LETTER: And the statue, monument mob rages on
The attacks on statues and memorials have gone too far. First, the mob went after confederate generals, then moved onto presidents and now it’s Catholic saints. They expect people who lived 100 or 200 years ago to have considered every act of their daily lives and set those against today’s impossible standard. Societies erect statues to remember individuals who achieved great things, not because they lived mistake-free lives.
Government leaders try to appease hysterical behavior by removing statues from public places. Corporations buckle under the pressure, too. Disney, for example, is altering the Splash Mountain ride because fake animals sing “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay. My, oh, my, what a wonderful day.” These lyrics come from their movie “Song of the South,” released in 1946 and now considered insensitive by some. Never mind that it’s a work of fiction, and millions of people have enjoyed the ride for years.
But history has taught us that mobs don’t stop when they’re appeased, they devour.
So the next time you want to cut the head off of a statue, or go along with a corporation that pacifies an angry crowd or want to throw paint on a memorial, try to remember the words of an ancient philosopher: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Otherwise, the mob will go after his monuments, too.