People Removed These 29 Statues Because They Stood For What’s Wrong With Humans
The movement against racism and social injustice following the killing of George Floyd has called out many to reconsider the statues, monuments, and memorials currently standing in a number of cities around the globe.
What started off as the toppling of statues that honored and celebrated slavery and racism has now grown into a whole parallel movement that pushes everyone to rethink people and events in history. Since protesters started taking down certain statues, city governments and private owners started to do the same.
Now, this may be one of the few times when statues are taken down virtually en-masse, but it is definitely not the first time statues are taken down in general as the people associated with them were later proven to be not worthy of one.
Bored Panda has collected a list of some of the most memorable statues that have been taken down for one reason or another. Check out the list below, and while you’re at it, be sure to vote and comment on them! And if you want more statues, Bored Panda has recently published an article on 29 statues that are better than the ones protesters are tearing down, commemorating heroes and events against the evils of the world.
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Bust of Bill Cosby (American comedian) in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, taken down in July, 2015 due to accusations of sexual assault.
Commemorative brick dedicated to Gary Glitter (English glam rock singer) removed from the Wall of Fame at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. It was taken down in November, 2008 due to Glitter's possession of child pornography, child sexual abuse, and attempted rape of minors.
Statue of Joe Paterno (American football player) in Penn State's Beaver Stadium, Pennsylvania, taken down on July 22, 2012 due to his child sex abuse scandals.
Burn it. Anyone who takes advantage of children deserves to be erased from history.
Statue of Leopold II Of Belgium (King of the Belgians) in Ekeren, Belgium, taken down in June, 2020 for colonialist exploitation and other atrocities.
This guy was particularly bad. Murdered hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Africans for rubber. Slavery had been abolished in Belgium, but since Congo was a colony he got away with it into the 20th century.
Statue of Edward Colston (English merchant) in Bristol, UK, taken down on 7 June, 2020 for his involvement in slave trade.
Statue of Saddam Hussein (President of Iraq) in Baghdad, Iraq, taken down on April 9, 2003 during the invasion of Iraq by the US forces.
Statue of Christopher Columbus (Italian navigator and admiral) in Richmond, Virginia, taken down, spray-painted, set on fire, and thrown into a nearby lake by protestors on June 9, 2020 in solidarity with Native Americans.
Statue of Frank Rizzo (American police officer and politician) in Center City Philadelphia, taken down on June 2, 2020 for his strong opposition against desegregation.
A Confederate memorial in Jacksonville, Florida, taken down on June 9, 2020 as part of the mayor's plan to remove all confederate monuments, memorials, and markers during the George Floyd protests.
the column is beautiful, maybe they could have change this monument a bit, not take down entirely
Statue of Edward Ward Carmack (newspaperman and political figure) in Tennessee Capitol, taken down in June, 2020 for his views against African Americans and encouraged retaliation against the support of the Civil Rights Movement.
Statue of J.F.C. Hamilton (British Naval Officer and namesake of Hamilton City) in Hamilton, New Zealand, taken down on June 12, 2020 by the request of the Maori Tribal Confederation Waikato Tainui.
"One Riot, One Ranger" statue In Dallas, Texas, removed on June 4, 2020 for its reference to a riot by a white lynch mob and for the statue's model being used in helping prevent black students from enrolling in public schools.
I'm confused by the history of this statue and find the explanation provided ambiguous. Maybe in just being thick. Could someone clarify?
Statue of Cecil John Rhodes (British mining magnate and politician) in Cape Town, South Africa, taken down on 9 April, 2015 as part of a protest to decolonialize education in South Africa.
Why then do the same people who tore down this statue accept the famed "Rhodes scholarship" to study at Oxford??? Funny how the scholarship is less offensive
Dunham Massey Hall Sundial, taken down in June, 2020 as a degrading depiction of slavery during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
when came the point when people accepted this depiction as "norm"?? Racism, nazism, and other diminishing ideology didn't become accepted over night... it's a slow process.... starting from making fun of different human features, finishing with gas chambers. We need to be aware of small things to prevent big ones. It's horrible what human to human can do...
Statue of Orville L. Hubbard (Mayor of Dearborn) in Dearborn, Michigan, taken down on September 29, 2015 due to his strong views and policies supporting racial segregation.
Statue of Robert Milligan (Scottish merchant) in the Museum of London Docklands, taken down on June 9, 2020 for him being a slave owner.
Agree with other comments. We have history books. Statues are for deserving individuals who did amazing memorable things.
Monument to Robert E. Lee (Confederate General) in New Orleans, Louisiana, taken down on May 19, 2017 as part of a removal of four monuments associated with the Confederacy.
Public statues are a symbol of honor. Archaic statues, such as those of Roman tyrants, only belong in museums. History, if written as objectively as possible, will not forget the abject losers of the civil war. These deplorables authorized and administered the crime of human bondage the results of which we are still suffering. But they will not be lost to history just because they will no longer be allowed to be honored publicly.
Statue of Michael Jackson (American singer) in London, though officially not stated, it is speculated that it was removed in September, 2013 due to sexual allegations against Jackson.
Statue of Jefferson Davis in Frankfort, Kentucky, moved on June 13, 2020 by a vote of the Historic Properties Advisory Commission to the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site due to him being a slave owner.
Bust of John Mcdonogh in New Orleans, Louisiana, taken down on June 13, 2020 for being a slave owner.
Statue of Jerry Richardson (Former NFL Owner) in Charlotte, North Carolina, taken down to prevent possible vandalism due to allegations of sexual harassment and racist remarks to his former employees.
Statue of Kate Smith (American singer) at the Xfinity Live! Philadelphia Arena, taken down on April 21, 2019 due to controversy surrounding her 1931 recordings of "That's Why Darkies Were Born" and "Pickaninny Heaven".
Statue of Williams Carter Wickham in Richmond, Virginia, taken down on June 6, 2020 due to him being a slave owner.
Yea. a lot of people owned slaves, that was a social norm. I think that isn't a reason to take down the statue... if they were in some way a symbol of racial oppression, that's another story. Also there is a difference between pulled over by protesters and the city removed it.
Statue of Appomattox in Alexandria, Virginia, removed on June 2, 2020, was planned for removal after long discussions by the owner, United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Jefferson Davis Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, taken down on June 10, 2020 by protesters for depicting Jefferson Davis, a slave owner.
if instead of him they put a godess or an eagle or something and make a fountain at his feet this could have been reused :)
Monument to Robert E. Lee (Confederate General) in New Orleans, Louisiana, taken down on May 19, 2017 as part of a removal of four monuments associated with the Confederacy.
Captioned incorrectly. That is a picture of JEB Stuart on Monument Ave in Richmond VA
Statue of Charles Linn (Captain in the Confederate Navy) in Birmingham, Alabaman, toppled on May 31, 2020 by protestors who unsuccessfully attempted to remove the nearby Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
Slave Auction Block in Fredericksburg, Virginia, taken down on June 5, 2020 as a symbol of racial oppression.
Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Birmingham, Alabama, removed in June, 2020, said to be taken down to ease continuing unrest originating from the George Floyd protests.
History cannot be unmade. Educating people is more important than destroying pieces of art, even if they do not show people who deserve honour. Would you also destroy the masks of Pharaos? Undoubtedly, they had people killed and tortured and kept slaves. These masks document history and art thoguh. muesums are the right places for them!
Most of these statues were erected decades after the Civil War at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. They were erected to remind blacks they were inferior to whites. While you are arguing for education and historical significance, it would be good to know all of the facts. I don't see those little fact nuggets inscribed on the statues. Yet, they can be posted next to the statues in museums, just like the Pharaoh masks.
Just curious do you have reference for the reason those statues were erected. I always thought it was because to make whites people from the south feel better about themselves
History only stands still inside of the history books. History is constantly and continuously being made and written. It doesn’t get “unmade.” Welcome to the next few newest chapters that your children will read about concerning the toppled statues that had been so lovingly memorialized in the earlier chapters.
Could just put it in a museum. You okay with having Hitler statues all over public spaces in Germany? Right in the middle of town squares? Not to mention these were erected out of respect for these men, not for historical reasons, during the Civil Rights movement to make a point that black people are still hated.
THANK YOU! Someone who understands their importance and relevance, even if they stand for things people no longer stand for. We can't erase history just because it seems offensive. We also must keep in mind that, as horrible and racist as it was, slavery used to be a cultural norm. Obviously we no longer do that thank God, but we can't act as if these figures are living in the present. It was a different time with different ideals.
we should not erase the history, but we don't need to celebrate these people. the statues should be put in museums so people can still learn about these figures. they shouldn't be on pedestals (literally). how would you feel if every day you had to drive past a monument to someone who enslaved your ancestors?
While I agree that slave holding was vile, if we take down all statutes of people (and presidents who held slaves or didn’t stand up to slavery loudly and clearly) etc because of today’s (correct) views, doing that can lead to being judged and historically “punished” tomorrow, (using tomorrow’s beliefs as the standard) for beliefs and values that we THINK are fair today. If it’s true that the victors write history, this kind of 20-20 judging “game” can set dangerous precedents. Let’s all calm down and put these statues (not the child molesters) in museums so that we can all have rational discussions about history.
Why am I being downvoted? Smh
You are being downvoted because moving a statue from a place of honour is not the same as erasing history. We aren't acting as though they are living in the present, but we ARE making the present match up with who we want to be and making a point to stop honouring people who don't match those ideals. We will still remember them.
The masks of pharaohs aren't comparable - we dug those out of tombs. They weren't meant to be seen. Removing statues from places of honour in no way unmakes history. We have an opportunity to place them where they belong. In museums with explanations as to that person's role in history. Better history lessons in schools would also be a good deal more beneficial.
They are not unmaking history they are just removing monuments to people that probably should not be commemorated. There are no statues of Hitler and Germany was thoroughly de-nazified after WW II but somehow we all still know about Hitler and the Nazis. The confederate statues were erected well after the US Civil War in the time of Jim Crow when all the people that actually knew the confederate traitors were dead. The statues were mostly raised by organisations who were trying to re-write and erase history by making the CSA some noble experiment. It was not noble, it was a rebellion based on support for slavery. Americans need to put down their treason flags and learn history.
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Just some of these symbols should be removed (like Saddam's - who was condemned in life). As you said, History cannot be unmade and MUST BE remembered to not make some mistakes AGAIN like Trump, Lula, Maduro, Nickelback and Hitler...
Important to remember that a good portion of these statues weren't made because they were important historical figures, but because they were wealthy men. Hopefully we can replace them with more deserving historical figures.
Most of these statues were places in the early 60's at the height of the Civil Rights movement to remind black Americans that they were inferior to whites. They were placed as a monument to those that owned slaves so as to say to the black population, "See this guy, he owned slaves so we honor him. We are superior to you." It is saddest time in the US History.
Thank you for knowing that I'm thankful that someone knows that I hope this information circulates
I'm all for putting up new statues that honor people who deserve to be honored.
Like who?
I elect zims to pick our deserving historical figures. Who's with me?! zims ..... not the sharpest knife but he still cuts it most of the time.
If I am not mistaken, there were numerous requests made to government officials to take down at least some of these statues and the statues weren't removed. Please consider that before you condemn folks for taking them down. It's still happening - POTUS has been asked to rename military bases named after Confederate officers/officials and he has said he won't. And, if you are OK with the citizens of Iraq taking down the statue of Sadam Hussein but opposed people in America taking down statues of slave traders, opponents of segregation, men who committed acts of violence against women and/or children, you are a hypocrite as far as I am concerned.
POTUS is a far right sympathiser, straight up, and so all of those support him and love him and think he's'doing a great job'. I see nothing wrong with taking down these statues. Just because they were 'fine' once upon a time, doesn't mean they have to stay now that we find their origins offensive. They're just statues. It's not like anyone's being killed, just bronze or resin.
How is glorifying vandalism any better?
Boston Tea Party?
Have you actually read anything about the boston tea party? it barely classified a misdemeanor vandalism. The myth we promote today is from the 1800's. They threw boxes into the water at low tide (the boxes stuck out of the water it was so shallow), paid the value of the tea to the shipmaster when they boarded and before he gave them the keys. I mean they literally bought the tea, got the keys and then destroyed it, and even then not really. Big difference
I don't buy the argument that people think these should remain for Historical reasons. First, because many of these were erected during the Civil Rights Movement as a huge fuck you to the black community. They did it out of racism rather than a love of history, and they did it in prominent public spaces. 2) Given the time gap between the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement, it would be like Germany erecting Hitler statues in prominent public spaces today, you okay with that? You going to stand by that decision? 3) I am kind of hope they put the spray painted ones in museums under BLM sections. If we want to keep a piece of history, which I do agree with, keep it where it belongs, not in our town squares.
There are not a lot of statues of people who did not abuse their power in any way. Queen Victoria is not better as Cecil Rhodes or Leopold II of Belgium. Will we also change all presidents on the dollar bills, who had slaves?
Statues are a bad idea to start with
I hope so
Good riddance to all of these monuments and memorials.
Why. Goerge washington... Christopher Columbus Our first president and the guy who discovered America It's asinine to destroy these works of art
No one is responsible of the crimes committed by our ancestors. The only responsibility we have is not to repeat mistakes. What a bunch of morons :) act now, go to vote, always refuse to duck in front of stupidity, that would already be a good start.
Textbooks exist. I know about all of these people without having to see their bronzed faces everyday. This is not erasing history. Taking down a Jefferson Davis statue doesn’t erase him in the conscious of the public. It’s not like we’ll forget who he was or that he existed, again, textbooks. Statues do not present a layered account of a person’s life and what they were like. They are a glorified depiction of a complicated person. Taking down these statues is more symbolic than what the statues represent. It’s a show of solidarity and an acknowledgment that enshrining racists, slave owners, and sex offenders in the name of “education” is neither aligned with the general view of the public (I hope), nor the best way to educate people about them.
Emma Clark : very important point made and well said. Thank you!
Thank you, this is actually the first time I’ve commented on anything anywhere, so I’m glad my point came across clearly :)
While some of these make sense to remove others do not. Just because someone in the 1700's, a time where Slavery was legal in every country in the world owned slaves is not a good reason. Some should be removed, others should not.
People tend to conveniently forget that a lot of African slaves were sold by African slave owners, particularly the Ashanti people who sold them in exchange for guns. Before people bombard me with incorrect accusations, I'm obviously not saying it wasn't still an horrific event but why don't people comment on that? Ah yes, because it doesn't fit the left's agenda. Modern day slavery exists all over the world, why isn't that being addressed?
Leopold committed mass genocide and murdered 10 million people...you okay with his statue staying up because at the time it was normal to colonize and abuse Africans? I don't think saying it was normal in their time is a good excuse to keep the statues. We can put them in museums with information on what terrible people they were. Also, during the entire period of slavery, there were people who actively opposed it. It was not like it was not contended by large portions of the population.
I see we found the overcompensating racist here! If I say some of the people don't belong here and you immediate jump to the worst example here, only a racist overcompensating because they are virtue signaling would do that. Congrats you outed outed yourself. When your first reaction is to jump to a variant of Godwins law, it tells more about what you are covering up that anything else. Congrats racist
i think that blm was a great movement but to destroy statues and historical statues because of they owned slave its is like destroying a museum because it refrenced slavery, and slave owners
I believe we should amend statues, not destroy or get rid of them. We can't get rid of history, we need history. We have to learn about history so we don't make the same mistakes. Should we just ignore or forget about all of the wars or terrible things that happened? No, we should learn about them. I agree, some of these statues are inhumane but you shouldn't take down statues of important historical figures because they owned slaves. They may have had slaves but they did a lot of things for our country. Amend them. Don't get rid of them.
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
Really? back all that up with proof or something...ahhh....somewhat factual
StillBrian'smom it's from 1984 - George Orwell.
It's a passage in a book... if only I could do my rolling eyes emoji
Let he who is without sin be the first in line to eras history because they don´t like it
Try as hard as they might, they can't erase history because they are offended.
This rioting is all about erasing white history and replacing it with black people's names and images, utter nonsense. Give any race an inch and they take a mile!!
Running around like children tearing down historic monuments will not help anybody. And slave owners at that time weren’t evil people, that was the norm during their lifetime and you have to realize that what we now understand as oppression and discrimination wasn’t understood back then.
It is completely crazy! Nobody is perfect and the view is changing during the time, depending on the politics, ideology, poverty. I cannot judge the Confederation characters or U. S. racism since I am living in a ethnically uniform country. But we have some emperors, kings, whose statues went up, down, up, as political representation changed, our favorite Emperor was first beloved for religious toleration, then hated as symbol of germanisation and today, his statues are renowned in all hospitals he established working up to these days. Maybe in the future, when all people will be vegans, we will destroy all statues of people once eating dead corpses...??
Again you really can’t fault a person for being a man of their times. But here’s a thought, how about an article about statues comemerating good people? Like in sakskoebing denmark there is a statue of the sesonal beet harvest girls.
https://www.boredpanda.com/social-political-activists-statues/ :)
Good riddance.
On to books.
The only true traitors are those that destroy and want to erase history.
NOBODY HERE wants to erase history. We just want to stop glorifying terrible people. Put those statues in museums and talk about those people in history class, don't put them on pedestals in the middle of a busy street.
Someone needs to come build a big ass statue of Stalin under my bedroom window or I may forget he existed I'm sorry the preservation of history argument is weak if people are getting the majority of their history lessons from statues then I have figured out why people are so surprised at what an evil dickhead Christopher Columbus was
Wow, I am definitely not jealous of states with such a controversial history. Relieved not to have to deal with it.
Statues are made to honor a person. All statues like these should be taken down as most in the US statues like this were put up to demoralize. To keep balance: there should be lists made of all honorable individuals that should replace the ones taken down. ALL The ones taken down should be taken to A single designated place for educational reasons.
Who do you consider is honorable and have a statue erected for them?
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You left out a bunch. Statues of abolitionists and people who helped Jews flee the Nazis. Memorials to Black soldiers, statues of Lincoln. Anti-fascists defaced Churchill's statue, even though he is the worlds most successful anti-fascist. They are going after all of the statues, monuments, and flags, because they follow the Maoist goal of the destruction of the "four olds"
Max Blancke +
Max Blancke follower
You forgot Nelson's pillar in Dublin- add that to the list
Statues of people who were slave owners are being torn down but I doubt the same thing will happen with Abraham Lincoln. He only passed the Emancipation Proclamation as a political strategy, he owned a slave himself.
hmmm....never heard that one. Source?
Some people in these coments are far too attached to statues, or what they stand for....
Some people is these coments are far too attached to statues ,or what they stand for.....
Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo is in the back praying it happens...
I recently visited Panama City and found the approach of covering the statues very interesting. I'm not sure why they were covered, but maybe it could be applied to all statues of controversial figures. By doing so, we are not erasing history, nor re-writing it, we are just giving it proper attention to make people think about why we erected statues to those persons in the first place and how we evolved as a society. The plaques could be updated with new texts as well. By removing something form it's place we are erasing a part of history, while we should educate the public for what it actually was and not erase parts of it. By doing so, these statues put in ropes and completely covered (silenced), will serve as a reminder of a dark era in global history that shouldn't be celebrated, but shouldn't be erased as well. snip1-5eea...f4c452.jpg
There's going to be no statues left at this rate!!!
There is the Rocky statue in Philadelphia, a really nice Shrek statue in a park somewhere out west, and the one of Jim Henson talking to Kermit can all stay.
I think that's there plan
Riots... Vandalism... Loting... Fighting... Setting shit on fire... Forcing opinions onto another... Yeah, creating a better world where all human races live happilly together is really going well guys..... I would like to see a more positive approach. Post a picture on social-media with a friend, neighbour etc. of a different colour with the hashtag #colourdoesn'tmatter. Show that people of different races CAN get allong, cause they do. Only the rotten apples get the attention.. sick of that.
Color does matter, it matters a lot. Does your gender matter to you as a part of your personal identity? Would you be okay with someone refusing to acknowledge your gender identity? Ignoring race is ignoring a huge part of their background and experiences. Slavery ended 155 years ago, people shouldn't just sit silently back and pretend that race isn't important when black people are being murdered in the streets and in their own homes. To say color doesn't matter is to state that difference is a negative. Instead of ignoring race we should acknowledge it and accept people who do not look like us and accept their differences as a contribution to society rather than a failure. My race means a lot to me, my gender means a lot to me. Don't deny peoples identity, it matters.
Sigh.... i meant nothing bad with my comment and you know it. If you're only willing to see the bad in what i said, be my guest. I cant change the way you choose to interpret things anyway. To some people it doesn't matter wat you say, they always find something to be offended about. #yourcolourdoesntmattertome (by wich i mean ; i look at the person, not the race,looks or culture).
Ivana wants you to see color all the time. Except when you're not supposed to see color. She's a proud Democrat!
@Ivana Saying 'colour doesn't matter' is a good thing. It would mean people are ignoring race and treating a person like a person
"I can't be racist because I have a black friend!" That's your answer. Really? Society has given black people no other outlet besides anger. Its worse than anger. Its rage born of desperation that NO ONE is listening to them.
Rage is YOUR answer? Really?
Colin Kaepernick tried to bring attention to police brutality peacefully. He got fired from NFL. Looting and violence are not coming from protesters. They are bad actors trying to discredit a largely peaceful but incredibly meaningful show of numbers who are done with racism in the USA. As other commenters have said, these statues were erected during the Civil Rights Movement or were a part of Jim Crowe. All of these statues were completely and totally meant intimate and demoralize African-Americans. They are shame to Americans who are not racist. No one talked about pulling down elected US Presidents. They are removing Southern Civil War "heroes". Racist icons have to GO!! Long overdue...
I feel you. This madness has nothing to do with equality or social harmony. Of course, this opinion is highly unpopular and inevitably gets downvoted.
So cool of you to tell millions of black people that their movement has nothing to do with equality. I'm sure you know everything about it.
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Thank you, here have my upvote ;) Totally agree
For those of you opposing the removals of these statues, show the kind of people you are.
Bukky is a bit of a racist. Prove me wrong.
I don't have anything to prove, except to tell you to change your ways,we are all humans, black,white, brown, nobody is superior
Certainly not ISIS members I guess.
Removing art is currently what's wrong with America...
When are they going take down FDR's statute. He refuse to allow the SS St Louis. The German ship had just under 1,.000 Jewish passengers. Hitler was letting the leave. But FDR did not want have them in the country.
Lets tear down the White House because it was built with slaves, take down the Washington monument because he had 300 slaves, Thomas Jefferson had 175 slaves, Ulysses S Grant and Andrew Jackson were both slave owners.
Trying to erase History will make us amnesiac. And that same history will come back and erase us.
This young generation of Soros funded overly indulged generation has zero ability to see another point of view. They are violent punks and everything and everyone offends them. They react by tearing down or burning down everything.
The Dutch need to remove statue of J.P Coen too.. For he is an oppressor and real bad guy
Reminds me of the Middle Ages when books were burnt...breaking down a statue isnt't bravery it's just vadalism (like looting isn't a demonstration or kind of speak up). Better way is to place an information, explanatory notes, etc. But this requires time and effort
'Taken down' Are you kidding me? Try vandalized and destroyed. Illegally. You want a statue 'taken down', you go through the local government's legal process, with public votes and input.
They did. Many were ignored. In one case, they were about to remove a statue and 2 local businesses interjected and stopped the will of the local citizens. What do you want people to do when their government isn't listening to them? Sit back and shrug. America would still be apart of England then! OTOH, The UK does have universal health care so...
Lol - sweetheart, many of these statues were taken down by the cities or property owners. You don't have to get butthurt about it.
People have been asking for them to be taken down since they were erected. They are worthless pieces of trash so really they are just keeping the streets clean by removing the garbage.
Yes, that is the solution, destroying historical statues. And people wonder why there is discrimination.
I wonder how many lawn jockey statues have wound up in the landfill?
Patriots have a duty to destroy monuments and emblems of treason.
You may have a point here.
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What's next? Bulldozing down Auschwitz?
Statues are meant to glorify, Auschwitz isn't.
Literally what fuck are you talking about? Are you that obtuse?
Geth prefers intellectual dishonesty over obtuseness. He has some decent one-liners. But his balls are rattling around the bottom of his purse. Still, he's a standup guy. Way to go, Geth! Literally!
You can either remove these statutes and try to ERASE the past or, you know, change the table under them and educating people how bad racism was. But nope, you disgusting western mentality has to prove you are morally above everyone else so instead of admitting that you were horrible people in 99,9% percent of your history and never have any moral high ground, you just try to erase all the evidence of your shameful past.
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This is probably not going to be a popular opinion but who cares? The taking down of statues is another example of folks trying to re-write or "adjust" history to their own choosing. History has already happened. It cannot be changed, altered, and definitely should NOT be forgotten. Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. Instead of tearing down statues, perhaps we should simply replace them with something with similar historical significance. But how do we know that someone is not hiding a skeleton in their closet? How do we know they are truly "worthy" of having a statue erected of them? How do we know we will not be tearing it down like the rest? Perhaps, the statue should be left there as a reminder of the things that have happened so we can try to make things better rather than eliminate anything we don't like.
You haven't thought this through Nunya...your solution of 'replace' would first require 'tearing down' ....have another go x
The taking down of the statues is an example of people not wanting to continue to glorify horrible people, sweetie.
Nunya -
Nunya +
Nunya Good response!
Nunya love
Nunya what
Nunya ?
Nunya what
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Like these statues were a reason behind your everyday racism. Sure. Nothing like a bit of vandalism to promote equal and fair treatment, eh 🙄
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You cannot learn from history by destroying it. We are losing valuable artworks because a few people don’t want them here. The past cannot be changed or erased. Destroying statues is only vandalism. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., must be rolling in his grave. Did his life mean ANYTHING? It meant a lot to me.
Couldn't disagree with you more...can you imagine,for a moment,being a black student at a school named after a man who made his fortune through slavery? Having to walk past his statue every day? I can't imagine what it is like...that's why I am prepared to be told what it is like by those who know.
That poor black student would likely be paralyzed by fear each day.....errrr.....or not? Perhaps that black student is grateful for his/her educational path and understands he/she has all the opportunities in the world....?
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Reminds me of the Nazis burning books
The Nazis burned books that promoted equality, tolerance, or anything outside the very selective sphere of what version of history they wanted to promote (aka, the 'glorious aryan history'. Which wasn't even true.) These people are tearing down statues glorifying oppressors and abusers, not trying to erase history. Completely different.
Alex King lol
Alex King ?
Alex King +
Alex King haha
Alex King love
Alex King lol
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We have the right to peaceful protests not to tear down statues that offend people. Leave the statues be. They were kept there as a reminder so we don't repeat history. As long as we have the reminders where we will always be able to see them, not just in museums, there is a smaller chance of us repeating history. Just look into our past, history has repeated itself and will continue doing that until humanity starts to learn from our mistakes.
Maybe you should vote for people who want to increase funding for education. It would be more effective and a longer term solution.
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Now it's time to take down MLK statues also.
Why? Did he champion something immoral?
He did cheat on his wife? Very very bad man. /sarcasm
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Some peoples are stupid (ehm ehm all BLM protestors)
They're not necessarily all stupid. But they sure do pick the worst martyrs for their cause......usually career violent criminals.
History cannot be unmade. Educating people is more important than destroying pieces of art, even if they do not show people who deserve honour. Would you also destroy the masks of Pharaos? Undoubtedly, they had people killed and tortured and kept slaves. These masks document history and art thoguh. muesums are the right places for them!
Most of these statues were erected decades after the Civil War at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. They were erected to remind blacks they were inferior to whites. While you are arguing for education and historical significance, it would be good to know all of the facts. I don't see those little fact nuggets inscribed on the statues. Yet, they can be posted next to the statues in museums, just like the Pharaoh masks.
Just curious do you have reference for the reason those statues were erected. I always thought it was because to make whites people from the south feel better about themselves
History only stands still inside of the history books. History is constantly and continuously being made and written. It doesn’t get “unmade.” Welcome to the next few newest chapters that your children will read about concerning the toppled statues that had been so lovingly memorialized in the earlier chapters.
Could just put it in a museum. You okay with having Hitler statues all over public spaces in Germany? Right in the middle of town squares? Not to mention these were erected out of respect for these men, not for historical reasons, during the Civil Rights movement to make a point that black people are still hated.
THANK YOU! Someone who understands their importance and relevance, even if they stand for things people no longer stand for. We can't erase history just because it seems offensive. We also must keep in mind that, as horrible and racist as it was, slavery used to be a cultural norm. Obviously we no longer do that thank God, but we can't act as if these figures are living in the present. It was a different time with different ideals.
we should not erase the history, but we don't need to celebrate these people. the statues should be put in museums so people can still learn about these figures. they shouldn't be on pedestals (literally). how would you feel if every day you had to drive past a monument to someone who enslaved your ancestors?
While I agree that slave holding was vile, if we take down all statutes of people (and presidents who held slaves or didn’t stand up to slavery loudly and clearly) etc because of today’s (correct) views, doing that can lead to being judged and historically “punished” tomorrow, (using tomorrow’s beliefs as the standard) for beliefs and values that we THINK are fair today. If it’s true that the victors write history, this kind of 20-20 judging “game” can set dangerous precedents. Let’s all calm down and put these statues (not the child molesters) in museums so that we can all have rational discussions about history.
Why am I being downvoted? Smh
You are being downvoted because moving a statue from a place of honour is not the same as erasing history. We aren't acting as though they are living in the present, but we ARE making the present match up with who we want to be and making a point to stop honouring people who don't match those ideals. We will still remember them.
The masks of pharaohs aren't comparable - we dug those out of tombs. They weren't meant to be seen. Removing statues from places of honour in no way unmakes history. We have an opportunity to place them where they belong. In museums with explanations as to that person's role in history. Better history lessons in schools would also be a good deal more beneficial.
They are not unmaking history they are just removing monuments to people that probably should not be commemorated. There are no statues of Hitler and Germany was thoroughly de-nazified after WW II but somehow we all still know about Hitler and the Nazis. The confederate statues were erected well after the US Civil War in the time of Jim Crow when all the people that actually knew the confederate traitors were dead. The statues were mostly raised by organisations who were trying to re-write and erase history by making the CSA some noble experiment. It was not noble, it was a rebellion based on support for slavery. Americans need to put down their treason flags and learn history.
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Just some of these symbols should be removed (like Saddam's - who was condemned in life). As you said, History cannot be unmade and MUST BE remembered to not make some mistakes AGAIN like Trump, Lula, Maduro, Nickelback and Hitler...
Important to remember that a good portion of these statues weren't made because they were important historical figures, but because they were wealthy men. Hopefully we can replace them with more deserving historical figures.
Most of these statues were places in the early 60's at the height of the Civil Rights movement to remind black Americans that they were inferior to whites. They were placed as a monument to those that owned slaves so as to say to the black population, "See this guy, he owned slaves so we honor him. We are superior to you." It is saddest time in the US History.
Thank you for knowing that I'm thankful that someone knows that I hope this information circulates
I'm all for putting up new statues that honor people who deserve to be honored.
Like who?
I elect zims to pick our deserving historical figures. Who's with me?! zims ..... not the sharpest knife but he still cuts it most of the time.
If I am not mistaken, there were numerous requests made to government officials to take down at least some of these statues and the statues weren't removed. Please consider that before you condemn folks for taking them down. It's still happening - POTUS has been asked to rename military bases named after Confederate officers/officials and he has said he won't. And, if you are OK with the citizens of Iraq taking down the statue of Sadam Hussein but opposed people in America taking down statues of slave traders, opponents of segregation, men who committed acts of violence against women and/or children, you are a hypocrite as far as I am concerned.
POTUS is a far right sympathiser, straight up, and so all of those support him and love him and think he's'doing a great job'. I see nothing wrong with taking down these statues. Just because they were 'fine' once upon a time, doesn't mean they have to stay now that we find their origins offensive. They're just statues. It's not like anyone's being killed, just bronze or resin.
How is glorifying vandalism any better?
Boston Tea Party?
Have you actually read anything about the boston tea party? it barely classified a misdemeanor vandalism. The myth we promote today is from the 1800's. They threw boxes into the water at low tide (the boxes stuck out of the water it was so shallow), paid the value of the tea to the shipmaster when they boarded and before he gave them the keys. I mean they literally bought the tea, got the keys and then destroyed it, and even then not really. Big difference
I don't buy the argument that people think these should remain for Historical reasons. First, because many of these were erected during the Civil Rights Movement as a huge fuck you to the black community. They did it out of racism rather than a love of history, and they did it in prominent public spaces. 2) Given the time gap between the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement, it would be like Germany erecting Hitler statues in prominent public spaces today, you okay with that? You going to stand by that decision? 3) I am kind of hope they put the spray painted ones in museums under BLM sections. If we want to keep a piece of history, which I do agree with, keep it where it belongs, not in our town squares.
There are not a lot of statues of people who did not abuse their power in any way. Queen Victoria is not better as Cecil Rhodes or Leopold II of Belgium. Will we also change all presidents on the dollar bills, who had slaves?
Statues are a bad idea to start with
I hope so
Good riddance to all of these monuments and memorials.
Why. Goerge washington... Christopher Columbus Our first president and the guy who discovered America It's asinine to destroy these works of art
No one is responsible of the crimes committed by our ancestors. The only responsibility we have is not to repeat mistakes. What a bunch of morons :) act now, go to vote, always refuse to duck in front of stupidity, that would already be a good start.
Textbooks exist. I know about all of these people without having to see their bronzed faces everyday. This is not erasing history. Taking down a Jefferson Davis statue doesn’t erase him in the conscious of the public. It’s not like we’ll forget who he was or that he existed, again, textbooks. Statues do not present a layered account of a person’s life and what they were like. They are a glorified depiction of a complicated person. Taking down these statues is more symbolic than what the statues represent. It’s a show of solidarity and an acknowledgment that enshrining racists, slave owners, and sex offenders in the name of “education” is neither aligned with the general view of the public (I hope), nor the best way to educate people about them.
Emma Clark : very important point made and well said. Thank you!
Thank you, this is actually the first time I’ve commented on anything anywhere, so I’m glad my point came across clearly :)
While some of these make sense to remove others do not. Just because someone in the 1700's, a time where Slavery was legal in every country in the world owned slaves is not a good reason. Some should be removed, others should not.
People tend to conveniently forget that a lot of African slaves were sold by African slave owners, particularly the Ashanti people who sold them in exchange for guns. Before people bombard me with incorrect accusations, I'm obviously not saying it wasn't still an horrific event but why don't people comment on that? Ah yes, because it doesn't fit the left's agenda. Modern day slavery exists all over the world, why isn't that being addressed?
Leopold committed mass genocide and murdered 10 million people...you okay with his statue staying up because at the time it was normal to colonize and abuse Africans? I don't think saying it was normal in their time is a good excuse to keep the statues. We can put them in museums with information on what terrible people they were. Also, during the entire period of slavery, there were people who actively opposed it. It was not like it was not contended by large portions of the population.
I see we found the overcompensating racist here! If I say some of the people don't belong here and you immediate jump to the worst example here, only a racist overcompensating because they are virtue signaling would do that. Congrats you outed outed yourself. When your first reaction is to jump to a variant of Godwins law, it tells more about what you are covering up that anything else. Congrats racist
i think that blm was a great movement but to destroy statues and historical statues because of they owned slave its is like destroying a museum because it refrenced slavery, and slave owners
I believe we should amend statues, not destroy or get rid of them. We can't get rid of history, we need history. We have to learn about history so we don't make the same mistakes. Should we just ignore or forget about all of the wars or terrible things that happened? No, we should learn about them. I agree, some of these statues are inhumane but you shouldn't take down statues of important historical figures because they owned slaves. They may have had slaves but they did a lot of things for our country. Amend them. Don't get rid of them.
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
Really? back all that up with proof or something...ahhh....somewhat factual
StillBrian'smom it's from 1984 - George Orwell.