Are we Judging Historical Figures in Perspective?
Have Faith & Judge Historical Figures in Perspective
2017 has been interesting for us Americans in many ways; especially with resurgence of the extreme far right. In most democratic countries hate speech and extreme fringe organization that promote violence are deemed unlawful. In our America, it is called freedom of speech. Whether we agree or disagree that is what it is.
Democrat left leaning electorate seems to believe that the worst is going to happen. They believe that President Trumps presidency will bring the end of America the Great. They do not believe that our great democracy is stronger than one Presidency or movement (extreme right).
People who grew up in the 60’s should remember the mood then. Vietnam War, Civil Rights demonstrations, Inner City Riots after Martin Luther murder, coupled with fear of Nuclear devastation bought forward by USSR. Even more hypothetical danger from 1960’s Nuclear China. Hope you remember the fear mongering of Nuclear China (when we did not recognize a nation with 750 million people) as a nation. Our view of China in the 60’s I believe was no different than North Korea today.
After the 2008 financial collapse Obama became the President. My friends on the Republican Right predicted complete economic collapse of America as we had elected a democrat like Obama. I disagreed and proposed that Obama was the right man for the time and American economy will recover.
Asked them to choose three data points that define Economic Recovery. They choose and after 4 years the American economy had beaten all their defined indicators. They now argued that those data points were not relevant and wanted more subjective evaluations!
Selective morality by the two extremes of the political spectrum does not really help good political discourse.
For 2017 we American’s elected President who believes in some of the principles proposed by the extreme right. However, President Trump is no more a Republican than George Wallace was Democrat.
The recent drive to save and / or remove confederate area statues and monuments is an exercise in futility. It does not change history. These are statutes of people who also contributed to make America what it is today. If we are going to start judging history based on today’s morality than all monuments and statues need to be removed. A recent article read in BBC was very enlightening. Read Should Washington and Jefferson monuments come down by Jude Sheerin, BBC News, Washington by CLICKING http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40978515.
Going Forward:
America has major challenges today, as we had before. Some of these challenges were different and some same. Race & Discrimination has been an issue since the founding of America and still is - we all know that. Our need is to look forward and not continue judging past generations. Please know that 100 years from now society will look at us and find us morally deficient on many issues also. It is so easy to blame the past rather that change the present.
Rather than removing old monuments let us spend the same political and social energy to honor others we have forgotten in the past. Erect statues honoring great American Indians, other White Americans, African Americans, American of Mexican Decent, Asian Americans and others. However, that is harder than just agitating against some civil war era statues.
Let us move forward and work to make America better for all Americans. President Trump is our president today – deal with it.
