Quotes

“It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.”
- Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind


"We have True Wisdom, Divine Speed, and Maximum Justice. We are, this fine diurnal period kicking serious ass. We are green across the board. The system likes me a lot, and I am awful damn fond of it, too. We have Total Mutual Respect and Admiration." - Daniel Keys Moran, The A.I. War.

On Statues

In the Australian article “PC extremists police thought by rewriting the world’s history” Brendan O’Neil talks of removing statues: 

“In truth, there’s nothing good in this mob-like erasure of history. It’s a reactionary, even Orwellian, movement.”

The the West Australian article “Both sides wrong on burqas"Paul Murray talks of removing statues:

“They want to obliterate the parts of history that offend them, rather than use them as evidence to point to the failings of the past.”

I disagree, I think the details matter. Let us look at the case of the statue amidst all the controversy, that of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville. The statue was erected in 1924, well after the civil war, and was erected with a speech about “the moral greatness of the old South”. 16 Blacks were lynched in the United States of America that year, as statues like these were erected as part of a movement to recast the civil war as a conflict between interpretations of the Constitution. The same year as Lee’s statue appeared in Charlottesville, Virginia passed laws which strengthened definitions of who was “colored” and who was “white”, and which reinforced the law prohibiting interracial marriage. Then, two years later, the state passed a law to enforce racial segregation in places of public entertainment.

By Cville dog - Own work, Public Domain, Link

Black people in Charlottesville have walked past that statue for more than 90 years, and their taxpayer dollars have funded the maintenance of a statue designed to recast history. Last year a young high school girl petitioned the City to have the statue removed. This is an appropriate way to address these concerns, and reflects a respect for the law. The City Council considered the request, and eventually decided to remove it, leading to the protests that have occurred.

By abc News

The disturbing presence of white supremacist groups at the recent protests show that these groups understand the real significance of the statue, as well as the importance of continuing to re-position the “Old South”. These protests and the terror attack that followed has certainly reinforced the validity of the original request to remove it.

Statues and public art celebrate history, and there are times when that celebration is not appropriate. Move them to museums and provide appropriate historical context.

Regarding the original article, making broad sweeping statements is always dangerous, but it particularly so when it energises neo-nazis and hate groups, public debate needs to improve in our nation’s papers.


Sources:

• http://www.chesnuttarchive.org/classroom/lynching_table_year.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-rally-protest-statue.html