Today it was announced by the Governor of Virginia that the statue of Robert E Lee in Richmond will come down. In the midst of all the History changing events, many wounds that have been exposed will now, I believe, get social “medical” attention. More about that in future posts.

Regarding General Lee and his statue my feelings have not changed since I wrote a post when demands were made for his removal in 2017. Below is that post.

 

I agree with the Alt-Right in their argument that the statue of Robert E. Lee should not be torn down and destroyed.

It should be left as a reminder of why we remember him. There are those that embrace his role in History, but there are many more that need to be reminded that he was defeated. His defeat will always be “the rest of the story”.

We demonized ISIS for destroying the Syrian site of Palmyra in 2015. This destruction was the result of a difference in beliefs, and the attempt to eliminate the memory of anyone else’s. Isn’t that pretty much the same reasoning for removing Gen. Lee?

If we start deciding whose ideologies and histories are worthy of keeping, then, (sit down…windchill warning in Hades) I agree with DJT. Assuming every monument will have its detractors, the following battles may be fought.

The Gun Rights activists will demand the removal of the Knotted Gun sculpture in NY. Wall Street executives would get the Fearless Girl hauled away while Feminists extract the Charging Bull she was staring at. The Rhinoplasty Surgeons will petition for the blasting of the Great Sphinx and the faces on Easter Island. Weight Watchers will push to have the Budda statues removed from every ethnic food restaurant in America. OCD Perfectionists will riot around the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Liberty Bell until they’re corrected. I can only imagine how members of Judaism would “improve” the Statue of David.

We could appease everybody by just moving all offensive monuments to the Mexican border. Once all the statues, pillars, Nativity scenes, big fish, sports figures and college & restaurant mascots are collected, we’ll line them up and build “the wall”. I imagine that would create second thoughts in the minds of anyone considering entering whatever is behind that wall. And, it would befuddle archaeologists from 2217 trying to figure out “Who were these people?!”   Minnesota will not be sending Paul and Babe. They’ve got no haters here…although, they would add height.

Let’s keep these structures in perspective. The ideology and meaning of these innate objects are “in the eye (and mind) of the beholder”.

As the saying goes, “Those who do not learn from History, are doomed to repeat it”. If it is offensive to you, do not try to remove it, because it is a reminder of what is possible. It should make you more diligent.