A World Without Statues (OPINION)

Rather than adding more confusion to the argument, let's simplify it.

Should we tear down every single statue that might offend someone?

Must we look into the past of every person that is represented to try and find one single thing they might have said or done in order to ensure that we only have statues that represent something or someone that is pure as freshly fallen snow?

Even the greatest among us is flawed.

That ultimate level of purity does not exist. If we followed that model, we would not have any statues. Not one statue, not one painting, not one place would be named after a person who did a great thing.

There is an Albert Einstein statue at the National Academy Of Sciences. While I'm sure we can find something he said once in his life to have it removed, I would rather point out that in the pose of the statue, Albert is "man spreading," and that is highly offensive, so, it must go.

Have you ever walked though a park and looked up at a statue and thought, who is that and why is that person posed in that way? Why are they dressed in that way? Everything about the statue means something.

Statues are placed for a number of different reasons. But whatever the reason for the placement of the statue, there is always an opportunity to use them as "teachable" for the next generation. It is true that not all of us will see the same lessons to teach the kids. But that is also why the statue is there - to open the discussion.

To be totally honest and fair, when we look at the human race throughout all of history we find that there is not a single person, or group of people, anywhere at any time in history that can claim to be innocent and pure.

Using the standard of "the cancel culture", there should not be a representation of humanity left standing in any form of art, anywhere.

But canceling every statue would not make us wiser, or better, or even more protected from harm. Rather it would leave us with nothing remembered and no way to teach the next generation the lessons that our mistakes have taught us.