mookiemcgee wrote:
Patches, people that smash cars into crowds of protesters also have no honor.
I didn't mention that dumbass, or did I even mention Charlotte. I was talking about what happened in Durham, North Carolina. Completely different state. Nice strawman.
mookie wrote: For you this was a symbol of patriotic duty and history and honoring US soldiers. For many other Americans it's a symbol of repression, and a reminder that half the country wanted to keep black men in chains as slaves( i was going to say black americans, but if the south had won the war there may not have been black americans at all as they may not have ever achieved citizenship). Just keep in mind that other American opinions on its symbolism are as valid as your own. I read a quote today that is prescient "you don't see statues of Hitler when you go to Germany"
A bronze statue is art. Art is almost always symbolic. It's nice to see you support destroying art.
I on the other hand, don't advocate destroying art, even it it's art I find offensive, in poor taste or just bad. It's art. It doesn't matter what the subject of art is, there is no reason for going around destroying it just because you don't like the symbolism of it.
By your logic, Jews could start saying they want the Pyramids destroyed because they were enslaved to build it and seeing images of the Pyramids brings feelings up. Art tends to do that, sometimes the feelings are good and euphoric, sometimes art invokes uncomfortable feelings. That's the point.
If I find the Vietnam war offensive does that give me carte blanch to go and start smashing the Vietnam memorial to bits? Of course not.
Now I can understand people getting angry about certain works of art or memorials. That still doesn't give a mob the right to just tear it down regardless. You won't see memorials to Hitler in Germany, but you'll find memorials to fallen soldiers of the WWII Wehrmacht in Germany. Those memorials are right and proper. The German soldier fought for his country. They fought bravely, honorably (for the most part) and they fought on behalf of Hitler. Those German troops were not evil, the SS troops on the other hand, you'll find no memorials for them.
The Confederates were American citizens. They were our brothers, sons and fathers. Lee didn't fight because he hated the Union. He didn't fight because he loved slavery. He fought because he loved Virginia. He was one of the greatest generals this country has ever produced and he led one of the greatest army's that the United States has ever fielded.
Many people think the Civil War ended when Lee surrendered at Appomattox. This is not true, the war raged for another month after Lee surrendered. The Army of Northern Virginia was that good, that even unto this very day many people think the war ended when that army finally surrendered. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia fought for and defended my great home state of Virginia, there were no Sherman's marches through Virginia.
There is no need for further condemning a fallen enemy. The Union respected Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia, even though they were enemies for Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia were honorable warriors and showed great bravery and skill for a lost cause in an unwinnable war. The way people are behaving they do a disservice to the words and wishes of Lincoln himself.
And after all the Confederate memorials are done away with, then what? What's next to be purged? What next monument is to be destroyed because our ancestors don't live up to our "moral standards" of today? Hell, even the people of today don't live up to the moral standards being imposed, so we might as well just destroy it all. Dynamite Mount Rushmore, tear down the Jefferson memorial, remove Washington from the Federal Reserve Note, bulldoze Monticello. People are already calling for these things and more.
That's the problem, those who get offended just keep on getting offended about more and more things until there won't be anything left or until someone says "enough".
So the next time, mookie, you see or hear about the Taliban, ISIS or some other religious nut crew going around and destroying statues that they find offensive, I expect you to leap to their defense and remind everyone that they have the right to be offended and to destroy the subject of what offends them.
When local church leaders complain and want banned a painting of a person shitting on Jesus Christ because it offends them, I expect you to leap to their defense and remind people that such art should be destroyed because it offensive. You know it's offensive because someone is complaining about it. Thus, it should be burned.
So saith the Mookie!