4 ms·

I see this opinion all the time about taking down statues, but how does that make any sense? Is there a movement that is burning books and taking down Wikipedia

I see this opinion all the time about taking down statues, but how does that make any sense? Is there a movement that is burning books and taking down Wikipedia pages to go along with the statues? Because when I want to learn about history, I don’t check my local city hall.. Statues are often used to glorify or celebrate famous historical figures. I think Confederate statues would work well in a museum with context explaining the horrors of slavery, but to display them in public places is more glory than they deserve. Many Confederates no doubt showed courage and other commendable qualities, but I do not agree with celebrating people who betrayed their country to fight for slavery.

mantap 6y ago
What about a Roman or a Greek statue, they were enthusiastic slave owners. How long ago does someone have to have lived in order to appreciate them as a historical figure regardless of whether their actions were good or bad. Obviously there exists a point.
- brokencode 6y ago
  That’s fair, but does anybody find Roman or Greek statues offensive? To many in this country, Confederate statues are symbols of oppression and a reminder of the systemic racism in our society. The answer to “Where do we draw the line?” should always be “somewhere”, instead of just throwing up your hands and admitting defeat.
Alupis 6y ago
To me, statues represent history. Not all history is good, and not all is bad. Removal of statues, to me, is like trying to hide history. Statues usually have some plaque describing who the person was, and what they did. Why can't that plaque say the guy owned slaves, or was a confederate general or whatever? Ya, these guys were on the wrong side of history, but there's still things to be learned. One of the best military minds of all time, for example, happened to be a confederate. Should we learn nothing from this man aside from the fact that he was a confederate?
reaperducer 6y ago
when I want to learn about history, I don’t check my local city hall If you want to learn about local history, you absolutely go to city hall, or wherever you local clerks office is.

mantap 6y ago

What about a Roman or a Greek statue, they were enthusiastic slave owners. How long ago does someone have to have lived in order to appreciate them as a historical figure regardless of whether their actions were good or bad. Obviously there exists a point.

brokencode 6y ago
That’s fair, but does anybody find Roman or Greek statues offensive? To many in this country, Confederate statues are symbols of oppression and a reminder of the systemic racism in our society. The answer to “Where do we draw the line?” should always be “somewhere”, instead of just throwing up your hands and admitting defeat.

Alupis 6y ago

To me, statues represent history. Not all history is good, and not all is bad. Removal of statues, to me, is like trying to hide history. Statues usually have some plaque describing who the person was, and what they did. Why can't that plaque say the guy owned slaves, or was a confederate general or whatever? Ya, these guys were on the wrong side of history, but there's still things to be learned. One of the best military minds of all time, for example, happened to be a confederate. Should we learn nothing from this man aside from the fact that he was a confederate?

reaperducer 6y ago

when I want to learn about history, I don’t check my local city hall If you want to learn about local history, you absolutely go to city hall, or wherever you local clerks office is.