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posted by FatPhil on Tuesday August 22 2017, @04:37PM   Printer-friendly
from the we-could-tar-and-feather-them dept.

The President of the University of Texas at Austin released a letter regarding the removal of statues on the campus.

[...] The University of Texas at Austin is a public educational and research institution, first and foremost. The historical and cultural significance of the Confederate statues on our campus — and the connections that individuals have with them — are severely compromised by what they symbolize. Erected during the period of Jim Crow laws and segregation, the statues represent the subjugation of African Americans. That remains true today for white supremacists who use them to symbolize hatred and bigotry.

The University of Texas at Austin has a duty to preserve and study history. But our duty also compels us to acknowledge that those parts of our history that run counter to the university's core values, the values of our state and the enduring values of our nation do not belong on pedestals in the heart of the Forty Acres.

The issue isn't a new one, they first looked into the issue in 2015, and had a wide range of options including effectively turning the mall into an open air museum, which they eventually decided against. Should the statues be relocated from their historical context just because of the attitudes and behaviour of noisy minorities? (Your humble editor cannot forget the local riots when a historical but hostile-themed statue was relocated.)


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  • (Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday August 22 2017, @07:34PM (4 children)

    by krishnoid (1156) on Tuesday August 22 2017, @07:34PM (#557667)

    That someone once celebrated a person enough to put up statues to them is extremely historically relevant. That someone created the art itself is extremely culturally relevant.

    When you put it that way, I guess one point of view would be to archive that statement and document the specifics for the statue in question. Unless the actual physical object is also of relevance (which it might be).

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  • (Score: 2, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday August 22 2017, @07:39PM (3 children)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Tuesday August 22 2017, @07:39PM (#557672) Homepage Journal

    Historical art shouldn't be destroyed just because it's not popular. Its history is our history, good or bad. If it's currently too offensive to some fragile little snowflakes to stand looking at it, box it up and save it for posterity when you can again teach the children of this nation the truth about it.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 22 2017, @10:43PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 22 2017, @10:43PM (#557756)

      Alright, time to address your inherent insanity of the day.

      The Lee, Johnston and Reagan statues will be added to the collection of the Briscoe Center for scholarly study. The statue of James Hogg, governor of Texas (1891-1895), will be considered for re-installation at another campus site.

      So not only did the article state that these statues would go into a museum (did you even RTFA?) but there was zero mention of destruction. Your brain is out of whack due to its emotionally triggered state brought on by "muh statooos!"

      I'm not surprised you project your own issues outward with statements like "fragile little snowflakes", I think you'd have a full blown panic attack if you were capable of realizing that you are one of the biggest snowflakes around here that hides behind a shield of bravado. Try being human, flaws and all it is a much better experience than being a sentient animal at the mercy of every hormone and survival based neural pathway.

      • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday August 23 2017, @12:44PM (1 child)

        by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Wednesday August 23 2017, @12:44PM (#557954) Homepage Journal

        I think your reading comprehension is lacking. You are seeing an argument with their actions where there is none. I was agreeing with what they did, dipshit.

        --
        My rights don't end where your fear begins.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 23 2017, @03:47PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 23 2017, @03:47PM (#558043)

          Go back to school, you obviously need to take some courses on writing. You seem unable to clearly state your meaning and repeatedly have to clarify what you meant.