The South's Loyal Slave Monuments Have To Go

[The Reverend Bob]

In the South in not only did they put up monuments dedicated to treasonous scum that betrayed flag and country, they dare to put up monuments to perpetuate the myth that slaves loved being slaves and love their masters. In effect doing such was a vicious and cynical attempt to revise history and undermine the reality of the true horrors and terrors of slavery. They put up monuments of soldiers going off to war kissing black babies as if they were the true protectors of these poor black children, monuments on churches for slaves who prayed in earnest for the safe return of their master who is going off to sacrifice all for them and a statue of black man ( called The Good Darky) which praises their victims for being "good negroes" by being obedient slaves.

Such a callous public display of cruelty is nothing but a symptom of the racist psychopathy that plagues the South, a disgusting pornographic display of the dark subtle spirit of the vile hatred and bigotry of white men and women who condone and enjoy such twisted lies and narratives, propaganda that calls evil good and good evil. These statue should be not only removed but smashed to piece and erase forever.

"The Good Darky" statue

The Heyward Shepherd memorial

The Pernicious Myth of the ‘Loyal Slave’ Lives on in Confederate Memorials | History | Smithsonian

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

As usual, I'll suggest caution in judging historical events by modern senses of morality. While the monuments you mention are unacceptable in a modern context, is it possible that, in their time, they were representative of what they are claimed to represent? Slavery as an institution was complex. I just think, well, building such monuments seems like an awful lot of effort to go to if they're not meant to memorialise what you're claiming they memorialise. "Good negros" as such, seems an abhorrent concept to us today, but on the face of it, I have to think that the people who built the monuments believed they were genuinely praising what they believed was appropriate behaviour, rather than as some sort of manipulative propaganda piece, or something.

Note well, not in any way condoning slavery, or victim blaming, or excusing anything, merely pointing out that the modern context and sensibilities aren't universal. There's undoubtedly stuff we consider a commonplace that our descendents 150 years from now will be horrified by.

A couple of questions; Do we know that's meant to be a black baby the soldier is kissing? I just wonder if it's his own child being handed to him by a nanny? Maybe? It just seems... odd to have a Confederate randomly kissing a black baby, otherwise. Maybe he is, I just don't get it.

 

[We Never Know]

In the South in not only did they put up monuments dedicated to treasonous scum that betrayed flag and country, they dare to put up monuments to perpetuate the myth that slaves loved being slaves and love their masters. In effect doing such was a vicious and cynical attempt to revise history and undermine the reality of the true horrors and terrors of slavery. They put up monuments of soldiers going off to war kissing black babies as if they were the true protectors of these poor black children, monuments on churches for slaves who prayed in earnest for the safe return of their master who is going off to sacrifice all for them and a statue of black man ( called The Good Darky) which praises their victims for being "good negroes" by being obedient slaves.

Such a callous public display of cruelty is nothing but a symptom of the racist psychopathy that plagues the South, a disgusting pornographic display of the dark subtle spirit of the vile hatred and bigotry of white men and women who condone and enjoy such twisted lies and narratives, propaganda that calls evil good and good evil. These statue should be not only removed but smashed to piece and erase forever.

"The Good Darky" statue

The Heyward Shepherd memorial

The Pernicious Myth of the ‘Loyal Slave’ Lives on in Confederate Memorials | History | Smithsonian

IMO since they have removed Confederate statues because they are a reminder of slavery, hurtful and represent hate/racism then all those as well need to be removed because those statues depict the same story of that time.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

As usual, I'll suggest caution in judging historical events by modern senses of morality. While the monuments you mention are unacceptable in a modern context, is it possible that, in their time, they were representative of what they are claimed to represent? Slavery as an institution was complex. I just think, well, building such monuments seems like an awful lot of effort to go to if they're not meant to memorialise what you're claiming they memorialise. "Good negros" as such, seems an abhorrent concept to us today, but on the face of it, I have to think that the people who built the monuments believed they were genuinely praising what they believed was appropriate behaviour, rather than as some sort of manipulative propaganda piece, or something.

Note well, not in any way condoning slavery, or victim blaming, or excusing anything, merely pointing out that the modern context and sensibilities aren't universal. There's undoubtedly stuff we consider a commonplace that our descendents 150 years from now will be horrified by.

A couple of questions; Do we know that's meant to be a black baby the soldier is kissing? I just wonder if it's his own child being handed to him by a nanny? Maybe? It just seems... odd to have a Confederate randomly kissing a black baby, otherwise. Maybe he is, I just don't get it.

No, it's bs. All of these Confederate monuments were built after the Civil War. They were put up to intimidate black people, rewrite history and support Jim Crow culture. Slavery was brutal and horrible. Go watch a movie like 12 Years a Slave, which is based on a true story to get an idea of how horrific it was. There were slave rebellions for a reason.

‘Loyal Slave’ Monuments Tell a Racist Lie About American History

 

[The Reverend Bob]

IMO since they have removed Confederate statues because they are a reminder of slavery, hurtful and represent hate/racism then all those as well need to be removed because those statues depict the same story of that time.

That one with the soldier kissing the baby is the Robert E. Lee memorial at Arlington.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

As usual, I'll suggest caution in judging historical events by modern senses of morality. While the monuments you mention are unacceptable in a modern context, is it possible that, in their time, they were representative of what they are claimed to represent? Slavery as an institution was complex. I just think, well, building such monuments seems like an awful lot of effort to go to if they're not meant to memorialise what you're claiming they memorialise. "Good negros" as such, seems an abhorrent concept to us today, but on the face of it, I have to think that the people who built the monuments believed they were genuinely praising what they believed was appropriate behaviour, rather than as some sort of manipulative propaganda piece, or something.

Note well, not in any way condoning slavery, or victim blaming, or excusing anything, merely pointing out that the modern context and sensibilities aren't universal. There's undoubtedly stuff we consider a commonplace that our descendents 150 years from now will be horrified by.

A couple of questions; Do we know that's meant to be a black baby the soldier is kissing? I just wonder if it's his own child being handed to him by a nanny? Maybe? It just seems... odd to have a Confederate randomly kissing a black baby, otherwise. Maybe he is, I just don't get it.

Worth a quick read, as it applies to many statues and monuments.

United Daughters of the Confederacy - Wikipedia

 

[Revoltingest]

Let's demolish Davis's obelisk too.
Jefferson Davis State Historic Site - Wikipedia
And next the Jefferson Memorial in DC.
History must be sanitized!

 

[The Reverend Bob]

Let's demolish Davis's obelisk too.
History must be sanitized!

How is removing memorials dedicated to racists and extolling the virtues of slavery going to sanitize history?

 

[Revoltingest]

How is removing memorials dedicated to racists and extolling the virtues of slavery going to sanitize history?

Because people won't see the offensive structures & their messages.
If they remain, it would keep the history alive in people's minds.
Demolishing them smacks too much of the Taliban's motives, ie, to
remove or destroy that which offends.
Better it would be to erect explanatory exhibits at the same site.

 

[The Reverend Bob]

Because people won't see the offensive structures & their messages.
If they remain, it would keep the subject more alive.
It smacks too much of the Taliban's motives, ie, to
demolish that which offends. Better it would be to
erect explanatory exhibits at the same site.

So after the Fall of Berlin, the allies should have just left all those Reichsadlers, swastikas and statues of Hitler up because it would have kept the subject more alive?

 

[We Never Know]

Because people won't see the offensive structures & their messages.
If they remain, it would keep the history alive in people's minds.
Demolishing them smacks too much of the Taliban's motives, ie, to
remove or destroy that which offends.
Better it would be to erect explanatory exhibits at the same site.

IMO none of the statues should have been removed. You can't erase or changed history by doing so. They should have been left up and used for learning the history of a time that shouldn't have happened.

 

[Revoltingest]

So after the Fall of Berlin, the allies should have just left all those Reichsadlers, swastikas and statues of Hitler up because it would have kept the subject more alive?

To preserve "all" is a mischievous absurd suggestion, of course.
But they should've left some legacy.
People should know their history, & be offended by much of it.

 

[The Reverend Bob]

Aye, they should've left some legacy.
People should know their history, &
be offended by much of it.

And all those states to Stalin and Saddam should have been left up too?

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

That one with the soldier kissing the baby is the Robert E. Lee memorial at Arlington.

Cool, doesn't really answer my question, though

 

[The Reverend Bob]

Cool, doesn't really answer my question, though

What question?

 

[Revoltingest]

And all those states statues to Stalin and Saddam should have been left up too?

You keep using "all", even though I haven't.
What's up with that?

Btw, I fixed your post.

 

[The Reverend Bob]

You keep using "all", even though I haven't.
What's up with that?

As in all those statues of Stalin and his ilk? There are online dictionary if you have problems understanding the word

 

[Revoltingest]

As in all those statues of Stalin and his ilk? There are online dictionary if you have problems understanding the word

That's rather snarky for a guy who couldn't spell "statue"
What's your justification for wanting to talibanize the statues?

 

[crossfire]

In the South in not only did they put up monuments dedicated to treasonous scum that betrayed flag and country, they dare to put up monuments to perpetuate the myth that slaves loved being slaves and love their masters. In effect doing such was a vicious and cynical attempt to revise history and undermine the reality of the true horrors and terrors of slavery. They put up monuments of soldiers going off to war kissing black babies as if they were the true protectors of these poor black children, monuments on churches for slaves who prayed in earnest for the safe return of their master who is going off to sacrifice all for them and a statue of black man ( called The Good Darky) which praises their victims for being "good negroes" by being obedient slaves.

Such a callous public display of cruelty is nothing but a symptom of the racist psychopathy that plagues the South, a disgusting pornographic display of the dark subtle spirit of the vile hatred and bigotry of white men and women who condone and enjoy such twisted lies and narratives, propaganda that calls evil good and good evil. These statue should be not only removed but smashed to piece and erase forever.

Methinks it would be much more effective to leave the statues there and expose them (via memes if necessary) as you are interpretting them.

 

[The Reverend Bob]

That's rather snarky for a guy who couldn't spell "statue"

Is this a ****ing spelling bee?