexplain 6y ago
I find it hard to imagine that you'd sneer in "disgust" and accuse people of "destruction" and "chaos" if they were knocking over a statue of somebody who murdered your family. This accusation is extremely easy to make, and it's always hypocritical on a long enough timeline.
- nickthegreek 6y ago
  Favorite meme I've seen about the confederate statues goes like: "If someone kidnapped your child and sold them, where would you want us to put a statue of that person?"
  - gotoeleven 6y ago
    The one for Thomas Jefferson could be "if someone did more for the freedom and prosperity of the world than anyone else ever, where would you like the statue?"
    - Kednicma 6y ago
      "If". I would suggest, for freedom, that Abraham Lincoln did more to increase freedom by directly emancipating millions of slaves; for prosperity, I'd choose Albert Sabin, one of the vaccinators against polio. What, exactly, did Jefferson do that is comparable?
      - gotoeleven 6y ago

golf3 6y ago

We must establish the new customs, new culture, new habits, new ideas of the proletariat.

DenisM 6y ago

I have mixed feelings. On one hand the Taliban tearing down statues is a bad thing, on the other hand the science part is intriguing. Is there such a thing as "responsible statue-toppling recreational activity"?

derision 6y ago
yes it's called interacting with your local government through the proper channels to get the statue removed

jasonpeacock 6y ago

Original Twitter thread with instructions from an Egyptologist: https://twitter.com/indyfromspace/status/1267271817439346689 https://twitter.com/indyfromspace/status/1267271817439346689

Yetanfou 6y ago

How to topple a statue using science, for real: Using the scientific method it has been noticed that the increased prevalence of the divisive ideologies which follow the general path of critical theory has led to less social cohesion, lower personal satisfaction, a dramatic lowering of educational outcomes, an increase in the number of suicides and a bevy of other negative outcomes. It is therefore concluded that critical theory, the practice of deconstruction and the ideologies these have brought forth need to be toppled from their pedestals in order to restore a semblance of normalcy in the academic world and the affected communities. The longer these ideologies are allowed to thrive and spread, the more damage there will be done and the longer it will take to guide society back towards a path which does not lead to chaos and dissolution.