Protests over Floyd's death in Minneapolis have refocused the country's attention on police brutality and racial injustice. GORDON-REED: Plaques can work in some situations. Go figure. Confederate statues remind blacks of the torture, death, slavery, slave sales, and other forms of oppression their people suffered. By Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN. And those Confederate statues are a form of what I call “historical PTSD.” A trauma victim from war has PTSD and often relives moments in the war in their heads. People weren’t looking at the entire record of people when they put up statues to them. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. ... Robinson said she did not believe the statues should be destroyed. Blacks recall the suffering of their ancestors, painful memories that make them sad, that make them angry at how their ancestors were treated less than human simply because of the color of their skin. The statue had its head removed in 1992 and it was splashed with red paint multiple times recently. So, it doesn’t make sense that we have to see history in order to remember it. Others argue removing the statues would hardly atone for the atrocities committed and is tantamount to erasing history. In that environment, we can educate ourselves about history and its often-terrifying human impact. And in that time, we have repeated the mistakes of the past. Like, what do you see is at stake here if the number of statues being removed really broadens? No. Advocates of removing statues of controversial figures, suggest that these monuments represent individuals whose actions and legacies should not be celebrated or memorialised. Perpetuates unrealistic beauty standard for humans (half-fish) and fish (half-human). That doesn’t make me a racist because I say ‘leave the statue up there’. In a highly significant interventio… Birds don’t look like this. This should be moved into the middle of a busy intersection. They are reminded of just what their people suffered and endured so that they can have the rights they do now. The death of George Floyd is leading to the removal -- by protesters in some cases and city leaders in others -- of contentious statues that … In that environment, we can educate ourselves about history and … The removal of statues tells us about ourselves, about our hatred and undomesticated impulses, and about our inability to enact change without causing anarchy and discontent. Facebook The statue, erected in 1890, is slated for removal. In several cities, these tributes have been vandalized or torn down by protestors or removed by public officials. Shouldn’t be operating a slingshot while nude; could get hurt. After statues around the world were defaced as part of the Black Lives Matters protests, Kelly Grovier looks at why some monuments provoke powerful reactions. We received letters from organizations that wanted to thank us for mother’s contributions. It has also been suggested that statues shouldn't be removed but new plaques could be added which explain why the person is controversial, for example reflecting both the good and bad things they did. While the left thinks that a monument’s primary purpose is to glorify great dead white men, the reality is that they were meant to be symbols of hope and progress. In 2015, Rhodes’ statue was removed from the University of Cape Town’s campus. Opposing view: Should statues of Sir John A. Macdonald be removed? Re-Righting History: Why We Must Remove Confederate Statues, Imperfect Christ? Since the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) has been calling for a transformation of America — not just in terms of racism and how blacks are treated but also the revision of the American landscape. If statues honoring people that I think are good people and worth honoring are removed… What I fear is the hatred we see in real time in 2017 on social media and in our political rhetoric. If we are not reminded about it, we are going to have a tendency to forget it and (the history) is going to repeat itself,” Republican representative Harry Sanders said. What are your thoughts on a separate museum for such statues? On the other hand, the main similarity between the American and Belgian issue are the arguments used by those who want the statues removed. Quite possibly the most controversial topic in America right now is Confederate statues, and whether or not they should be removed. If you start from the concept that all statues are bad and ought to be gotten rid of, what is there to object to in each particular statue? “They’re part of our history. Nothing wrong with it in itself save that it implies the existence (as others have noted) of enormous stone genitalia somewhere deep in the rock. What about the ones that actually enhance their surroundings? Perpetuates unrealistic beauty standard for cats (has shoulders, made of metal). They’re part of history. She says that every African-American should feel like this about the statues when they see them. This is why the city council of Charlottesville voted, a century after it was commissioned, to remove the statue of Robert Edward Lee. On top of that, mom donated to Christian ministries, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and other organizations. Councillors are supporting calls to remove statues that celebrate slave traders following widespread anger amid anti-racism demonstrations. The ultimate reality where a minority man or woman can’t cross the street without feeling vulnerable or concerned of an issue occurring because of who they are. The Black Lives Matter movement has brought an old debate back into the public spotlight. I believe we should move all statues that memorialize war to museums. Society should generally honor people that society, in general, think should be honored. Just as blacks were enslaved and considered to be “less than” in slavery days, blacks are still considered to be “less than” even now. Marjorie Taylor Greene says that if she were black she’d be proud of the Confederate statues because they’d remind her of how far blacks have come in this country. So, no, Marjorie Taylor Greene, blacks are not proud to look at those statues. These were two-dimensional cartoon drawings of what I presume were actual people-like people; to render them three-dimensionally transforms them into monsters. Also, people who look at this statue will think, “Of course it was easy for Einstein to accomplish all that science; he was the size of a small building!” and this will discourage STEM. I don’t fear 150-year-old statues of old dead white men. Reliving the trauma doesn’t feel good. A drone image shows the area surrounding the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. Perpetuates unrealistic beauty standard that women have two wings and zero heads. But that is the opposite of what the company who put it there as a publicity stunt was trying to say! It depends on who the person is and what the objections are. Should controversial statues be removed or kept as a reminder of the past? Lucille Ball made people laugh, and this statue makes people laugh that high-pitched nervous laugh of terror that you laugh while backing away, which is better, I guess, than not laughing. What do you think of that idea? This is confusing and might attract an enormous squirrel or bird made of reflective metal who wanted it for a snack, and then where would the city of Chicago be? There are plenty of historical events that we do not see commemorated in statues that we still remember to this day. Dr. Martin Luther King aren’t everywhere in every place, yet, what African-American do you think has forgotten the Civil Rights leader who protested for African-American rights in this country? Wednesday, July 29th, 2020 10:30 AM. We don’t see statues of George Washington everywhere, but we’ve never forgotten he was the First President of the United States. To be called a "racist" today is the ultimate sin and charge, especially for politicians. 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Jim Jordan, Interpreting the 25th Amendment: The Meaning Of “Unable”, Country Over Comfort: The 25th Amendment, Vice President Pence (Letter), Native American Tribal Enrollment: How DNA Can Aid The Paper Trail, Unseat The 126 Republican Traitors: My Letter To House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Kelly Loeffler, your card-carrying racism makes your pro-life stance suspect, Christmas 2020 Sermon: “The Father Figure” (Matthew 1:18-21), Domestic Terrorists: The 126 Congressmen Undermining American Democracy, Tony Dungy on Man, God, Creation, and Abortion (Faith And Politics), Tony Dungy, Raphael Warnock, And The Pro-Choice View (Faith And Politics). I understand the Black Lives Matter movement. This is why the city council of Charlottesville voted, a century after it was commissioned, to remove the statue of Robert Edward Lee. Confusing! It’s time to remove all statues because all statues are bad. Blacks, like whites, are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-28) and deserve to be treated as such. Blacks were considered to be “other” than human. Last May, a crane removed a 16½ foot-tall bronze statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee from its perch 60 feet above New Orleans. Back to the claim. The statue had drawn criticism before, but none of … Sanders says that if we don’t see Confederate statues, we’ll forget the history. His statues, like many others, have now been removed by authorities as a precaution. Why We Should Keep Confederate Statues Standing The recent spread of iconoclasm was never just about Confederate monuments or even statues. Any problem that can have been engaging him in thought has doubtless been resolved by now, and someone should tap him on the shoulder and let him go. Beautiful and sad, but whoever they cast as Mary is obviously the same age as her son. Save Light shines through the trees near a Confederate statue Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, in Baltimore Credit: AP Our Foreign Staff; Unfortunately, his claim is true, but not with regard to this issue. Why Should We Care About Confederate Statues? I know it doesn’t exist anymore, but I hear bad things. We’re ashamed of how our ancestors were treated. Students covered the Rhodes statue with graffiti and plastic bags, and promised to demonstrate until it was removed. Meanwhile, in Boston, officials removed the Columbus statue located in the city's North End after it was beheaded Tuesday evening. In Martinique, these statues have long … Opposing view: Should statues of Sir John A. Macdonald be removed? Just ask a rape victim how it feels for him or her to relive the circumstances of their rape. We should learn from our history, we don’t erase it. That is why the statue is there. I understand that blacks matter and their lives matter, and I support their full inclusion into American society. Some said the vote to remove the Confederate statues should be viewed as an initial step toward a better country for all Americans. And slavery and the Confederacy are historical events for museums, not icons to be cherished in a society that wants to affirm all persons, regardless of race. As anti-racism protests spread around the world, more and more statues of controversial historical figures are removed from the United States and the United Kingdom. The truth of the matter is that, when blacks see Confederate statues, contrary to Greene’s uneducated opinion, blacks feel afraid. How did they get the stones up there? This is bad because you can sit on its knee and ask it for science — but it doesn’t answer, and this gives Santa an underserved edge. Something is the matter with this bird. By landscape revision, I mean the removal of Confederate statues and statues of slaveowners, slave traders, and pro-slavery people who have statues built in their honor. By landscape revision, I mean the removal of Confederate statues and statues of slaveowners, slave traders, and pro-slavery people who have statues … Some ask the question, “Why must the Confederate and pro-slavery statues be removed? Either remove it or put it in Statuary Hall over any other statue you would like to get out of there. We’re ashamed that whites in the South thought it an appropriate response to revel in their ignorance and shame, that they thought it okay to enslave African-Americans for so long because they viewed them as less than people. Although largely celebrated in elementary and middle school classrooms across America, Columbus is a symbol of colonization and terror, and for this reason, many feel statues glorifying his legacy should be removed. Why the Robert E. Lee Statue Should Be Removed Imagine your children living in a world full of hatred, prejudice, and discrimination from their brothers and sisters of America. It is too sad and makes me want to hurl a shoe. No. Why do people want to remove them? And looking at them every day reminds blacks that the world is still racist, still Confederate, still pro-slavery, even in different forms. A drone image shows the area surrounding the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. The ultimate reality where a minority man or woman can’t cross the street without feeling vulnerable or concerned of an issue occurring because of who they are. Do not settle for the symbolic act of taking down statues… No one revels in reliving traumatic events and personal tragedies. Others argue removing the statues would hardly atone for the atrocities committed and is tantamount to erasing history. This makes them and the Founding Fathers off-limits, in my view, while the Confederate statues should be fair game for removal. In Birmingham, protesters began attempting to topple the statues … “We need to be reminded of some atrocity that happened. However, fury over controversial statues relating to symbols of white supremacy and the villains of the slave trade has now spread to Britain with the Edward Colston statue in Bristol being pulled down a couple of weeks ago in protest. Winged Victory of Samothrace. A GOVERNMENT minister has said there should be no statues of slave traders in modern Britain as protesters drew up a “hit list” of 60 to be removed… Manneken Pis. This week, a Mississippi supervisor (elected official) voted not to remove the Confederate monument in Columbus because for him, it’s history. Get that girl out of the way of that bull! And ultimately, it is why the others will come down, too. Indeed, the fact that these statues were erected in prominent public places is itself a powerful lesson in American history—a testament to our turbulent past that would be … I hate this. Should Confederate era statues be removed? Amid a world that seems hell-bent on tearing down statues in a cathartic frenzy, it is worth sparing a moment to reflect on why we erected those statues in the first place. The statue, erected in 1890, is slated for removal. Even then, black males weren’t counted as a whole vote, but instead, three-fifths (3/5) of a vote. Updated 8:12 PM ET, Sun June 7, 2020 . We don’t see statues of Revolutionary War and World War 1 and 2 soldiers every day, but we’ve never forgotten those wars, either. But why do we have to remove the Confederate statues? Unconvincing. Confederate statues honor the Confederate war heroes and soldiers with buildings, statues, plaques and other forms of commemoration of the Confederacy; and now those buildings and statues are causing violence and arguments … The same can be said for blacks when they see historical statues of Confederate generals and slaveowners who enslaved their people. Perpetuates unrealistic beauty standard that women have two wings and zero heads. A bull symbolizes an upwardly trending market, whereas a bear symbolizes a downwardly trending market; the little girl staring down the bull represents, I guess, that women are not afraid to want stocks to do badly? I believe we should move all statues that memorialize war to museums. The company claimed that they wanted someone to receive the post within the local company, but then decided to give it to someone in another company location when my mom applied. Wild! Published by Joshua Bowman at August 18, 2017 Many people have observed that Confederate memorials were mainly erected in defiance of progress towards civil rights for liberated slaves and their descendants. Opinion: Columns. A campaign began under the hashtag #RhodesMustFall during which students demanded the statue be removed. That’s when we realized how big her heart was. A white American male. My mother wasn’t just someone who made good money; she gave money to her parents to help support them in their hardship. When blacks in the 1960s wanted to use the bathroom, they had to go to the “colored” bathroom, while the “whites” had their own bathroom. Art sends a message. If they did, we … There is nothing to be proud of when looking at those statues. She supported her two children, me and my sister. 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