Regarding The Flap Over Confederate Statues

[Homeless Nutter]

I'm personally against the statue removal.  I'd also be against the removal of Hitler statues in Berlin.  I mean. . . you don't want to have too many of them, but seeing how important figures in history looked is interesting and educational.

Are you serious? What a ridiculous argument...

First of all - what does that matter what Hitler looked like? How is that "educational"? How does it impart any lesson on people?

Secondly - there are no Hitler statues anywhere and yet everybody knows what he looked like anyway. He's about as universally recognizable, as Mickey Mouse. On the other hand - who (besides some racist rednecks in South Carolina) can tell apart Robert E. Lee from any other old, bearded c*cksucker? How is that possible? Maybe there are more effective ways to show what historical a**holes looked like, than a deteriorating chunk of concrete in some random place, only local populations of pigeons and racist scumbags ever pay attention to? Food for thought...

This shit about things representing ideas is bullshit.

Why? Because you don't understand symbolism, or the general purpose and meaning of memorials? Tell me this - where are all the King George III statues in USA? What - would it not be "interesting and educational" to see what he looked like?

 So General Lee was a slaveholder.  His statue isn't enslaving anyone,

LOL... WTF?... What does that even mean? Are you high, or trolling? The statue of a murderer won't kill anybody, but would you like your town to be decorated with depictions of John Wayne Gacy, or Charles Manson? Most statues of Lee were erected specifically in order to remind black people of slavery and the fact, that a large proportion of Americans would like to see them back in chains.

and its existence doesn't necessarily imply endorsement of slavery.

Oh, it doesn't "necessarily" imply endorsement of slavery? What does it imply, then? In pretty much all modern cultures having a statue made in your likeness is considered an honor and a mark of respect - just because you missed that lesson in school doesn't make it any less of a fact. That's why, when tyrants are overthrown, their statues - along with all other symbols of their regimes - are torn down.

Yes - it does imply endorsement of slavery, especially if you consider when and why those statues were erected. Which is something you should have learned by now, but I guess you couldn't because... err... there are no statues to teach you that...(???)

 He was an important player in American history, and I see no problem with his image being displayed.[...]

He was a traitor and a loser. What's the point of displaying him, especially without any context? You can look him up on Wikipedia, or a history textbook - that should be more than enough of an acknowledgement of his "importance". Most "important players in history" don't have statues, especially if they were wrong and they lost.