Give Me A Minute – Leave The Statues Alone

I commented on the removal of monuments and statues three years ago. Racial tension is much worse today than it was then, and we’ve started pulling monuments down again. I hate that people are doing that. I don’t think blacks are standing on the sidelines, cheering the whites on. “Yeah, them white guys just tore down the statue of another Southern Civil War general. Way to go.” Is this what white people think? Are they pulling them down to appease their conscience?

When I was younger, I made racial slurs. I’m not going to apologize. I never directed those comments at any individual. And nobody told me it was wrong. Plus, I’m not sure who I’d apologize to. My grandfather grew up in the South and regularly used the “N” word in my presence. Racial slurs are not limited to blacks.  Anyone who is of a different race than we are is a target.

But I seriously doubt if blacks see any value in getting rid of monuments. It does nothing to change the inequalities that have existed in this country since slavery. It is far more likely that black Americans would rather see better education and economic equality. Leave the statues, and the TV shows, alone.