OT: Confederate statues -
I recently received a letter from the University of Texas (my alma mater) with the following introduction:
Last week, the horrific displays of hatred at the University of Virginia and in Charlottesville shocked and saddened the nation. These events make it clear, now more than ever, that Confederate monuments have become symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism.
After considering the original task force report and with the events of the past week and my discussions with the campus community in mind, I decided to relocate the remaining four statues.
The University of Texas at Austin is a public educational and research institution, first and foremost. The historical and cultural significance of the Confederate statues on our campus — and the connections that individuals have with them — are severely compromised by what they symbolize. Erected during the period of Jim Crow laws and segregation, the statues represent the subjugation of African Americans. That remains true today for white supremacists who use them to symbolize hatred and bigotry.
I responded to UT:
"Confederate monuments have become symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism." ARE YOU NUTS ?!!! The Civil War had absolutely nothing to do with Nazism or White Supremacy !!! And your allegation that it does surely cannot pass as intelligent thinking from an institution of higher learning. I would challenge you to find any evidence that General Lee was a racist, much less a white supremacist or a Nazi. I am really dismayed and truly disappointed that such rhetoric represents UT's truth in learning. I absolutely oppose the removal of Confederate statues and I am not a bigot or a racist or a neo Nazi or a white supremacist. What on earth are you thinking ?
I find it amazing that so many people have just recently decided that Confederate statues are symbols of racism. The Civil War was fought over 150 years ago and it was as much about states rights as it was about slavery. The South fought against overwhelming odds in terms of the number of troops and the ability to produce armaments. The South was invaded and literally destroyed by Sherman's march. Lee was not a racist and he was in fact offered command of the Northern army, but he chose to remain faithful to his state of Virginia. I think it is wrong to portray these statues and the men who fought on the side of the South as bigots and racists. Slavery was also part of our history. Should the Egyptian pyramids be destroyed because they were built by slaves ? Should Auschwitz be destroyed because it is a symbol of the Nazi eradication of Jews ? Should George Washington's monument be torn down because Washington was a slave owner ? I think people have become a little hysterical over what they think Confederate statues represent.
