Current Affairs The Landmarks of Slavery;

[kenada_blue]

Nowadays these statues/ street signs// plaques of commemorative and symbolic icons are not as necessary due to the wider accessibility of (and ability to retain) information. This heralds a move away from history solely as written by the victors concept which these statues are mainly from.

There is now a Democratisation of Memory, which means virtually anyone can be a curator or compiler of information, of opinions, of facts and events as they occur historically. Evidence and artefacts are instantaneously uploaded to the cultural archives of YouTube or internet blogs and they become substantial, factual retentions rather than tenuous commemorative rituals.

But we do need to consider the concept of accountability; the responsibility for inscription and retention of historical occurrences. The accountability I refer to is in stark contrast to responsibility for actual causation of traumatic events.

We need be careful with erasure or deletion of historically recorded events and figures as if to wipe them from the memory, removing their very existence from our collective cultural understanding. These are social narratives, disembodied historical forms and history differs from memory. “history is not so much what happened but what people interpret as having happened, a series of narratives and discourses” -Michel Foucault

Those who live through specific periods or events differ from those who inherit them and there can be a subsequent struggle to express any legitimacy of truth.

What's missed is the fact that even though information is readily available, doesn't mean people will look it up.

As we've all noticed, there's a wealth of information yet there seems to be more stupid people about

 

[Papa Shango]

What's missed is the fact that even though information is readily available, doesn't mean people will look it up.

As we've all noticed, there's a wealth of information yet there seems to be more stupid people about

Nobody will be looking it up anyway.

Too many videos of cats or UNILAD BANTZ to partake in.

 

[marnie]

Didn't Cecil Rhodes's statue cause an outcry a few years ago ??

 

[Shevin Keedy]

Didn't Cecil Rhodes's statue cause an outcry a few years ago ??

Yes someone changed the letters around so it said Cecil's Rod and stuck a huge papier mache nob on it.

 

[dublinbluenose]

 

[Mr. White]

As horrific as the slave trade was, is it the most horrific thing that has ever happened? Sadly, no.

What about genocide? There are many museums that exist that show historical evidence of genocide. Auschwitz...The Killing Fields in Cambodia etc…

Should these memorials be torn down? No. They should be kept to remind people of what has happened in the past. Tear these down, and people might start to forget.

As for the slave trade, I’ve read many times and from different sources that there are more slaves in the world today than there were at the height of the African slave trade. Perhaps our focus should be on saving the people that are still suffering and being abused. It might be illegal now, but that does not mean that it’s not still happening. Illegality just makes it harder to know how many people are still suffering.

 

[PhilM]

Serious question, did Gladstone personally do anything bad or is this entirely a “sins of the father” situation?

His father was the plantation owner and as a result an owner of slaves, whereas he didn't own them, but his record isn't without some questionable parts.

He did protest against slavery as part of the abolitionist movement, yet initially he was in favour of improving living standards for slaves rather than emancipation.

He did campaign for the economic support of non-slave plantations against those from foreign nations in which slavery was still legal, but there's other bits to it.

Basically, he undoubtedly benefited from slavery as the son of a wealth plantation owner and nor was he at the forefront of the campaign for abolition...

... but, it's questionable what his views were, so for me this a questionable gesture.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Lets face it the warts and all stuff is the most interesting part of history. Gets people emotive anyway.

Not really only in small doses it's far too upsetting, hence for one reason why we have fantasy, Game of Thrones and such like. Much easier to digest a testimony of the dark side of human nature or fun depending on how your wired.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

As horrific as the slave trade was, is it the most horrific thing that has ever happened? Sadly, no.

What about genocide? There are many museums that exist that show historical evidence of genocide. Auschwitz...The Killing Fields in Cambodia etc…

Should these memorials be torn down? No. They should be kept to remind people of what has happened in the past. Tear these down, and people might start to forget.

As for the slave trade, I’ve read many times and from different sources that there are more slaves in the world today than there were at the height of the African slave trade. Perhaps our focus should be on saving the people that are still suffering and being abused. It might be illegal now, but that does not mean that it’s not still happening. Illegality just makes it harder to know how many people are still suffering.

Its not the same thing... You go to Auschwitz you are educated of the mass murder etc.

People have tried to have plaques along side these statutes informing people of their involvement in the slavery, however, it's always being delayed stopped etc.

Maybe from people like Councillor Richard Eddy...

Edward Colston was 'a hero' says golliwog-loving Bristol councillor

The Conservative politician labelled the toppling of slave trader Colston's statue 'frenzied thug violence'.

metro.co.uk

 

[Shevin Keedy]

His father was the plantation owner and as a result an owner of slaves, whereas he didn't own them, but his record isn't without some questionable parts.

He did protest against slavery as part of the abolitionist movement, yet initially he was in favour of improving living standards for slaves rather than emancipation.

He did campaign for the economic support of non-slave plantations against those from foreign nations in which slavery was still legal, but there's other bits to it.

Basically, he undoubtedly benefited from slavery as the son of a wealth plantation owner and nor was he at the forefront of the campaign for abolition...

... but, it's questionable what his views were, so for me this a questionable gesture.

There is a statue of him in the gardens at St George's Hall no?

 

[Barnfred 55]

Serious question, did Gladstone personally do anything bad or is this entirely a “sins of the father” situation?

I don't think he had any connections to the slave trade himself, but he was PM a number of times during the peak of our Imperial power, so I think it's fair to say that he was involved in several what we would now consider "dodgy" policies.

 

[blulouie]

I don't think he had any connections to the slave trade himself, but he was PM a number of times during the peak of our Imperial power, so I think it's fair to say that he was involved in several what we would now consider "dodgy" policies.

History tells you his father John , received in todays money £83 million in compensation for the abolishion of slavery.
He then heavily invested in the start of the Industrial revolution with the newly formed railways.
They were a very seriously wealthy family no doubt helping Gladstone greatly thoughout his career.

Its hard to know where to draw the line here as not only Liverpool but the whole of Britain prospered during this time and laid the foundations of the nation as we know today.

Its a truely emotive subject , all born out of a very dark and despicable part of Britains past.

 

[Wizard]

As horrific as the slave trade was, is it the most horrific thing that has ever happened? Sadly, no.

What about genocide? There are many museums that exist that show historical evidence of genocide. Auschwitz...The Killing Fields in Cambodia etc…

Should these memorials be torn down? No. They should be kept to remind people of what has happened in the past. Tear these down, and people might start to forget.

As for the slave trade, I’ve read many times and from different sources that there are more slaves in the world today than there were at the height of the African slave trade. Perhaps our focus should be on saving the people that are still suffering and being abused. It might be illegal now, but that does not mean that it’s not still happening. Illegality just makes it harder to know how many people are still suffering.

Memorials and statues are completely different. No one is saying the slavery museums should be torn down. They are the places to show the historical evidence of what happened and for future generations to learn from.

But we don't have statues of Hitler or Pol Pot who ruled over those genocides do we. This is part of the reason Belgium are taking down statues of King Leopold II and renaming things, because he led a genocide of 10 million people. But Belgium aren't taking down memorials or shutting museums. They are simply taking away the symbols that glorify him and what went on.

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[verreauxi]

As horrific as the slave trade was, is it the most horrific thing that has ever happened? Sadly, no.

What about genocide? There are many museums that exist that show historical evidence of genocide. Auschwitz...The Killing Fields in Cambodia etc…

Should these memorials be torn down? No. They should be kept to remind people of what has happened in the past. Tear these down, and people might start to forget.

As for the slave trade, I’ve read many times and from different sources that there are more slaves in the world today than there were at the height of the African slave trade. Perhaps our focus should be on saving the people that are still suffering and being abused. It might be illegal now, but that does not mean that it’s not still happening. Illegality just makes it harder to know how many people are still suffering.

Obviously, I'm sure you can appreciate the difference between a museum built to remember a tragedy and a statue erected to honor those who helped create a tragedy, yes? There are no statues of Pol Pot outside of S-21 today.