Hello, hello, hello! How are you? How is your summer going?
For starters . . . allow me to throw the skunk on the proverbial table: in terms of the summer blogs, I've been slacking off. Oddly enough, there have been so many fascinating topics being discussed on a local, regional, and national level that I have been struggling to get a handle on how to frame some of them for this blog assignment.
Of course, if you have been keeping your head above the water, you are probably realizing that we are living through tumultuous times where some Americans are making arguments for change: changes in how we look at history, changes in laws and policies and institutions, changes in how we see ourselves as a culture and a nation. Even here on the local level, Saugatuck Public Schools has been hosting a discussion on whether or not to change our mascot away from the "Indians." (We will get to that debate at some point!)
On the other hand, others are pushing back and arguing for a different approach or even the status quo. So . . . let's focus in on one aspect of these calls for change: the debate about public statues. Who we as a society honor as well as how and why we honor different Americans is certainly a worthy question to ask from time to time because, presumably, statues in public places reflect our values. In the last few weeks, some Confederate War statues, for example, have tumbled to the ground, and there's been spirited debate about everything from renaming military bases to professional sports teams. Just for the record, I'm a fan of spirited debate, and I think it's unrealistic to think we all have to agree on everything.
I have assembled four sources here starting with the Ken Burns video above that features an opening and closing clip from AP-recommended author James Baldwin. Please watch the video and then read the following three short opinion essays about the status of different statues in our country. Note that I have included a variety of viewpoints here that do not necessarily see this issue in the same way. Also, just a heads up ~ the final piece discusses the reality of rape during the times of slavery, so you have been warned.
Then, for the first part of this blog, please think about this issue as a whole and offer your opinion in approximately 200 to 300 words on any aspect of one or two of these four opinion pieces and/or this debate in general: What should the criteria be for keeping or removing a statue? What should be done with them if they are removed? How should we decide these questions? How should we NOT decide this questions? What parts of any of these opinion pieces resonate with you? Why? (For now, let's hold off on discussing the mascot issue.)
Finally, for the second part, in order to make this more of an interactive discussion, please reply to at least two different comments that other students have made.
For starters . . . allow me to throw the skunk on the proverbial table: in terms of the summer blogs, I've been slacking off. Oddly enough, there have been so many fascinating topics being discussed on a local, regional, and national level that I have been struggling to get a handle on how to frame some of them for this blog assignment.
Of course, if you have been keeping your head above the water, you are probably realizing that we are living through tumultuous times where some Americans are making arguments for change: changes in how we look at history, changes in laws and policies and institutions, changes in how we see ourselves as a culture and a nation. Even here on the local level, Saugatuck Public Schools has been hosting a discussion on whether or not to change our mascot away from the "Indians." (We will get to that debate at some point!)
On the other hand, others are pushing back and arguing for a different approach or even the status quo. So . . . let's focus in on one aspect of these calls for change: the debate about public statues. Who we as a society honor as well as how and why we honor different Americans is certainly a worthy question to ask from time to time because, presumably, statues in public places reflect our values. In the last few weeks, some Confederate War statues, for example, have tumbled to the ground, and there's been spirited debate about everything from renaming military bases to professional sports teams. Just for the record, I'm a fan of spirited debate, and I think it's unrealistic to think we all have to agree on everything.
I have assembled four sources here starting with the Ken Burns video above that features an opening and closing clip from AP-recommended author James Baldwin. Please watch the video and then read the following three short opinion essays about the status of different statues in our country. Note that I have included a variety of viewpoints here that do not necessarily see this issue in the same way. Also, just a heads up ~ the final piece discusses the reality of rape during the times of slavery, so you have been warned.
Then, for the first part of this blog, please think about this issue as a whole and offer your opinion in approximately 200 to 300 words on any aspect of one or two of these four opinion pieces and/or this debate in general: What should the criteria be for keeping or removing a statue? What should be done with them if they are removed? How should we decide these questions? How should we NOT decide this questions? What parts of any of these opinion pieces resonate with you? Why? (For now, let's hold off on discussing the mascot issue.)
Finally, for the second part, in order to make this more of an interactive discussion, please reply to at least two different comments that other students have made.
- “Why Removing Historical Monuments Is a Bad Idea” by Rob Natelson in The Hill
- “After the Statues Fall” by Bret Stephens in The New York Times
- “You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is a Confederate Monument” by Caroline Randall Williams in The New York Times