Christopher Columbus

[vcs]

Didn't the pyramid laborers do it because the Pharaoh was literally a God, and the only way for the population to have a good afterlife was if their God, the Pharaoh had a good afterlife? Now no doubt this is exploitative and maybe not particularly different to slavery, but comparing the Pyramids or the Taj Mahal to statues of people in town squares etc. misses the point by a long way IMO.

 

[vcs]

BTW, I recently found out that the sculptor of Mount Rushmore was a massive racist and an active KKK member.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

BTW, I recently found out that the sculptor of Mount Rushmore was a massive racist and an active KKK member.

'kin Danes

 

[Shady Slim]

you've got to suck pretty hard to have the capital of ohio named after you ftr

 

[Adders]

BTW, I recently found out that the sculptor of Mount Rushmore was a massive racist and an active KKK member.

Wonder how he felt doing Abe Lincoln.

 

[Burgey]

Lunch at Chin Chin Gets closer each day.

 

[Spark]

Great sailor, navigator and explorer; evil administrator. Bad judgment shown by the Spanish monarchy in not sending capable leaders on the second voyage.

I mean the Columbus defenders are right on one thing: most of the people who came after him were much, much worse. The encomienda system was nothing short of deliberate genocide by mass overwork; by the time smallpox got to Hispaniola there were hardly any natives left for it to kill.

 

[Uppercut]

We can’t say Hitler was bad because there were some other people in the 40s who thought genocide was ok.

 

[NZTailender]

Hi NZT

My original wording was "Perhaps tear down the pyramids as the Egyptians used slave labour?" This isn't saying the pyramids were built "exclusively" using slave labour. The pyramids and slavery are different aspects of Egyptian history that may (or may not) have been related. The pyramids are one of the World's great mysteries and nobody knows exactly how they were constructed.

We don't know 100% for absolute certain because we don't have photographs, videos or instructions left in modern 21st century language. Various types of scientists are still figuring out the fine details and translating hieroglyphs, assuming they decided to detail the entire process. We know they used a lot of man power, crane systems, barges (rivers tend to change their location or can, you know, be channeled) and slides to construct the pyramids. I assume this is what you mean by no one knows exactly but we have a fair idea.

I thank you for your kind words but I must plead my innocence to "parroting of an analogy I've seen quite a few times on social media in the last week". I don't follow social media and was unaware of the analogy being used elsewhere. It was a throwaway line and not intended to display critical thinking or nuance.

Fair play. I've seen the pyramids analogy used at least a dozen times across facebook, twitter, forums, news articles. It's a common line of thinking.

I have no problem with the removal of inappropriate statues as long as it is conducted sensibly after due discussion. It is the lynch mob mentality, the graffiti and the vandalism that I object too. I like your suggestion (and honestbharani's) regarding moving inappropriate statues into museums accompanied by a plaque outlining their crimes against humanity. It is in that setting that an accurate education of our past can be taught.

None of these things have happened overnight. There's been a campaign in Bristol for yonks to get that statue removed. Calls for Captain Cooks statues to be removed have been going on for ages in NZ (every Waitangi day it comes to the fore). It's really nothing new to talk about removing these things - it's the flashpoint of lockdown + racial tensions thats caused a few to be torn down.

 

[Burgey]

How can you defend Columbus and​ hate looters?

 

[sledger]

He's a bit of a Sunil Gavaskar

 

[Neptune]

He's a bit of a Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar is a racist?

 

[sledger]

so I hear

 

[Line and Length]

How can you defend Columbus and​ hate looters?

I am in no way defending Colombus. As I have stated, I support the organised removal of inappropriate statues and memorials. I can understand the anger and frustration when, as NZT points out, calls have been made over a period of time and no action has been taken.

Take these statues out of the general arena and put them in museums where the history (both achievements and atrocities) can be highlighted.

Hate looters? I hate that their actions provide ammunition with which to attack protesters with a genuine grievance.

 

[Red Hill]

Chris Columbus is the best adventurer
He is Spanish and American adventurer

Who's better Columbus or Cook?
Columbus's better, bad is rest adventurer

When Cook went to Australia
Columbus defeated the west adventurer

Columbus had really great abilities
So those who hate him, hate abilities

skills are for greats and hence he has
power to dispatch to genocide, he has
every thing of colonial sense, he has

First the settlement, he would let that be done
then big genocides, he would get that be done

Indeed he was a good adventurer
In world, an understood adventurer
To be Continued...

Never misunderstand me, I'm only 14

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Please fill out Statue Removal form 14-88 in triplicate and we'll let you know the result of your request in 14 business days.

 

[Burgey]

Chris Columbus is the best adventurer
He is Spanish and American adventurer

Who's better Columbus or Cook?
Columbus's better, bad is rest adventurer

When Cook went to Australia
Columbus defeated the west adventurer

Columbus had really great abilities
So those who hate him, hate abilities

skills are for greats and hence he has
power to dispatch to genocide, he has
every thing of colonial sense, he has

First the settlement, he would let that be done
then big genocides, he would get that be done

Indeed he was a good adventurer
In world, an understood adventurer
To be Continued...

Never misunderstand me, I'm only 14

Yessssssssssssssssss

 

[Neptune]

so I hear

What racist language has he used. This is a scandal.

 

[Burgey]

What racist language has he used. This is a scandal.

I know, it's hard to believe someone who [lays the race card as much as Sunny would ever utter a racist word. And yet:

[FONT=&quot]In 1976 India was playing in the West Indies. Sunil Gavaskar was undoubtedly India’s best batsman and he played very well in the series. However India as a team came off second best and lost the highly competitive series. Gavaskar had some rather harsh things to say about West Indian spectators in his book “Sunny Days” which came out soon after the series.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]I quote “To call the crowd a 'crowd' in Jamaica is a misnomer. It should be called a 'mob'. Their partisan attitude was even more evident when they did not applaud any shots we played. They were stamping their legs, clapping and jumping with joy. The only word I can think of to describe the behaviour of the crowd is 'barbarian'. The spectators, to put it mildly, were positively inhuman.” To put it mildly, Mr. Gavaskar? Don’t think so. To accuse a large number of people ‘inhuman’ is not mild by any stretch of the imagination.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Later on in the book in a remark nothing short of racist he asked that the West Indian people should go back to jungle and swing from trees.[/FONT]

Quality human.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I read today that not being racist isn't a quality to be encouraged. Unless you're demonstratively anti-racist it means you condone racism.