Do you think sculptures and photographs of "naughty people" or "naughty acts" should be removed from public places?
By The Horse
@TheHorse (206449)
Walnut Creek, California
December 11, 2022 11:30am CST
I often get emails from Change.org. Said emails are generally about some "social injustice" or another. We are asked to "sign a petition." Release so-and-so from prison. End mean treatment of chickens. And so on.
Today I received one about a painting of "Pocahontas" being baptized in the US Capitol. The petition calls for its removal.
How do you feel about removing "controversial" paintings or sculptures from public places? I'm not really for it.
I would like the next generation of kids to ask "Who was Pocahontas?" "Who was Robert E. Lee?" "Who was Abraham Lincoln?" "What does contro...contro...controversial mean?"
I know I've written about this before, but it's been awhile. What are your thoughts on removing stuff like this painting from where they are displayed? Here's the text of the email I received this morning.
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“Pocahontas” was kidnapped as a child and forcibly married to a white settler. Her real name was Amonute, her secondary name Motoaka. While Disney’s portrayal of her life would have you believe that she fell in love with John Smith and willingly acted as a bridge between Indigenous people and white settlers, that could not be further from the truth.
And yet, an enormous painting of her baptism is proudly displayed in the US Capitol. Sign my petition to remove the painting of “Pocahontas being baptized” from the US Capital Building.
13 people like this
12 responses
@kaylachan (58203)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
11 Dec 22
Sounds like someone really didn't do their homework. While there are grains of truth to this story, there's some falsehoods to exploit the narrative they want to share. While it was true Pocohontas was kidnapped, that wasn't until she was sixteen. She met John Smith when she was a child, and like in the movie, she did stop her father from murdering him and tried to act as a bridge between the two types of people. Until it backfired in her teenage years, and she not only married a white settler, but like in the sequel, was sent to England, to prove that indigenous people could be "civilized.
I think people should not only see this, but learn from it. This cancel culture bs needs to stop. What exactly are we teaching our children?
4 people like this
@kaylachan (58203)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
11 Dec 22
@TheHorse Yeah, you can only control what you teach. People who twist facts or try to focus on the negative to push an ajenda, discust me.
4 people like this
@TheHorse (206449)
• Walnut Creek, California
11 Dec 22
@kaylachan I tend to focus on the positive. But my teaching is pretty balanced. I encourage my college (and younger) students to think for themselves.
3 people like this
@crossbones27 (48480)
• Mojave, California
11 Dec 22
Interesting question and like taking down civil war statues. It is tough but I think I agree, not for it because it shows people their true selves. I hate the hiding, at least I know who that hateful fool is and will stay away, but get how it does ugly the place up.
4 people like this
@crossbones27 (48480)
• Mojave, California
11 Dec 22
@TheHorse I agree and it is where teaching becomes dangerous and why people hate liberal teachers. Any good teacher says do not believe what I believe but use your own brain and judgement. People who cannot handle that one thing are the dangerous people.
4 people like this
@TheHorse (206449)
• Walnut Creek, California
11 Dec 22
@crossbones27 You are so right here.
"Any good teacher says do not believe what I believe but use your own brain and judgement."
4 people like this
@popciclecold (35419)
• United States
11 Dec 22
They ought to let truth be known.
3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45586)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
11 Dec 22
Probably someone who objects to "Merry Christmas" and wants everyone to say "Happy Holidays" instead.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (206449)
• Walnut Creek, California
11 Dec 22
@BarBaraPrz Thanks! But why do I feel so...empty?
2 people like this
@vandana7 (98952)
• India
11 Dec 22
Thanks for explaining Pocahontas. I think it is about accepting everything. I am an Indian, and all Indian history ...is part and parcel of this nation. When we reject something, it becomes easier for others to use it wrongly to create sympathy and break the fabric of the nation.
Now I am not for display of Michaelangelo's David in public places.
I think small children would be alarmed at the thought of their father like that, since they see him dressed all the time. And it might become difficult to convince them not to undress in public.
So it pretty much depends in the context.
4 people like this
@Namelesss (3368)
• United States
11 Dec 22
I am not for removing historical items. They are there for the learning of history, the asking of questions.
Disney, really? entertainment purposes only. Seems the sender of your email doesn't get that concept.
4 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (95700)
• Marion, Ohio
12 Dec 22
I dont think any of them should be removed and the ones that have need to be put back.
2 people like this
@Fleura (29214)
• United Kingdom
11 Dec 22
That's a tricky one. The fact that the painting exists at all is a matter of historical interest no doubt. I can certainly understand that seeing something like that would be hurtful to some people, but just taking away the evidence doesn't change history (the Chinese government tried that). And then of course there's the question of whether we should retain and even enjoy the work of people whose personal views we disagree with, such as the music of Wagner. Of course if we decided not to do that we would have to scrap at least 90% of the art, music, and science in existence.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (157150)
• United States
12 Dec 22
There has been too much of a removal of history and whitewashing of history in our country. It's time for people to get over it and learn what actually happened.
1 person likes this
