The Statues

[CJD]

I think statues of people are just a bad idea.

I don't think there's a single person who ever lived that is faultless, especially historical figures who lived during times when the accepted viewpoints are wildly out of date and controversial (or outright morally wrong) when viewed in retrospect. Especially political figures, since politics are fundamentally about shifting national (and in some cases, international) goals further away from some group's goals.

Basically, all political statues age like milk.

The confederate statues are super easy. Remove them. It's not difficult.

As for the Ulysses S Grants, Thomas Jeffersons etc, I think there's some gray area, but should ultimately also be removed from public areas as well. Slave owners are part of history, but statues generally aren't meant for history, they are meant for mythology. And I don't really like the American mythology that has been written and taught in this country for so long (It makes nationalism and patriotism really blend and combine in a very unsavory way).

I don't think mobs should take statues (either confederate or non-confederate) down or vandalize them. But I think politicians need to actually get off their asses and perform their job and remove them more quickly.

Of course, this opinion leads me to not really be outraged when they are removed or vandalized. It's just a thing that happened that day.