08-19-2017, 08:28 PM
(08-16-2017, 10:27 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: I have mixed feelings on these statues. My background, where I grew up, what I've experienced, I just don't know how to feel. I mean, you can't turn around in my city without hitting something related to the Civil War, and it is true for a lot of this area. North of me, in New Market, is the Virginia Museum of the Civil War, which is maintained by VMI. A battle was fought where I am sitting, and not far from me is a memorial to a Confederate general that died here. My area council for the BSA is the Stonewall Jackson Area Council. At the same time, I do see them as giant participation trophies that were often erected only in the Jim Crow era to glorify racist ideals. I have to say that I am someone much more in favor of removing them than my wife, who is much more entrenched in southern culture than I am. Growing up where I did, our southern roots are different than those east of us. Our area didn't vote for secession from the US and only reluctantly went to war.
Anyway, it makes no sense for Maryland to have monuments to the confederacy. I could have just said that in the beginning, but I got to rambling.
In the middle of typing this, I just have to add, I got a phone call into our departmental line and was just asked "Are you all going to change the name of the university since James Madison was a slave owner and came up with the three-fifth's?" So we have that to look forward to.
The question actually fits. But I've been too busy laughing at muslims demanding they be removed because people shouldn't idolize slavery....
The irony is so thick you can cut it with a knife.
