patrick.net

zzyzzx says

Since we will soon be taking down any statue that offends anybody, may as well get that out of the way.

Would you be OK with a statue of Osama bin Laden? If not, hypocrisy.

marcus says

I agree with almost everything in this comment, but it's irrelevant to what I've been arguing.

It's very much relevant. None of the ISIS soldiers believe they are fighting for evil either.

TwoScoopsMcGee says

Here was the NYT Electoral Map Prediction the day before the election, where they gave the clear advantage to Hillary:

Now, now. The New York Times just called the election for Trump last week.

Dan8267 says

None of the ISIS soldiers believe they are fighting for evil either.

Interesting point, but you can break down the equivalence pretty easily if you think about it. I have some sympathy for uneducated and poor southerners who were fighting because the north invaded and their friends and family were fighting to defend. I have no sympathy for someone like Lee, who inherited 100 slaves, was rich, had a choice, had people in his family side with the north, and chose to fight for the south. I also have no sympathy for the military and political leaders who were making decisions about whether and how to fight.

marcus says

Actually I can argue that by far well over 90% of confederate soldiers did not believe they were fighting to preserve an evil. Probably many were ambivalent about it, while having many questions in their minds about what freeing 4 million slaves would mean to the south and also whether the yankees had the right to tell them they must be freed right this minute ! Things are often not so simple.

What? You have questioned the sacred Things That All Enlightened People Believe!

This makes you a super-evil racist, and you must be burned at the stake, like this witch:

www.youtube.com/embed/zrzMhU_4m-g

rando says

What? You have questioned the sacred Things That All Enlightened People Believe!

Actually I'm advocating the sensible position of the majority, which is that if one has some historical respect for or honors confederate soldiers or their leaders it is not in any way honoring or glorifying the practice of slavery.

There is a problem, that some people think it is. Those people need to understand that this is subjective and that a majority disagree with them, It's fair to let local people decide.

Unfortunately the arguments of those that say it glorifies slavery are adding to division over something that in my opinion should not be an issue. It feels like just more of the theater we are being provided to keep us divided from dealing with important issues.