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Sierra Club is on a politically motivated posturing mission to cancel Muir. For all the claimed transgressions, this man did a massive amount of positive work f

by swaits 6y ago

Sierra Club is on a politically motivated posturing mission to cancel Muir. For all the claimed transgressions, this man did a massive amount of positive work for naturalism. We should remember people for their good and their bad, not wipe them from the history books.

jwagenet 6y ago
I didn’t get any “canceling” of Muir in the article at all. Yes there are well deserved criticisms, but the article ends with a thoughtful comment on Muir’s faults and his naturalism from the Native American in the intro: "You can't look at one person. You have to look at the philosophy of that time period. And with that in mind, he did a damn good thing."
- swaits 6y ago
  https://www.montereyherald.com/2020/07/23/sierra-club-director-cancels-founder-john-muir-should-parks-schools-be-renamed/ https://www.montereyherald.com/2020/07/23/sierra-club-direct...
devoutsalsa 6y ago
I agree that it’d be best to remember people as they are, not as the only good or bad characters we turn them into. It wouldn’t surprise me if honoring people’s memories is going to go out of fashion in general. It’s too easy to turn any single person into a villain. Maybe we’ll find a better way to honor a person’s accomplishments without turning them into an idol to be worshipped. Every time I see a piece of money with someone’s face in it now, I wonder how much longer that face will be on there once that person’s flaws are put on display. I also find it interesting that the Euro doesn’t honor specific people. I’m guessing that’s because there’s no practical way to find people that all countries would like to see on the Euro. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro
- bobthepanda 6y ago
  It is also to avoid accusations of country favoritism. There aren’t 26 bills and coins, so some countries would not have a person on a note. It is the same reason why the things depicted on the Euro, like bridges, are not depictions of actual things, but loosely based on them.

by swaits 6y ago

jwagenet 6y ago

I didn’t get any “canceling” of Muir in the article at all. Yes there are well deserved criticisms, but the article ends with a thoughtful comment on Muir’s faults and his naturalism from the Native American in the intro: "You can't look at one person. You have to look at the philosophy of that time period. And with that in mind, he did a damn good thing."

swaits 6y ago
https://www.montereyherald.com/2020/07/23/sierra-club-director-cancels-founder-john-muir-should-parks-schools-be-renamed/ https://www.montereyherald.com/2020/07/23/sierra-club-direct...

devoutsalsa 6y ago

I agree that it’d be best to remember people as they are, not as the only good or bad characters we turn them into. It wouldn’t surprise me if honoring people’s memories is going to go out of fashion in general. It’s too easy to turn any single person into a villain. Maybe we’ll find a better way to honor a person’s accomplishments without turning them into an idol to be worshipped. Every time I see a piece of money with someone’s face in it now, I wonder how much longer that face will be on there once that person’s flaws are put on display. I also find it interesting that the Euro doesn’t honor specific people. I’m guessing that’s because there’s no practical way to find people that all countries would like to see on the Euro. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro

bobthepanda 6y ago
It is also to avoid accusations of country favoritism. There aren’t 26 bills and coins, so some countries would not have a person on a note. It is the same reason why the things depicted on the Euro, like bridges, are not depictions of actual things, but loosely based on them.