It’s honestly bizarro-world. I’m too young to say I don’t understand the world any more…and yet here we are lol.
I think much as with any person who has been made into a martyr it’s easier to just talk about the incredible wrong they suffered (and Floyd obviously did, along with others). This works for a movement, and for change to some wrong whether real or imagined, but not for objective history. And it most certainly doesn’t work for humanizing the “other” and making this problem about people. But of course, that was never the goal.
Unfortunately you can’t look at things in context, and most of them have forgotten all history.
My town of approx 12,000 had a Facebook group that was created apparently for local “news.” For the longest times it was how long is first street going to be under construction? Anyone know when the new restaurant opens? My dog is missing please help. Anyone interested in mowing my lawn?
Right now that doesn’t exist on there. It’s people threatening violence over having to wear a mask, people threatening violence over race, a cesspool of political memes which restarts the violence or something along the lines of you’re awful if you do this, awful if you don’t do that, awful if you believe this, awful if you don’t do that. Well you don’t care about people if you don’t wear a mask, oh yeah you probably support butchering babies.
Hell at least this is anonymous. People have a letter or picture by some made up name from a band or a figure or entertainment. We’ll call points of view stupid or idiotic but I don’t see people threatening to fight or kill people over wearing a mask to Wal mart or not wearing one.
The internet is increasingly becoming a place I avoid outside of work related things.
It’s really unbelievable. I think the internet is in many ways the closest thing we have to anarchy here, and you can see the kind of chaos it brews. I’m certain that the founders of the net as we know it envisioned it becoming exactly like your old version of the town FB group. They all but said as much… unfortunately human nature had other plans.
I usually read my news and I read my science, but I have almost entirely abandoned all social media because of exactly what you just described. The list of things Google feed says I’m not interested in is like 5 pages long as I constantly try to cut out all the bullshit.
My (now) POS alma matter literally and figuratively wiped Woodrow Wilson from their history book, and here’s the kicker! -invoked Floyd’s name in their (university president’s) explanatory statement.
If I could actually access the university president, I would tell him that Woodrow Wilson was a wartime President and a Noble Peace prize winner -WTF do you do besides suck alumni genitalia for $$$s???
I vote for removing all statues. As Richelieu said ‘give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I will find something in them which will hang him.’
Also, as Cato said ‘After Im dead I’d rather have people ask why I have no statue than why I have one’.
Edit: I am slightly worried my truck will get vandalized, because it’s a ‘Rebel’.
I heard counterfeit bill but I don’t know if they would release the findings on that in this climate. However, if it were not counterfeit, you would think they would have said that so…
I grew up in the south but have never felt a personal connection to the Confederate flag. However, I know a good many fine people who do. “How can they be fine people and still display the flag?!” If I have to try to explain you aren’t going to understand. And yet, I fully understand the opposition to it also. Still, the war was fought and the Confederacy lost. And no, it isn’t coming back. Time to retire it from the public sphere. However, that should be handled democratically and locally regardless of however long it may take to retire the last of these statues and flags. No, not by mob rule.
But, just as I’ve said over the years, the same justifications for tearing down these statues will be turned upon the founders, other historical figures (even the great emancipator himself), the US flag, and other symbols. Colonialism, slavery, massacres, segregation, military adventurism…
Nope, it doesn’t all just disappear because the US crushed some secessionists out of self-interest in preserving the union.
So, here we are with a possible vice president candidate who thinks kicking George Washington to the curb should be part of the discussion.
If that’s the one just east of I65 on the south side of Nashville (not far from where I live) it’s actually a private statue on private land. FTR Forest is one of the greatest parts of American history. Slave trader, to traitor, to KKK founder, to reconciliation and civil rights advocate. His short speech to the to one of the black organizational ancestors to the NAACP is one of the best things I’ve read on race relations to this day:
“Ladies and Gentlemen I accept the flowers as a memento of reconciliation between the white and colored races of the southern states. I accept it more particularly as it comes from a colored lady, for if there is any one on God’s earth who loves the ladies I believe it is myself. ( Immense applause and laughter.) I came here with the jeers of some white people, who think that I am doing wrong. I believe I can exert some influence, and do much to assist the people in strengthening fraternal relations, and shall do all in my power to elevate every man to depress none. (Applause.) I want to elevate you to take positions in law offices, in stores, on farms, and wherever you are capable of going. I have not said anything about politics today. I don’t propose to say anything about politics. You have a right to elect whom you please; vote for the man you think best, and I think, when that is done, you and I are freemen. Do as you consider right and honest in electing men for office. I did not come here to make you a long speech, although invited to do so by you. I am not much of a speaker, and my business prevented me from preparing myself. I came to meet you as friends, and welcome you to the white people. I want you to come nearer to us. When I can serve you I will do so. We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together. We may differ in color, but not in sentiment Many things have been said about me which are wrong, and which white and black persons here, who stood by me through the war, can contradict. Go to work, be industrious, live honestly and act truly, and when you are oppressed I’ll come to your relief. I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for this opportunity you have afforded me to be with you, and to assure you that I am with you in heart and in hand.” - N. B. Forest (He then is said to have kissed the black woman who introduced him on the cheek)
It would be a shame to loose that history. All statues of people are of people. All people are flawed. The goals is to celebrate the good things flawed people can achieve and learn from their failures.