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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 have every right to take the statues down

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The controversial statues legitimise racism

The statues offer vehicle through which racists can legitimise their views.
David Olusoga
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The Argument

The statues that are being taken down not only legitimize racist ideas, they also celebrate them. Statues and monuments are built and represented in honor of someone or something.[1] While the creation of these statues may be explained by the changes in beliefs and ideals throughout history, representing them to the public in the present is not. [2] Some of these statues being taken down include a known slaveholder Robert Milligan [3] and Edward Colston, a slave trader believed to have sold 100,000 slaves from west Africa. [4] These people should not be celebrated as monuments in today’s society. Especially when there is still racial inequally interwoven in today’s society. Like the fact that if you are a Black man in England or Wales, you have a 40 times higher chance of being stopped and searched by police.[2] Keeping these statues presented in the public eye takes away from the racism, not only in history but also today. Society should be presenting and working against the issues of colonial and imperial remnants of racism, not commemorating the men who were part of the cause of it. [2]

Counter arguments

The statues do not legitimize racism because while the personal values of the people that are depicted by the statues were racist, the statues were created and intended to legitimize the good they did, not the bad.[5]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2020/06/the-urge-to-destroy-is-also-a-creative-urge/
  2. https://blogs.canterbury.ac.uk/expertcomment/black-lives-matter-toppling-statues-and-anti-racism-joining-the-dots/
  3. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-52977088
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/08/who-was-edward-colston-and-why-was-his-bristol-statue-toppled-slave-trader-black-lives-matter-protests
  5. https://history.research.southwales.ac.uk/news/why-statues-matter-black-lives/
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 22 Sep 2020 at 09:18 UTC

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