Richmond is taking down Confederate statues: Is this the end for other Confederate memorials?

[NashVol11]

Tearing down a statue of Jesus whether he’s white black or brown is wrong

He’ll be OK. Don’t think Jesus would have wanted statues in the first place, especially not statues of some random white guy

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

Where do they even have statues of Jesus other than catholic churches? Tearing one of those down would be a hate crime.

 

[0nelilreb]

Lol at the irony of white screaching BLM thing yelling at 2 black men...

All I heard was screeeeeech and emotional hand waving .. before she lost the logical argument and stomped off . Some people’s kids man . Her parents must be so proud of her .

 

[KB5252]

All I heard was screeeeeech and emotional hand waving .. before she lost the logical argument and stomped off . Some people’s kids man . Her parents must be so proud of her .

There were times when raising my 14 year old daughter had me seriously considering child abuse as an option. Whatever that thing was either got too much of, or not enough child abuse

 

[NurseGoodVol]

Let's have a show of hands of people posting here today that had ancestors that owned slaves.
Mine were poor Irish and just wanted to have food to eat.

I have both in my family history. One side had a slave owner that I can track down the others were share croppers and farmers.

 

[0nelilreb]

There were times when raising my 14 year old daughter had me seriously considering child abuse as an option. Whatever that thing was either got too much of, or not enough child abuse

My girls weren’t that big of a problem , my son however . Words like karma , Apple not falling far from tree , paying for your raising come to mind .

 

[KB5252]

My girls weren’t that big of a problem , my son however . Words like karma , Apple not falling far from tree , paying for your raising come to mind .

My daughter really isn't that bad, but she is way too much like the younger me only with a better heart.

 

[Electric Orange]

 

[jaybird_1981]

All I heard was screeeeeech and emotional hand waving .. before she lost the logical argument and stomped off . Some people’s kids man . Her parents must be so proud of her .

Some of these young ones have no ability to handle someone disagreeing with them.

 

[Electric Orange]

 

[FLVOL_79]

He’s right. All these people concerned about history should love the idea of historically accurate imagery of Jesus, no?

Your idea of a historically accurate Jesus is wrong.

 

[BreatheUT]

Talking about “the hate I spew” while sticking up for the Klan’s feelings, you might be a little turned around here lol

No one is taking away anyone’s right to speak, stop making things up. You’re saying we should consider how things like equality for black people might “offend” the Klan members of the world and we should hear them out.

You don't get it but that's ok. Not everyone gets a 1500 on the SAT or 33 on the ACT.

 

[BreatheUT]

Oh oh.

Inside the FBI’s operations center, where agents are monitoring vandalism to federal property

 

[Purple Tiger]

Where do they even have statues of Jesus other than catholic churches? Tearing one of those down would be a hate crime.

 

[BreatheUT]

Probably one of the more iconic ones.

 

[Electric Orange]

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

How about in the US on public property?

 

[NashVol11]

You don't get it but that's ok. Not everyone gets a 1500 on the SAT or 33 on the ACT.

I did better than that on both, but try again

 

[NurseGoodVol]

No doubt they got their fill before they got got.

You assume allot Tyler.

 

[NashVol11]

Your idea of a historically accurate Jesus is wrong.

Why? You also think he was a white guy with blue eyes?

 

[Weezer]

Where do they even have statues of Jesus other than catholic churches? Tearing one of those down would be a hate crime.

Brazil. Christ the Redeemer. Would be a shame to see it torn down IMO.

 

[FLVOL_79]

Why? You also think he was a white guy with blue eyes?

He's a Jew.

 

[NashVol11]

From someone who teaches AP US History:

If you are confused as to why so many Americans are defending the confederate flag, monuments, and statues right now, I put together a quick Q&A, with questions from a hypothetical person with misconceptions and answers from my perspective as an AP U.S. History Teacher:

Q: What did the Confederacy stand for?

A: Rather than interpreting, let's go directly to the words of the Confederacy's Vice President, Alexander Stephens. In his "Cornerstone Speech" on March 21, 1861, he stated "The Constitution... rested upon the equality of races. This was an error. Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."

Q: But people keep saying heritage, not hate! They think the purpose of the flags and monuments are to honor confederate soldiers, right?

A: The vast majority of confederate flags flying over government buildings in the south were first put up in the 1960's during the Civil Rights Movement. So for the first hundred years after the Civil War ended, while relatives of those who fought in it were still alive, the confederate flag wasn't much of a symbol at all. But when Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis were marching on Washington to get the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) passed, leaders in the south felt compelled to fly confederate flags and put up monuments to honor people who had no living family members and had fought in a war that ended a century ago. Their purpose in doing this was to exhibit their displeasure with black people fighting for basic human rights that were guaranteed to them in the 14th and 15th Amendments but being withheld by racist policies and practices.

Q: But if we take down confederate statues and monuments, how will we teach about and remember the past?

A: Monuments and statues pose little educational relevance, whereas museums, the rightful place for Confederate paraphernalia, can provide more educational opportunities for citizens to learn about our country's history. The Civil War is important to learn about, and will always loom large in social studies curriculum. Removing monuments from public places and putting them in museums also allows us to avoid celebrating and honoring people who believed that tens of millions of black Americans should be legal property.

Q: But what if the Confederate flag symbol means something different to me?

A: Individuals aren't able to change the meaning of symbols that have been defined by history. When I hang a Bucs flag outside my house, to me, the Bucs might represent the best team in the NFL, but to the outside world, they represent an awful NFL team, since they haven't won a playoff game in 18 years. I can't change that meaning for everyone who drives by my house because it has been established for the whole world to see. If a Confederate flag stands for generic rebellion or southern pride to you, your personal interpretation forfeits any meaning once you display it publicly, as its meaning takes on the meaning it earned when a failed regime killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in an attempt to destroy America and keep black people enslaved forever.

Q: But my uncle posted a meme that said the Civil War/Confederacy was about state's rights and not slavery?

A: "A state's right to what?" - John Green

Q: Everyone is offended about everything these days. Should we take everything down that offends anyone?

A: The Confederacy literally existed to go against the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the idea that black people are human beings that deserve to live freely. If that doesn't upset or offend you, you are un-American.

Q: Taking these down goes against the First Amendment and freedom of speech, right?

A: No. Anyone can do whatever they want on their private property, on their social media, etc. Taking these down in public, or having private corporations like NASCAR ban them on their properties, has literally nothing to do with the Bill of Rights.

Q: How can people claim to be patriotic while supporting a flag that stood for a group of insurgent failures who tried to permanently destroy America and killed 300,000 Americans in the process?

A: No clue.

Q: So if I made a confederate flag my profile picture, or put a confederate bumper sticker on my car, what am I declaring to my friends, family, and the world?

A: That you support the Confederacy. To recap, the Confederacy stands for: slavery, white supremacy, treason, failure, and a desire to permanently destroy Selective history as it supports white supremacy.

It’s no accident that:

You learned about Helen Keller instead of W.E.B, DuBois

You learned about the Watts and L.A. Riots, but not Tulsa or Wilmington.

You learned that George Washington’s dentures were made from wood, rather than the teeth from slaves.

You learned about black ghettos, but not about Black Wall Street.

You learned about the New Deal, but not “red lining.”

You learned about Tommie Smith’s fist in the air at the 1968 Olympics, but not that he was sent home the next day and stripped of his medals.

You learned about “black crime,” but white criminals were never lumped together and discussed in terms of their race.

You learned about “states rights” as the cause of the Civil War, but not that slavery was mentioned 80 times in the articles of secession.

Privilege is having history rewritten so that you don’t have to acknowledge uncomfortable facts.

Racism is perpetuated by people who refuse to learn or acknowledge this reality.

You have a choice. - Jim Golden

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

Brazil. Christ the Redeemer. Would be a shame to see it torn down IMO.

I was thinking more about people in this country suddenly worrying about white Jesuses. There may be a couple hidden somewhere, but I am thinking that most any that ever were in public spaces in this country are long since gone.

 

[Weezer]

Does the inability to change the meaning of symbols that have been defined by history apply to the Stars and Stripes, or nah?