Statue Elections

Statue Elections

Statues should be erected for a term of 10 to 20 years. Schools or towns that have them should hold an election as to whether or not to keep them in place for another term, or to replace them with new ones more befitting the sensibilities of the towns people or students at that time.

When a statue has reached the end of it's term having a replacement elected, it should not be destroyed. It should be carefully taken down and sold at auction to the highest bidder.

A ceremony should be undertaken so that all that hold to the principles of it's erection may reflect and rejoice or morn in the passage of time and it's irrevocable impact on us all . And as it is ceremoniously taken down a new one erected with that in mind, that it to one day may not reflect what is honorable to our descendants.

I can picture that day when those old statues have gathered in rich men's estates or moldy storage spaces. I can picture them gazing at each other from their stony eyes and saying, ''Hey Lee,, statue?

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

why not just make statues illegal? ANY statue. Who knows who might be offended by it in the future.

Can you explain what if any statue hurt you or damaged your psyche?

Why wait 10 or 20 years?

Do it with every local/state/federal election.

Automatic referendum.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Terry, you know, statues are kind of expensive to just be used for 10 to 20 years.

That said, I've sort of lost interest in the whole statue thing and I'd just as soon see them all taken down. All of them. In the US at least. I mean, lets face it, as fractured and factious as this society has become, its no longer the case that even 51% of the population could agree on an acceptable "statue". Elections for statues would of course be as hopelessly bogus as most all of our elections.

A pox on the damned statues!

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: TerryMcGuire

why not just make statues illegal? ANY statue. Who knows who might be offended by it in the future.

Can you explain what if any statue hurt you or damaged your psyche?

None dude. I am not bothered by statues, after all they are glorification of times past, not times immortal.
I oppose desecration. I oppose vandals of any sort, any political persuasion who take it into their own hands to dictate what is right or what is wrong.

a reply to: network dude

why not just make statues illegal? ANY statue. Who knows who might be offended by it in the future.

Statues aren't offensive, its what they remind everyone of that is being expunged.

The reason for tearing them down has to appear like something else besides erasing history. Because the statues they are mostly focusing on are the Founding Fathers, the rebels, the last vestiges of The Constitution the Bill of Rights, the Civil War, etc.

These things aren't taught in grade school anymore, or if they are, they are minimized and downplayed.

Might as well tear down any remaining connections to all that.

But make it look like its about race, slavery, extremism.

originally posted by: xuenchen
Why wait 10 or 20 years?

Do it with every local/state/federal election.

Automatic referendum.

That would work. My thoughts above were whimsy and indeed considered the arbitrary time limits. Every four years would work just as well.

originally posted by: TonyS
a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Terry, you know, statues are kind of expensive to just be used for 10 to 20 years.

That said, I've sort of lost interest in the whole statue thing and I'd just as soon see them all taken down. All of them. In the US at least. I mean, lets face it, as fractured and factious as this society has become, its no longer the case that even 51% of the population could agree on an acceptable "statue". Elections for statues would of course be as hopelessly bogus as most all of our elections.

A pox on the damned statues!

I get that point of view Tony. As political statements anyway. I do hold to the artistic value in any case.
But you did venture into my overlying thought on this issue, that of the bogus nature of our election cycles. The wannabes we elect to political office, most specifically the potus really have little to do with the direction of national affairs. They are, like statues, symbols of the prevailing sense of things among an overly entertained and pampered citizenry.

And the cost to replace could be offset by the sale of the previous statue at auction. Some rich alumni who lost his virginity beneath it would jump at the chance

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire
Statues should be erected for a term of 10 to 20 years.

Statues and monuments commemorating public figures and issues of the time should be erected by consent and protocol. People should be educated to accept that history has context. It's immature and intellectually backward to judge statues of the past through the lens of the present, else history becomes irrelevant and (we all know) if we don't learn from history we will.. .

Other public art, monuments and statues should also be erected and by consent and protocol.

If it was up to schools and politicians we'd have Micky Mouse, Take That and political figures (as themselves) put in place, and where's the sense in that? Celebrity drivel and plain crap.

Maybe we should just write history books that only go back 5 years.

That way we won't offend anyone.

All works of art should be protected by the law and common sense.
Its ART.. it can inspire, provoke tell tales about a dark or bright past.
End of story.

Everything else is illegal destruction of history
Just like the NAZI burned books.

And the people who wants them gone are the same that wants freedom of speech
But they cannot see they are destroying that by censuring history in the streets

originally posted by: DBCowboy
Maybe we should just write history books that only go back 5 years.

That way we won't offend anyone.

And of course that is true. But this thread was started as a whim on my part to maybe evoke non-partisan discussion on this whole silly issue. To maybe stimulate productive speculation rather than reverting to past arguments already etched in stone.

a reply to: Spacespider

And the people who wants them gone are the same that wants freedom of speech
But they cannot see they are destroying that by censuring history in the streets

I do not disagree. But can't we come up with a better solution, a compromise to partially satisfy all sides of the issue?

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Here's an idea for you, how about "holographic" statues. So, in the local mugging park in your village, you'd have a "base" where the old statue used to stand and in the base would be this like computer gadget that projects a holographic statuesque image or better yet......images, multiple images. So, the black female with her kid walks buy and they can project a statue of MLK or Jimmy Hendrix or whatever; a brown person can project an image of Che Gueverra or Fidel Castro, Selena; a white person walks by and they can push the button for Adolph Hitler, or Robert E. Lee or Townes Van Zandt; a gay person walks by and they can project a statue of Pee Wee Herman, or Rachel Maddow, whoever.

The more I think about it, the more I like it........its a beautiful thing! A veritable rogues gallery of statues could be projected, but only for 5 minutes each and only once a day..........no crappy elections needed.

And........it solves another problem! You mentioned artistic value; yea, the Venus de Milo, great artistic value. Modern statuary? Not so much. A lot of it looks kinda like a crayon left standing on its end in the sun too long. I mean, lets face it, modern art? You could collect dog crap on a big piece of cardboard and sell it to some rich person in NYC for a couple of million. But Holographic Statuary should eliminate that problem; no new images allowed, only old or life like images would be allowed.

Yep.........definitely.........problem SOLVED!

No joke, but watching Channel 4 news in the UK at the moment and some woman is suggesting Nelson's column is toppled. Apparently Nelson supported the slave trade.

Sadly, it's no joke.

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire
a reply to: Spacespider

And the people who wants them gone are the same that wants freedom of speech
But they cannot see they are destroying that by censuring history in the streets

I do not disagree. But can't we come up with a better solution, a compromise to partially satisfy all sides of the issue?

Sure, dont look at it, or do

So ... are we going to start movement to censure Italy for continuing to exalt a massive monument to the torture and slaughter of untold thousands of slaves and prisoners and massive cruelty to animals?

When are we going to all get suddenly outraged by the Roman Colosseum?

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire
a reply to: Spacespider

And the people who wants them gone are the same that wants freedom of speech
But they cannot see they are destroying that by censuring history in the streets

I do not disagree. But can't we come up with a better solution, a compromise to partially satisfy all sides of the issue?

Why does everyone have to always be satisfied by everything now?

You do know that you will never satisfy everyone, right?

What about that big black cube in Mecca?

Can we paint white dots on it and call it a dice?

originally posted by: TonyS
a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Here's an idea for you, how about "holographic" statues. So, in the local mugging park in your village, you'd have a "base" where the old statue used to stand and in the base would be this like computer gadget that projects a holographic statuesque image or better yet......images, multiple images. So, the black female with her kid walks buy and they can project a statue of MLK or Jimmy Hendrix or whatever; a brown person can project an image of Che Gueverra or Fidel Castro, Selena; a white person walks by and they can push the button for Adolph Hitler, or Robert E. Lee or Townes Van Zandt; a gay person walks by and they can project a statue of Pee Wee Herman, or Rachel Maddow, whoever.

The more I think about it, the more I like it........its a beautiful thing! A veritable rogues gallery of statues could be projected, but only for 5 minutes each and only once a day..........no crappy elections needed.

And........it solves another problem! You mentioned artistic value; yea, the Venus de Milo, great artistic value. Modern statuary? Not so much. A lot of it looks kinda like a crayon left standing on its end in the sun too long. I mean, lets face it, modern art? You could collect dog crap on a big piece of cardboard and sell it to some rich person in NYC for a couple of million. But Holographic Statuary should eliminate that problem; no new images allowed, only old or life like images would be allowed.

Yep.........definitely.........problem SOLVED!

Damn Tony. That crossed my mind too but I had to leave for a couple of hours before I could add it to the mix.
But the way you expand upon it is reminiscent of Philip K Dick. That's the kind of stuff that continually flowed from his mind.

Marvelous addition, thanks