this reads like you're afraid of being left behind more than you're worried about historical revisionism it's dishonest to conflate "we should be able to make mistakes and grow as people" with "we should revere and protect a statue of a man who kept and raped slaves" you've done things that you're ashamed of - did you ever own slaves, or rape anybody? did you say the n-word once in a while? got pushy with a girl at a bar? did you think a bad thought about somebody at some point? you have your own life, point of view, blind spots, things you've been screwed over on - so does everybody. right? culture war stuff like this scares liberals the same way that fox news broadcasts of mexicans flooding over the border scares conservatives, and i urge you to think about whether it makes sense to fear being cancelled you are not in danger from the young or the left! i promise - now please don't greenwald yourself -don't become an old man in the head
Being left behind? Lol. By whom? I am not afraid of anything. I am disturbed that people can’t recognize the complexity of the human condition. Jefferson himself is an example of hypocrisy and self delusionment. Simultaneously arguing to eradicate slavery and he owned something like 600 slaves.He also largely helped to craft our republic. There’s both good and bad there. Instead of tearing down statues, why not acknowledge that? And when I talk about myself being ashamed, it largely stems from saying mean things to people when I was a kid. If any of that had been on social media and I ran for office, you can bet they would dredge it up. I’m not a kid anymore, I have changed my thinking and I am less insecure. Now, I understand that comparing that to owning human beings is a stretch. But also comparing 2021 to the 1780s is also a stretch. I’m disturbed by the far right and the far left these days. This smacks as far left to me.
Why is the idea inextricable from the man, for you? Why do we have to worship the whole man, and not just his good ideas? The man was a fucking tool. A complete asshole. Doesn't mean he didn't have good ideas. Why do you require us to burden ourselves with the full man, instead of just recognizing a good idea - wherever it came from - and building on that idea?
The idea came from a man. That man had a life that lead to that idea. That man made choices of study, of pursuit that lead to that idea, that moment, that novel, that piece of music, that speech. Some choices awful, some not. It's right to study men/women for what formed them and their physical form has been a symbol of that journey since we took a chisel to stone. That said, I worship no man. Quite a different thing to enjoy a statue than to worship its subject. I have always liked the quote from the Buddhist sage, Lin Chi, "If you see the Buddha on the trail. Kill him." To me this has always meant that it's not the Buddha, it's the teachings. It's not the statue, but the journey of the man/woman the statue is meant to portray.
Study of the man is a worthy and valuable thing to do, in the right context and time/place. There is absolutely zero value to erecting a statue of the man, as a person. In fact, it ossifies the man and his works/thoughts, rather than allowing us to continue to evaluate the man and his doings in light of an evolving and changing society. Again, the statue has zero intrinsic value, and has a very real possibility of making his equals feel like outsiders or outcasts. What possible value does the statue provide? Nothing.
I'm sure you've been to Washington DC. I'm sure you've seen the monuments of our founders and those that shaped our countries history. When you were there did the statues make you feel like an outsider or an outcast? Honestly? That's so foreign to me. When I see the statue of MLK I am embolden towards his greatest virtues. When I see the statue of FDR in his wheelchair, and the statue of a family listening to a fireside chat of his, I am reminded that a person, a handicapped man (yes, old and white), helped to steer a country through incredibly dire times. A human. It's right to celebrate each other as humans. I cannot even believe that I am having to have a discussion about it being right and proper to use the art form of sculpture to represent human struggle and achievement. Art has amazing intrinsic value. This statue that started this discussion was commissioned by a Jewish man that felt indebted to Jefferson for fighting for religious freedoms. That story alone has intrinsic value. The debate that this statue has stirred up has intrinsic value. I can understand having a debate as to weather or not Thomas Jefferson's misdeeds should make us rethink his place in history. But debating the intrinsic value of sculptures of the human experience/form is, to me, bonkers.
The only statue in DC that had any effect on me at all, was the Lincoln Monument. It is awe inspiring, and the quotes on the walls are poignant even today. Every other statue was devoid of context or message. Which Roosevelt was it in a wheelchair? Which one implemented the New Deal? Which one didn't shoot a bear? No idea. Just more men on pedestals, devoid of valuable information or context. But I was moved to tears at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. (As I was at the 9/11 memorial in NYC, too.) The grave of the Unknown Soldier is a powerful monument with a gravity and apparent purpose that inspires visitors to speak in a whispered hush. THAT's good statuary/art/monumenting; the message is apparent and powerful, regardless of the era it is viewed in, or the people involved.