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How do we think about taking down controversial statues in the UK? How do we think about taking down controversial statues in the UK?
We have every right to take the statues down We have every right to take the statues down
How dare they tear down our statues How dare they tear down our statues
We should approach the statues issue with caution We should approach the statues issue with caution
The statues sustain structural oppression The statues sustain structural oppression
The controversial statues celebrate evil acts The controversial statues celebrate evil acts
The controversial statues venerate evil people The controversial statues venerate evil people
The controversial statues oppress UK ethnic minorities The controversial statues oppress UK ethnic minorities
The controversial statues represent UK history inaccurately The controversial statues represent UK history inaccurately
Having controversial statues in a museum sanctifies evil Having controversial statues in a museum sanctifies evil
The controversial statues legitimise racism The controversial statues legitimise racism
The controversial UK statues destroy the intellectual health of the public The controversial UK statues destroy the intellectual health of the public
Controversial statues hide deep injustice Controversial statues hide deep injustice
The controversial statues debate shows how Britain's democratic channels have failed us The controversial statues debate shows how Britain's democratic channels have failed us
This is the revolutionary resistance we have been waiting for This is the revolutionary resistance we have been waiting for
The people tearing down controversial statues are erasing British history The people tearing down controversial statues are erasing British history
We must defend British culture against those who tear down controversial statues in the UK We must defend British culture against those who tear down controversial statues in the UK
The violent mob are race traitors The violent mob are race traitors
We have been forced to accept multiculturalism against our will We have been forced to accept multiculturalism against our will
All lives matter, so tearing down controversial statues in the UK is wrong All lives matter, so tearing down controversial statues in the UK is wrong
The police are working in the interests of the enemy when they support those who tear down controversial statues The police are working in the interests of the enemy when they support those who tear down controversial statues
Non-whites should go back to where they came from rather than tearing down controversial statues Non-whites should go back to where they came from rather than tearing down controversial statues
This is an attack on the white working class This is an attack on the white working class
The controversial statues are an attack on the UK's white majority The controversial statues are an attack on the UK's white majority
We should find ways to give more context to these controversial statues in the UK We should find ways to give more context to these controversial statues in the UK
Controversial statues have an educational purpose in the UK Controversial statues have an educational purpose in the UK
Our approach to storytelling UK statues is flawed Our approach to storytelling UK statues is flawed
The UK controversial statues debate is about the decline of the West The UK controversial statues debate is about the decline of the West
The UK controversial statues debate is an opportunity to think about how we look at history The UK controversial statues debate is an opportunity to think about how we look at history
The controversial statues are a distraction from the real issue at hand in the UK The controversial statues are a distraction from the real issue at hand in the UK
We should focus on the UK's present, not its past We should focus on the UK's present, not its past
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How do we think about taking down controversial statues in the UK?
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We should approach the statues issue with caution

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The UK controversial statues debate is an opportunity to think about how we look at history

We rarely reflect on the role of history: how we understand it, and how that understanding shapes the present. This debate is an opportunity to do precisely that.
Pippa Catterall
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The Argument

The light on the controversial statues that many have removed, or want to be removed, actually opens the opportunity for us really think about how we look at history. The people depicted by said statues have unarguably been complacent in some horrible activities.[1] However we can not change the past, nor can we hide from it.[2] All that we can do is learn from it, and think about how to learn from it and view it. Even if the statues are removed, it would be far from enough. That would just be hiding history, it’s important to figure out how dishonoring a person from history, would serve the present, or how it might demand equality.[3] Also, if statues are removed, what about the positive deads that person did to receive the recognition in the first place?[4] Or do we view the deeds in a different light, from the difference in historical and social perspective?[5] This issue is much more than deciding whether or not to remove statues, or it could be.

Counter arguments

We should not use statues as a middle ground to think or talk about history, as the entire basis of their creation is subjective and one-sided. Statues are meant for admiration and commemoration,[6] history is learned through education, books, museums, not through statues or monuments.[7]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://blogs.canterbury.ac.uk/expertcomment/black-lives-matter-toppling-statues-and-anti-racism-joining-the-dots/
  2. https://www.lancaster.gov.uk/news/2020/jul/revealing-our-past-council-looks-to-reveal-district-s-hidden-history
  3. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/derecognising-past-honours/
  4. https://history.research.southwales.ac.uk/news/why-statues-matter-black-lives/
  5. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53305729
  6. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-statues-removed-down-colston-rhodes-baden-powell-racism-a9560736.html
  7. https://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2020/06/the-urge-to-destroy-is-also-a-creative-urge/
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 22 Sep 2020 at 09:16 UTC

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