I think there are many great museums for them to give historical context/discuss the vile history of post-reconstruction glorification of the civil war.
We don’t need all of them but to destroy them all I think is a backwards decision. They are unique works that should be studied and discussed so we remember to ask the hard questions and look at our history without rose tinted glasses. Racism is still alive and well and we need to see the cultural flashpoints and contributions throughout our history that have contributed.
Beauregard for instance is a fascinating figure. After the war he wrote and spoke extensively about how wrong he was to fight for the confederacy and openly said it was about slavery and everyone else is full of shit. He even advocated for black Americans’ right to vote after the war. Yet a statue of him in his confederate uniform was erected anyway against his wishes. This is worthy of discussion.
Don’t get me wrong - he was a confederate general and nothing will wipe that stain away. But people are complicated and can grow. It shouldn’t be “confederate pride,” we should be going “why did they choose him”? There’s a lot to unpack.
Let’s go bulldoze former nazi concentration camps. We have plenty of photos and videos right?
Those concentration camps weren’t built 43 years after the war by the descendants of Nazis to continue intimidating Jewish people, now were they? Do you see me claiming we should destroy civil war forts? No. You’re just trying to shift the discussion because your original point was weak enough to be countered by simply reminding you that “cameras exist.”
Now, I’m not going to continue indulging you by defending myself from claims I never made in the first place. We’re done here.
History isn’t pretty. We don’t just keep things we like. I think confederate statues belong out of the public sphere 100% but museums are totally appropriate.
This is an argument against having any real objects besides photos/videos in museums. Should we remove all nazi weapons? SS uniforms? Warplanes that we’ve preserved?
What about all the posters and various bigoted media produced by all countries during the war? All these and more are housed at the national WWII museum in the US.
I think there are many great museums for them to give historical context/discuss the vile history of post-reconstruction glorification of the civil war.
We don’t need all of them but to destroy them all I think is a backwards decision. They are unique works that should be studied and discussed so we remember to ask the hard questions and look at our history without rose tinted glasses. Racism is still alive and well and we need to see the cultural flashpoints and contributions throughout our history that have contributed.
Beauregard for instance is a fascinating figure. After the war he wrote and spoke extensively about how wrong he was to fight for the confederacy and openly said it was about slavery and everyone else is full of shit. He even advocated for black Americans’ right to vote after the war. Yet a statue of him in his confederate uniform was erected anyway against his wishes. This is worthy of discussion.
Don’t get me wrong - he was a confederate general and nothing will wipe that stain away. But people are complicated and can grow. It shouldn’t be “confederate pride,” we should be going “why did they choose him”? There’s a lot to unpack.
Take a damn picture before you melt 'em down if you want. Traitors don’t deserve statues, and racists don’t get to keep them.
Let’s go bulldoze former nazi concentration camps. We have plenty of photos and videos right?
Those concentration camps weren’t built 43 years after the war by the descendants of Nazis to continue intimidating Jewish people, now were they? Do you see me claiming we should destroy civil war forts? No. You’re just trying to shift the discussion because your original point was weak enough to be countered by simply reminding you that “cameras exist.”
Now, I’m not going to continue indulging you by defending myself from claims I never made in the first place. We’re done here.
History isn’t pretty. We don’t just keep things we like. I think confederate statues belong out of the public sphere 100% but museums are totally appropriate.
Yes we are done here.
How would statues enhance any of the discussions you suggest?
This is an argument against having any real objects besides photos/videos in museums. Should we remove all nazi weapons? SS uniforms? Warplanes that we’ve preserved?
What about all the posters and various bigoted media produced by all countries during the war? All these and more are housed at the national WWII museum in the US.