Quite frankly my dear, I do give a damn.

'Foreskins in the sky' will be next, mark my words.

 

Yippyayayyy, yippyayo'o

 

I notice you're capitalising that phrase ...

... is this official, usual or just your personal preference.

I'm only asking because I've never seen it used before.

 

I'd love to ride my mountain bike up 'The Struggle' . . . . alas, it's neewhere near any of our C2C routes

Cumbrian & Rooch will know where it is

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...tml?ito=push-notification&ci=19332&si=5975286

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Capitalised because it is singular ie; a world free of racism like The Black Freedom Struggle (Googled that bit)

 

I do mate they are still sorting through the pensioners and the rubble after a full coach went down there a few years back

 

Thing is we’d never have statues of anyone if everyone had to be perfect. As I see it the statue of Churchill for example is there because of his role in leading the country during the war not to celebrate his views on race. Views which the majority of the population in those days probs held. Can’t judge historical figures by today’s standards. That’s not to say that I think history should be air brushed, but it certainly shouldn’t be destroyed.
Now those confederate statues in the US, they probably should go. The confederacy lost. Why on earth do they have statues of traitors?

 

Because they represent the fight against slavery and black equality, which many white Americans in former Confederate states yearn for.

 

Many people have put up statues and paid for, or being in a position of power have been able to orchestrate funds to honour themselves, so in one sense these prominent and elevated individuals have no right to dominate our public spaces, they have no context today and some our counter to the moral standard we seek to uphold today. In Eastern Europe they erased Stalin from their places of civic pride, in Germany, they not only removed the Nazi sculptures they have also renamed some of the streets as well. So should Edinburgh erase the name of Dundas from their streets too? Well it is being discussed ...

We could simply leave them be as an item of antiquity. like that ugly thing in the middle of Durham, I expect the silent majority reaction in Durham to this would be something along the lines of "**** it, just leave it" and "So what?". Then again, if you consider the modern art work on view in the Cathedral I'm certain it could be replaced by something much more interesting.

Personally I'm think I'm leaning more towards the 'oh, fer fuxake' side and leave Dundas be. Most people are not super-dooper PC or desperately keen to display their political awareness and if for instance, we were to start looking at quaint follies in some lovely countryside locations -a logical extension of the debate, I would switch sides and vehemently defend the whole damn lot! ...except a statue honouring the life of Margaret Thatcher is political and definitely not the same thing.

 

What's the problem with Uncle Ben, how is it in any way racist or demeaning?

It has a face of a friendly black man who's obviously been successful ...

... I thought that people were asking for more positive images of black people, not less.

 

I have no idea, but I think in some ways it illustrates how the debate or Struggle* can get derailed. I think individual cases of statues or emblems are a matter for sensible local or national debate


* I'm not baiting here just emphasising that the real debate is about working towards an end to racism in all its guises

 

Ironically it's the people involved, and those who jump on the bandwagon, who will derail it.

People posting on forums won't do it, even right wing idiots won't do it.

What will derail it is ludicrous attacks on 300 year old statues, wanton criminal damage, attacks on police and bullying poor old Uncle Ben.

I'm all for ending racism but this isn't the best way imo.

Lecturing decent people that they're part of the problem and shouting 'silence is violence' at them will just make them turn away.

It was like when the admirable women's movement started with their 'All men are rapists' craic.


I just thought 'Reetio pet, now get in the kitchen and put the kettle on'.

 

It might not have helped with your domestics

Actually I came on here to get a handle on other people's viewpoints in this debate and my experience of safcnot606 off-topic threads often do just the trick, let's face it I cannae gan doon the pub. Not long ago I poured over every post on Corona thread before the lockdown started and didn't post nowt.

Just saying like ...

 

I agree with you, the extreme element of anti-racist campaigners can have a harming impact on the debate

 

I guess that most people are like me in that they won't join any protest , march or movement that resorts to violence -- and as you say , are more likely to withdraw any sympathy, Just the same as, I don't want to see animals suffer, but I won't entertain in any way the animal rights mob.

 

I give to my preferred charity and that's it.

If I'm watching daytime TV, and the adverts come on, as soon as I hear the minor piano chords I switch over.

I can't be doing with shock ads of crippled donkeys and some 12 year old girl being forced into a marriage.

We have mistreated animals here and underage girls groomed and passed around ....

.... get all that sorted and we can start on the rest of the world.

In any case where do these people get off interfering in other races cultures. If foreigners have the legal right to marry kids isn't it racism trying to force our will on them.

 

I wasn't just talking about the extreme element ...

... this 'silence is violence' type stuff seems to be one of the basic precepts tbh.

 

Yeah I get what you’re saying. Stalin murdered tens of millions and the nazis, well they were nazis.
So, ultimately not comparable with the likes of Churchill. Still statues of Mao all over China of course and he was responsible for 100 million deaths.
At the end of it all of a political party runs with a policy of removing statues and wins power then ok. Until then a bunch of petulant anarchists shouldn’t be allowed to hold sway.

 

It’s what happens when the narrative is controlled Smug.