Statues to people who deserve them- Built and unbuilt

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

I'm not making any merit claims for anyone here, but this seems a vaguely relevant place to record my surprise, back in the early 80s, at finding a statue of Ernest Hemingway in Pamplona that had clearly already been put up (outside the bull-fighting arena) well before the death of Franco. I'd assumed that any such tribute would have been suppressed due to Republican (in the Spanish Civil War sense) sympathies on EH's part apparent from For Whom the Bell Tolls, but I suppose he was sufficiently close to neutral for his politics not to be too much of an issue for the Spanish authorities when weighed up against his promotion of Spanish culture, at least in the later part of Franco's rule when the fascist regime was securely entrenched.

[Sporting]

Rolls eyes. Fuck Gandhi.

Come on TG, there were and are much worse than him. Why don't we all concentrate on modern day fascists and racists rather than waste energy on the deceased?

[Satchmo Distel]

Rolls eyes.
Surely you had better things to do with your time than pay respects to him?

I'm going to be teaching about him in the Fall and we were vacationing nearby after visiting Nashville so it was research as well as honouring someone I admire.

That doesn't mean the lesson will be uncritical. I will ask students to write an essay evaluating whether non-violence was an effective tactic or whether Malcolm X's rejection of non-violence was a better stance. They would need to engage their brains rather than just rolling their eyes and asking the teacher to do all the work in the manner of an Internet warrior.

On a personal level, I think you can admire someone's courage and character whilst disagreeing with them on non-violence, so I'd never have a problem with honouring Lewis, MLK or Gandhi (I'd agree that the 1983 film by Attenbrough on Gandhi was a load of bollocks, despite a great lead performance). The statue being in Cardiff is like London having streets named after Mandela: virtue signalling by councils.

[Tactical Genius]

Come on TG, there were and are much worse than him. Why don't we all concentrate on modern day fascists and racists rather than waste energy on the deceased?

That's a fair point which i agree with. But I felt duty bound to register my disapproval of him for reasons most of you are aware of.

I'm going to be teaching about him in the Fall and we were vacationing nearby after visiting Nashville so it was research as well as honouring someone I admire.

Can you tell me what about Lewis you admire. This is a serious and not a trick question mind.

That doesn't mean the lesson will be uncritical. I will ask students to write an essay evaluating whether non-violence was an effective tactic or whether Malcolm X's rejection of non-violence was a better stance.

What has this got to do with John Lewis? (shit, i have exposed that my previous question was indeed a trick question dammit)

They would need to engage their brains rather than just rolling their eyes and asking the teacher to do all the work in the manner of an Internet warrior.

The Tactical Genius calls low blow, 1 point deducted from Satchmo

On a personal level, I think you can admire someone's courage and character whilst disagreeing with them on non-violence, so I'd never have a problem with honouring Lewis, MLK or Gandhi (I'd agree that the 1983 film by Attenbrough on Gandhi was a load of bollocks, despite a great lead performance). The statue being in Cardiff is like London having streets named after Mandela: virtue signalling by councils.

My issue with Gandhi has little to do with his non-violent protest (it has been overplayed somewhat in how it contributed to a free India) but more in his attitudes towards black people.
See here for an elabouration of my point.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-34265882

Gandhi is from that section of Indian society who have spent time in Africa who consider themselves as dark-skinned white people and look down on black people. Pritti Patel (I suspect) is a modern day example.
Dr Ambedkar every day of the week.

Finally, mentioning Lewis in the same sentence as Gandhi and MLK is an insult, doing that in the presence of black and Indian people will get illicit plenty of Eye-rolling.
Your going to get into good trouble.

[Satchmo Distel]

I admire Lewis for his bravery for walking into situations, in service of his beliefs, which could have got him killed, and for not succumbing to the temptation to retaliate. But it does not mean I agree it was the best strategy.

[Hot Pepsi]

There's a statue of Gandhi in Cardiff Bay. I have no idea why or what connection Gandhi has with Cardiff at all.

We have an MLK Plaza downtown. He did speak at Penn State once, but not on that spot.

[Tactical Genius]

I admire Lewis for his bravery for walking into situations, in service of his beliefs, which could have got him killed, and for not succumbing to the temptation to retaliate. But it does not mean I agree it was the best strategy.

What he did wasn't especially brave. He was in a large group of people on the day and there have been many similar protests in the decades since. Those marches were the best part of 60 years ago and it kinda shows what an unremarkable life he has lived as he talks about it every freaking time.

As I continually say, you can't trust these old civil rights Nakers. They sold out the subsequent generations.

[Nefertiti2]

Vandalised

https://twitter.com/hagenilda/status/1378028525727445001?s=21

[Mr Delicieux]

There's a statue of Gandhi in Cardiff Bay. I have no idea why or what connection Gandhi has with Cardiff at all.

There's one of Gandhi here in Helsinki, at Allotrian Park in Vallila.
No idea why. A cursory search just then didn't help clear it up.

[scratchmonkey]

A short article on my favorite statue in my hometown (which stands only a short distance from Malcolm X Elementary, which I attended for three years):

https://www.berkeleyside.com/2016/07...illiam-rumford

[Mr Delicieux]

What he did wasn't especially brave. He was in a large group of people on the day and there have been many similar protests in the decades since. Those marches were the best part of 60 years ago and it kinda shows what an unremarkable life he has lived as he talks about it every freaking time.

As I continually say, you can't trust these old civil rights Nakers. They sold out the subsequent generations.

Just to back you up here TG, this made my eyes spin in their sockets.

https://www.twitter.com/repjohnlewis/status/751432205826715648?lang=en

[Tactical Genius]

What conclusions did you draw from that?

[Mr Delicieux]

Mainly that Stockholm syndrome is definitely a thing.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

There's one of Gandhi here in Helsinki, at Allotrian Park in Vallila.
No idea why. A cursory search just then didn't help clear it up.

There's a statue of Frank Zappa in Vilnius. I think people just get VERY bored during Baltic winters.

[Levin]

Has the statue of Columbo in Budapest been mentioned?

I like the Bela Bartok statue in South Ken.

[elguapo4]

There's apparently one of Nelson Mandela in Merrion Square in Dublin. That is one of my regular running routes, and I have yet to find it.

[Mr Delicieux]

I'd like to share with you a statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel in my hometown of Bristol.
Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination!

[Patrick Thistle]

There's apparently one of Nelson Mandela in Merrion Square in Dublin. That is one of my regular running routes, and I have yet to find it.

Is this the local version of the Mandela Effect?

[Antepli Ejderha]

I'd like to share with you a statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel in my hometown of Bristol.
Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination!

That's the spitting image of him. Willie Wonka that is.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Has the statue of Columbo in Budapest been mentioned?

I like the Bela Bartok statue in South Ken.

There's a Ronald Reagan statue in Budapest too.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Given my limited understanding of who Buddha was and what he stood for, would he really have wanted enormous gilded statues of himself all over south east Asia? He wasn't Donald Trump.

[Nefertiti2]

Time for a statue for Priyamvada Gopal I reckon

https://twitter.com/PriyamvadaGopal/status/1378399367057567746?s=20

[Antepli Ejderha]

Time for a statue for Priyamvada Gopal I reckon

https://twitter.com/PriyamvadaGopal/status/1378399367057567746?s=20

The link's broken Nef

[Nefertiti2]

she named the producer previously

https://twitter.com/PriyamvadaGopal/status/1378398270628769792?s=20

[Satchmo Distel]

Roberto Clemente, mentioned above, apparently is second only to Pele for having monuments dedicated to a sportsperson. Many of them are in his home city, Carolina, Puerto Rico, although some may have sustained hurricane damage. There are parks in his honour in various cities.

As I am in San Juan today, I paid my respects at the Plaza Del Maestro dedicated to 12 educators (including notable suffragists), all of whose names were new to me, along with a beautiful Holocaust memorial and one dedicated to the 17 Puerto Rican victims of the 1972 Lod massacre. The whole of that area is very well designed; solemn and tasteful and beautifully integrated into the wider space.