I have a direct ancestor who fought and survived the war, so I have a dog in this fight. Just to be clear, he fought for the south.
A very large number of the statues in question honor people who had nothing to do with the city they were errected in. They were raised by people making a point. A rather mean point to be honest.
At the beginning, all anyone wanted was to move some of these things to places wehre history could be taught in a more nuanced fashion. Of course there were people who wanted to go overboard, but it's the overeaction to putting some of these things in museums that gave the overboard-going people a green light.
Personally, I think from most to least important:
1. What the community wants. If the community of New Orleans doesn't want a statue, they shouldn't be forced to display it.
2. If the person being depicted had something to do with the community their statue is in ought to be allowed to stay so long as it's in accordance with 1. There's no Lee never set foot in New Orleans or Charlottsville, as far as I can tell.
3. Statues honoring ordanary soldiers ought to be allowed to stay so far as it is in accordance with 2. They didn't cause the war and they didn't cause this mess. But they fought and many were maimed or died for a cause that, quite frankly, wasn't worthy of them. That deserves something.
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@Fluffkin #9787154
I have a direct ancestor who fought and survived the war, so I have a dog in this fight. Just to be clear, he fought for the south.
A very large number of the statues in question honor people who had nothing to do with the city they were errected in. They were raised by people making a point. A rather mean point to be honest.
At the beginning, all anyone wanted was to move some of these things to places wehre history could be taught in a more nuanced fashion. Of course there were people who wanted to go overboard, but it's the overeaction to putting some of these things in museums that gave the overboard-going people a green light.
Personally, I think from most to least important:
1. What the community wants. If the community of New Orleans doesn't want a statue, they shouldn't be forced to display it.
2. If the person being depicted had something to do with the community their statue is in ought to be allowed to stay so long as it's in accordance with 1. There's no Lee never set foot in New Orleans or Charlottsville, as far as I can tell.
3. Statues honoring ordanary soldiers ought to be allowed to stay so far as it is in accordance with 2. They didn't cause the war and they didn't cause this mess. But they fought and many were maimed or died for a cause that, quite frankly, wasn't worthy of them. That deserves something.