The call has gone up: Statues begone!

Let’s pull a few more statues down today! Who’s with me? Whose statue should we target next? Let’s start with all the memorials and statues depicting heroic events and individuals that emerged during the Great Wars, because, ”Oh, when I see these, it makes me sad, because then I remember all the poor people who died during those conflicts!”

I’m appalled by this recent movement to pull down statues of historical figures who made important contributions, because on the other hand, they were also less than lily-white in their treatment of others or had shadier sides to their characters.

I have been a student of history for as long as I can remember. By the time I arrived in high school, I finally realized that written history does not always tell the whole story, nor does it necessarily tell the correct story.

History is written by or with the approval of those in power. Obviously no version of events that casts a shadow on the political greatness of the day could be approved let alone released to the masses. That said, I’m hoping that more recent events are being chronicled with less bias for future generations to digest.

Do we need to do a better job representing the fullness of these historical figures? Sure, if it will make you feel better! The thing is that it will not change events nor the way you feel about them. Go ahead and add larger plaques at the feet of these statues that tells the more complete tale of their accomplishments and travesties committed.

Marie Curie is well represented in statue. She was the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in both physics and chemistry. Wikipedia tells us that she is reported to have had an adulteress affair with a married man, physicist Paul Langevin. Should we add this factoid to her statues?

Our own Joseph Howe, a renowned statesman, journalist, and politician, was appointed the first Commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1842. His mandate was to, “improve the condition of the Mi’kmaq by furthering their cultural assimilation by continuing to settle them on reserve lands for agriculture…” (ojs.library.dal.ca/NSM/article/viewFile/6554/5743) Having thus served as an active assimilator of the indigenous people of Nova Scotia, should we not haul his statue down, too?

History chronicles, in addition to great accomplishments, atrocities that were committed against individuals, groups, and whole races.

True history cannot be changed; it is and it was. Our task is to learn from it, so as not to repeat mistakes of the past. We can’t do this if reminders of our history cease to be present.

I don’t know what has caused this, but the pendulum has swung to the place where we’re overly concerned about people’s feelings. I really don’t get this.

Why should other people be concerned about how I feel? Should I expect the world to stop its rotation until I feel ok?

Wikipedia tells us that the Highland Clearances in the 18th and 19th centuries resulted in mass voluntary emigration from Scotland, and that they, “devastated the cultural landscape of Scotland.” I can trace my roots back to Scotland, so this makes me feel sad. Should I sue for reparations?

As I said in a previous article, feelings are highly over-rated.

Look at an existing statue and say to yourself, “That was then. This is now.” It is important to remember this distinction. We cannot change the past, although we can change the present. Our focus should be on the present, which is fraught with increasing unrest, hate and violence.

By all means, let’s improve the version of history that is handed down to our school-age children so that they grow up with a more full understanding of past events, but let’s leave the statues alone.

“obviously no version of events that casts a shadow on the political greatness of the day could be approved let alone released to the masses.”