Protesters destroy confederate monument in Durham

[Soxoffender]

I dunno how things are in the US, but here in Europe we try to write the past down in books and keep them in libraries or even people's homes. Recently we've been storing the past on computers and making it available over the internet.

Things like statues and other memorials are used for people or events we feel are worth celebrating, on occasion as attitudes change we may feel that some people or events are no longer worth celebrating and we change the statue or other memorials, but that doesn't mean we change or hide the past that we have written down in books or computers.

We're hardly perfect about this stuff in Europe though. Cromwell is still outside the UK parliament and Franco's buried in the Valley of the Fallen and they're both divisive figures to say the least. There are plenty of Soviet era statues still around too. It's only in the last few years that Ukraine toppled statues of the man who starved their nation or there's the red soldier statue in Talinn (there were riots when they tried to move that), etc.

Freedom Square in Budapest is the best example I can think of here - a Red Army memorial shares space with a statue of Reagan and nearby there is a bust of Horthy (a staunch anti-communist and ally of Hitler). Even the holocaust memorial manages to be controversial, as it depicts poor Hungary as a victim of Nazi aggression rather than acknowledging the complicty of many Hungarians of the time.

TLDR: We erect statues and memorials to deeply controversial figures and groups and then argue about them just like they do in the US.

[Rennadrel]

This is typical of the the extremist liberals, rather than learning from history they seem to destroy it. How's that working out? Not very well because it's just brought more people to the side of the far right extremists who are against the wanton destruction of history.

[Wyrt]

This is typical of the the extremist liberals, rather than learning from history they seem to destroy it. How's that working out? Not very well because it's just brought more people to the side of the far right extremists who are against the wanton destruction of history.

It's a statue, not history. The civil war isn't magically erased from history books because a statue is gone.

[Deleted]

This is typical of the the extremist liberals, rather than learning from history they seem to destroy it. How's that working out? Not very well because it's just brought more people to the side of the far right extremists who are against the wanton destruction of history.

Yeah this is going to rile up even more people and might even help Trump get more votes next election.

[Deleted]

It's a statue, not history. The civil war isn't magically erased from history books because a statue is gone.

It's both, plus more, it's a symbol of a human state, human history and human condition are pretty much inter-whined.

The Indians used rain totems to invoke rain, it was an object that was associated and reminded them of the emotional state they needed to be in order to invoke rain.

Rain didn't happen of course, but only due to a lack of knowledge as to how rain actually happened, the ritual in itself was legit even if overly theatrical, it was organisation, it's what you have to do when you want to tackle serious problems, FOCUS. So to attack a statue is to disorganise, to break focus on a particular objective.

[Draco-Onis]

Its not forcing them I oppose the government from en roaching on state rights but what I am saying is why do people chose now with trump in the white house to take these things down when we had Obama. Nobody really reacted to them before. So its strikes me as rather odd especially with the south shifting patterns. I use to watch a lot of cnn as a kid and no where did I ever hear these confederate statues being problematic before hand. I only knew of kkk resurgence or the occasional neo Confederates making problems.

Because for some reason the right claimed Obama becoming president meant that racism had vanished.

[Blobfish]

Yall wont destroy the Dukes and the General Lee

[Draco-Onis]

Yeah this is going to rile up even more people and might even help Trump get more votes next election.

Oh please that is just an excuse, if that's what makes you jump on the Trump train you were already on board. I also find it hilarious that people keep claiming that liberals doing things like this will push people to Trump and not say it is going to be worse for Trump after what his alt right morons did in Charlottesville.

[joshual]

left or right..that destruction of public/private properties

[Donald Hellscream]

Man they really showed that inanimate object who is boss!

[Haven]

Odd. The statue stood for decades, but only now it has become so offensive it had to be demolished.

[Ryme]

Are they literally screeching while hitting an inanimate object?

[Deleted]

By the way i was under the impression that up until fairly recently the confederate stereotype included hating nazis as much as darn commies, or am i imagining things?

[Barnabas]

Not really surprising when kids today have no identity or purpose.

[unbound]

I don't understand the logic of destroying monuments. You can't erase the past, only hide it. Only people who hide things are either: ashamed or embarrassed.

Also, shameful to destroy a monument. It's dedicated to lives lost or accomplishments, not their ideology

Sorry, but BS.

Have you ever traveled to Germany? The holocaust memorials are not filled with statues of Hitler and Rommel. In fact, there are no statues of them. Do you think we need statues of Hitler and Rommel to remember the atrocities or the events of WWII? Do you really think putting up a statue of Rommel is some kind of dedication to well-meaning (but obviously stupid) Nazi Germany soldiers? Of course not...only a moron would think as much. This is also true of the confederate statues.

BTW, the vast majority of confederate statues were erected in the 50s and 60s as a warning to African Americans that many in the South were actively opposed to Civil Rights. You can deny this until you are blue in the face, but it doesn't change the reality of what those statues are.

And once you understand reality, not the fantasy you were sold, it makes sense why many people have a problem with those statues. Germany doesn't tolerate such blatant nonsense, and we shouldn't either.

That said, I disagree with the mobs tearing down the monuments. They should be taken down, but lets use the civilized process to get that accomplished by working through the law and local representatives.

[Barnabas]

Sorry, but BS.

Have you ever traveled to Germany? The holocaust memorials are not filled with statues of Hitler and Rommel. In fact, there are no statues of them. Do you think we need statues of Hitler and Rommel to remember the atrocities or the events of WWII? Do you really think putting up a statue of Rommel is some kind of dedication to well-meaning (but obviously stupid) Nazi Germany soldiers? Of course not...only a moron would think as much. This is also true of the confederate statues.

BTW, the vast majority of confederate statues were erected in the 50s and 60s as a warning to African Americans that many in the South were actively opposed to Civil Rights. You can deny this until you are blue in the face, but it doesn't change the reality of what those statues are.

And once you understand reality, not the fantasy you were sold, it makes sense why many people have a problem with those statues. Germany doesn't tolerate such blatant nonsense, and we shouldn't either.

That said, I disagree with the mobs tearing down the monuments. They should be taken down, but lets use the civilized process to get that accomplished by working through the law and local representatives.

Which has absolutely nothing to do with right now. We elected a black man president not once but twice. Keep taking your anger out on inanimate objects. Seems like it's all you guys have left lol.

[Narveid]

I thought this was the sort of idiocy you only saw in radical countries during chaotic times. I guess not. Disappointed in the left.

[Deleted]

Don't forget about the one located in Seattle, Wash.

Even worse. One thing is preserving history and other is erecting new statues to criminals.

[Tackhisis]

The holocaust memorials are not filled with statues of Hitler and Rommel.

Hitler and Rommel were war criminals.
The Confederate soldiers and generals were heroes.

[Wyrt]

Hitler and Rommel were war criminals.
The Confederate soldiers and generals were heroes.

I think you mean traitors who fought for the states' right to own people as property.