There is a lot of controversy in this country about monuments to the Confederate States of America, the Southern rebels during our civil war. It boiled up again after the horrifying murders of black church-goers by a white racist in Charleston, South Carolina. That state has flown the Confederate battle flag in front of its capitol building for decades. It is a symbol of racism to many. South Carolina recently decided to move it down the street to a history museum.
We have an elaborate Confederate monument in Forest Park. I dislike the sculpture, with its swaggering Rhett Butler type striding before two cowering women. Read the text for yourself. The inscription in the bottom picture sounds like it was written by a forerunner of the Tea Party. There is an interesting history of the monument here.
There has been some talk about whether to remove or relocate this. No decision. I doubt anything will happen.
We have an elaborate Confederate monument in Forest Park. I dislike the sculpture, with its swaggering Rhett Butler type striding before two cowering women. Read the text for yourself. The inscription in the bottom picture sounds like it was written by a forerunner of the Tea Party. There is an interesting history of the monument here.
There has been some talk about whether to remove or relocate this. No decision. I doubt anything will happen.
The confederate soldiers were someone's sons and brothers too. Although I can see why these monuments are stirring up controversy. War is such a complex and terrible thing, we just shouldn't do it.
ReplyDeleteIndeed a very staged monument, but so where the times then.
ReplyDelete"Frankly Scarlet, I GIVE a damn."
ReplyDeleteGRIN.
All the times I've been in the park, and I've never even noticed it!
ReplyDeleteThe inscription does read like it was written by someone who believed in the Lost Cause.
ReplyDeleteThe monuments, at least, serve a purpose in terms of being something to be learned from. The various Confederate flags need to be relegated to museums.
Interesting but I agree with William. We can learn from these monuments and I don't believe they should be moved out of sight, simply because they ARE history. Rather change the plaque maybe and/or explain...
ReplyDeleteInteresting, and a bit of a dilemma, to be sure. Even though I gag at a lot of political correctness (like the University of New Hampshire's recent caution to students that "American" should not be used because it could offend Canadians and Mexicans), maybe a solution is to leave it there as a bit of history, but have a good historian write up something to explain it, and place that explanation nearby. But, they will do what they will do and anything I say will have no influence . . . . . . .
ReplyDelete