- Position‹3 of 3
We should approach the statues issue with caution
This group believes that there are other ways to look at this debate. They are neither in favour of tearing them all down, or defending them till the death. They see the issue as symptomatic of wider concerns the we should address. Proponents include free speech activists, left wing historians such as David Olusoga and the moderate press.
Supporting arguments · 7
- The UK controversial statues debate is about the decline of the WestThis battle over whether or not to take down controversial statues is really a proxy for a larger battle about the decline of Western authority in geopolitics.
- Our approach to storytelling UK statues is flawedThe statues are not the issue. Flawed storytelling about the UK's complex past means we unquestionably memorialise the accomplishments of historical figures. Our storytelling should show balance by also taking into account any injustices that may have transpired.
- The controversial statues are a distraction from the real issue at hand in the UKPutting emphasis on statues in a debate about UK race relations detracts from the problem.
- Controversial statues have an educational purpose in the UKStatues enrich our understanding of history and the people who shaped it. We should not lose sight of that.
- We should focus on the UK's present, not its pastThe issues we are discussing here are current. That is where our attentions should be focused.
- The UK controversial statues debate is an opportunity to think about how we look at historyWe 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.
- We should find ways to give more context to these controversial statues in the UKWe should hesitate before taking drastic action, and see this debate as an opportunity to enrich - not destroy - our understanding of the past.