ysabetwordsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2017-08-18 04:27 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2017-08-18 04:27 pm
Bust of Lincoln Destroyed
So this happened.
The same principle behind this leads to this and this.
I told you so. I have been saying and saying that when a society starts pulling down statues, it tends to mushroom, because people get it in their heads they can destroy all the art they dislike. Sure it's tempting. Everybody loves to pull down something they hate and stomp on it. That's very gratifying. But it's a bad idea because it destroys the past and then nobody has nice things for a long time. It also sucks when other people pull down stuff that YOU like just because THEY don't, and there is probably not one piece of art on the planet which is liked by everyone.
Seriously, people, stop doing this shit. Unpopular art can be moved to a place where it won't annoy folks, but destroying it is counter-civilization.
The same principle behind this leads to this and this.
I told you so. I have been saying and saying that when a society starts pulling down statues, it tends to mushroom, because people get it in their heads they can destroy all the art they dislike. Sure it's tempting. Everybody loves to pull down something they hate and stomp on it. That's very gratifying. But it's a bad idea because it destroys the past and then nobody has nice things for a long time. It also sucks when other people pull down stuff that YOU like just because THEY don't, and there is probably not one piece of art on the planet which is liked by everyone.
Seriously, people, stop doing this shit. Unpopular art can be moved to a place where it won't annoy folks, but destroying it is counter-civilization.
Yes...
The urge to destroy is part of human nature. But if you look at history, you can see that it is almost always a terrible idea. People have these strong feelings, and that's fine, but we need better ways to express them. We also need more effective ways to solve the problems that cause them, so we don't wind up in this mess.