Destroying Statues and Erasing History

So, here we go again. Vandalizing and defacing statues. It’s happened before, only a few years back it seems, this obsession with purging our country of all things offensive. It used to be Confederate flags and statues. Now it seems to be much more widespread. Sadly, the standard has slipped considerably.

Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t there quite a difference between a Confederate general (or former slave owner) and someone like Abraham Lincoln? And what about the Wisconsin statue of abolitionist Hans Christian Heg that was recently toppled? Why are we tearing down statues of these guys? https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2020/06/24/hans-christian-hegs-abolitionist-statue-toppled-madison-what-know/3248692001/

But it’s more than just statues. Now we’re pulling movies and books and all sorts of “offensive” products. Where does it end? I don’t really have a problem with removing (legally, of course) truly offensive and hateful public monuments, but again, where does it end? Or to put it another way, at what point are we destroying not just statues, but our history itself?

Maybe we should take a step back and recognize that all human beings are flawed. Can we not recognize the achievements of important historical figures because we are blinded by the failures of their personal lives? And do we have to completely erase them from the history books just because they don’t fit in with our current social mores? And when we’ve finished wiping the pages of history, what exactly have we accomplished?

Consider the well known quote from poet and philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As individuals and a society (or country), we must learn from our past mistakes, not push them out of sight and pretend they never happened. And how are we supposed to learn when the information has been sanitized to avoid causing the slightest offense to any individual citizen on any given day?

Just my opinion, but when we get through removing everything – the heroes, the villains, and everyone in between, what do we do then? Wait a day and do it again? Read 1984 by George Orwell and see what society looks like when you decide to start changing history on a daily basis.

Here’s a poem I wrote a few years ago on the subject. You can find it (and a few more of my political thoughts) in “A Head Full of Random Thoughts.” www.books2read.com/randomthoughts

Civil Unrest

Tear down all the statues,

Rip away each hateful flag,

Take the Ten Commandments out,

Erase the past and start anew.

Throw out the constitution,

And of course, the Bible too,

Write a new, unfaithful tale

Out of the blue.

Is this what the world is coming to?