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Since this took place in Richmond, I might recommend turning the old Tredegar Iron Works into a museum of fallen Confederate monuments. Tredegar used to produce weapons for the Confederacy. For this reason, it would be a fitting place to put a Robert E. Lee statue. The idea would be to teach people "this use to be a weapons factory the Confederacy, and we used to venerate Confederate generals. We don't do that anymore".
Of course, some people revere Lee as a hero and want Confederate values represented. Some people adhere to the Lost Cause myth and won't let it go. Taking those statues down is a way of saying "we don't adhere to Confederate values anymore".
And how will removing that improve the lot of minority people? Should we shut down performances of The Merchant of Venice?
And how will removing that improve the lot of minority people? Should we shut down performances of The Merchant of Venice?
Those who are calling for those statues to be removed, know that it won't bring them prosperity. That isn't the point. However, where I live, a Confederate statue was removed from the courthouse. It has improved my life because it tells me "this community's values are good". I wouldn't want to live in a place where Confederates are revered.
Again though how does removing a statue improve anyone's life?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dane_in_LA
If you - as you went about your daily business - were confronted with a statue put up to honor and commemorate someone who fought to make sure your ancestors remained property, a statue raised decades after the fact to whitewash the reasons for his fight - wouldn't you say your life was improved if it was removed?
There are no statues of Bomber Harris in downtown Dresden. Nor statues of Lenin in Tallinn. And that is as it should be.
Who are you helping? Who are you hurting?
What are you confronted with --- a 100 year old battle that you won? Haven't won it yet though as that battle is still ongoing today and history tends to repeat itself. Take away the reminders and it is real easy to forget that you are survivor.
Just saying --- be careful whose story you are tying to remove and keep from being told. The white man's story and the black man's story are integrated together. Germany is one group of people and if you think about it, when the story is no longer told in the mainstream --- people tend to forget things that there are no reminders --- history repeats itself.
It is repeating itself in Ghana, the place it all began.
It's just what I see Dane_in_LA --- the government wins, the government always wins and it's real easy when the people helps them win.
Those who are calling for those statues to be removed, know that it won't bring them prosperity. That isn't the point. However, where I live, a Confederate statue was removed from the courthouse. It has improved my life because it tells me "this community's values are good". I wouldn't want to live in a place where Confederates are revered.
So why not shut down The Merchant of Venice, a horribly anti-Jewish play?
So why not shut down The Merchant of Venice, a horribly anti-Jewish play?
In my experience, it's a good deal easier to avoid impromptu, government-funded Shakespeare productions than it is to avoid statues in the public square. As for private productions, well - I am not aware of anyone insisting that people can't decorate their private property with as many Lee statues as there's room for.
And it's an interesting coincidence that Shylock has been played as a sympathetic character since roughly the 1850s. A timeframe that resonates with this debate, don't you think?
Besides, it's not as if you can't admire the artistry even if you disagree with the message. Triumph of the Will is an amazing example of the film-maker's craft, even though the message is despicable. We just don't play it with the intent of glorifying the message. We study it, put it in perspective, establish a context to better understand how competent art can serve the wrong purpose. As we should with Lee's statues.
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