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The USA has been a country for a mere couple hundred years. Jesus lived on earth 2000 years ago.
Is there any reason that each rinky-dinky town in america needs a "historical" district/neighborhood.
Can't we be more reasonable and only waste tax payer money on about 5% of the historical places/buildings than we currently are?
Memorials are another thing. Yes, I understand that people feel that we are "honoring" the dead or whoever by putting a memorial there. But I beg to differ. The dead don't care about being honored by some metal plaque with their name on it.
You never see those "ghost busting guys" trying to find spirits at memorials. Why? Because the dead don't give a crap about them. So why do we spend so much money on it? Is it because politicians who send are young people to war secretly feel bad about it and don't know how to show true compassion and respect?
The USA has been a country for a mere couple hundred years. Jesus lived on earth 2000 years ago.
Is there any reason that each rinky-dinky town in america needs a "historical" district/neighborhood.
Can't we be more reasonable and only waste tax payer money on about 5% of the historical places/buildings than we currently are?
Memorials are another thing. Yes, I understand that people feel that we are "honoring" the dead or whoever by putting a memorial there. But I beg to differ. The dead don't care about being honored by some metal plaque with their name on it.
You never see those "ghost busting guys" trying to find spirits at memorials. Why? Because the dead don't give a crap about them. So why do we spend so much money on it? Is it because politicians who send are young people to war secretly feel bad about it and don't know how to show true compassion and respect?
It is important to preserve the past. It teaches us. It reveals our culture to others. It is important to know where you have been, to know your 'roots.'
Nearly all historical landmarks and memorials in towns and cities are preserved or created through private donations. Do you have some data that shows otherwise? You didn't cite any.
It is important to preserve the past. It teaches us. It reveals our culture to others. It is important to know where you have been, to know your 'roots.'
I agree, but we have thousands of cities that are all doing practically the same thing. It's very redundant. It would probably bore the heck out of people in 1000 years, let alone how it already bores most people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nononsenseguy
Nearly all historical landmarks and memorials in towns and cities are preserved or created through private donations. Do you have some data that shows otherwise? You didn't cite any.
The USA has been a country for a mere couple hundred years. Jesus lived on earth 2000 years ago.
237 Years to be precise.
Quote:
Originally Posted by midnight12am
Is there any reason that each rinky-dinky town in america needs a "historical" district/neighborhood.
Because each town has its own unique history.
Quote:
Originally Posted by midnight12am
Can't we be more reasonable and only waste tax payer money on about 5% of the historical places/buildings than we currently are?
Okay, which 95% are we going to let fall into ruin?
Quote:
Originally Posted by midnight12am
Memorials are another thing. Yes, I understand that people feel that we are "honoring" the dead or whoever by putting a memorial there. But I beg to differ. The dead don't care about being honored by some metal plaque with their name on it.
Memorials are never designed for the dead, they are for the living.
Quote:
Originally Posted by midnight12am
You never see those "ghost busting guys" trying to find spirits at memorials. Why? Because the dead don't give a crap about them. So why do we spend so much money on it? Is it because politicians who send are young people to war secretly feel bad about it and don't know how to show true compassion and respect?
Or the "ghost busting guys" (assuming of course you believe they actually look for ghosts instead of gullible television viewers) don't go to memorials because usually the folks honored on them did not die in that location. As to who builds them, it is usually common people or folks who were also there but somehow survived. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial comes to mind while discussing this.
The USA has been a country for a mere couple hundred years. Jesus lived on earth 2000 years ago.
Is there any reason that each rinky-dinky town in america needs a "historical" district/neighborhood.
Can't we be more reasonable and only waste tax payer money on about 5% of the historical places/buildings than we currently are?
Memorials are another thing. Yes, I understand that people feel that we are "honoring" the dead or whoever by putting a memorial there. But I beg to differ. The dead don't care about being honored by some metal plaque with their name on it.
You never see those "ghost busting guys" trying to find spirits at memorials. Why? Because the dead don't give a crap about them. So why do we spend so much money on it? Is it because politicians who send are young people to war secretly feel bad about it and don't know how to show true compassion and respect?
I love historical districts and memorials. Here are a few of my favorites-
Charleston peninsula
Savannah
Beacon Hill
Pearl Harbor
Vicksburg
Gettysburg
Lincoln Memorial
Beyond teaching history, these sites are tourist attractions and bring revenue to communities. Memorials are not for the dead, but to instruct the living.
It is important to preserve the past. It teaches us. It reveals our culture to others. It is important to know where you have been, to know your 'roots.'
Nearly all historical landmarks and memorials in towns and cities are preserved or created through private donations. Do you have some data that shows otherwise? You didn't cite any.
This. Also, as hawkeye2009 pointed out - historical districts are a revenue source for many cities/towns. It both preserves the culture of the area and markets the city so that people will come to visit and spend money there.
Also, most historical districts are renovated via private funds or organizations that fund historic preservation. The state does sometimes put up markers - here in Atlanta, I live on the Westside, we have a lot of Civil War historical markers put up by the state. It reminds me of the great past of this area and how many people fought and died and humbles me at times as most of the markers near me mark Sherman's march to the sea, the battle of Ezra Church, and locations of previous Civil War Era cemeteries whose bodies were moved to other areas due to development.
A couple years ago Matthew Broderick was on a show about genealogy on CBS and it was discovered that his 4th great grandfather died in the Civil War and was initially buried near my house.
We should use these markers to learn of the mistakes and triumphs of our ancestors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by midnight12am
I agree, but we have thousands of cities that are all doing practically the same thing. It's very redundant. It would probably bore the heck out of people in 1000 years, let alone how it already bores most people.
No, I'm not a researcher.
In regards to your first paragraph, people STILL go and see hundred and thousand year old historical sites so I beg to differ in your opinion. There are many of us history buffs out there. Whenever I go to any place I go on some sort of tour of an historical area. My primary interest are plantations, especially slave quarters. There aren't many of them left because people like you maybe thought no one would like to visit them, but I like to in order to remind my kids of how good they have it. I also visit slave auction sites here in the south and love the Geechee/Gullah culture of the SE on the sea islands, many of which were re-developed into resorts so we only have a few of these jewels left like Sapelo here in GA.
On the bold portion, you shouldn't make threads about something you evidently know nothing about. There are many historic preservation organizations. They fund raise from the general public and interested corporate/commercial businesses and use these funds to advocate for historical markers, they give home owners in historic districts funds to repair and restore homes to their original conditions.
Here in Atlanta we have a lot of great architecture, primarily IMO in our neighborhoods. So many of the commercial buildings downtown were destroyed during the Civil War so our neighborhoods hold most of the historical culture of the city and I know I thoroughly enjoy our historical areas as do many residents. And FWIW, I'm not even a native Atlantan. I am from Ohio but grew to love an appreciation for historic architecture due to my grandparents living in a beautiful mid 19th century Victorian. I hope to one day buy an old house and restore it as well.
The USA has been a country for a mere couple hundred years. Jesus lived on earth 2000 years ago.
Is there any reason that each rinky-dinky town in america needs a "historical" district/neighborhood.
Can't we be more reasonable and only waste tax payer money on about 5% of the historical places/buildings than we currently are?
Memorials are another thing. Yes, I understand that people feel that we are "honoring" the dead or whoever by putting a memorial there. But I beg to differ. The dead don't care about being honored by some metal plaque with their name on it.
You never see those "ghost busting guys" trying to find spirits at memorials. Why? Because the dead don't give a crap about them. So why do we spend so much money on it? Is it because politicians who send are young people to war secretly feel bad about it and don't know how to show true compassion and respect?
Yeah screw history. After all, didn't Putin just say we're not that exceptional?
The money spent on memorials is just a drop in the bucket compared to the excessive waste being pushed through by congress.
Looking at where america is today, its pretty safe to say it has learned nothing from history.
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