Stoney faced

Your article “Neglect of notable capital women laid bare” was astonishing (28 July).

It tells of a new exhibition, supposed to highlight “the absence of women” among the city’s statues, and shows a young woman making an incomprehensible gesture at a statue of John Knox, whose small significance was to lead the Reformation in Scotland. Not worth bothering about, clearly.

Statues in Edinburgh and other cities around the world reflect society as it was at the time. It is adolescent to try to change that. However, the blatant racism of the film being shown at the Tron must be questioned. Apparently, it shows young people “questioning Edinburgh’s legacy of largely honouring white men over the centuries”. Really?

What other kind of men were there to honour? Why are the men of Edinburgh worthy of negative criticism for being white?

Admittedly, the comments made by the young people do show their ignorance as to who the people were. If the youngsters in question are Scots, it merely reflects on the inadequacy of their education, or of their interest in finding out about the people. It is very much a reflection upon their own inadequacies, rather than the reason for the statues being there in the first place.

However, as a white man in a country whose native males are white, it is thoroughly objectionable to read one young person’s racist opinion that looking up at a statue is “to let a white man look down on you”. Perhaps a statue to the Moorish slavers who preyed on our coastal villages for centuries would be approved of?

ANDREW HN GRAY

Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh