Idle Worship: Take all the statues down
Let’s get rid of all of the bronze gods and replace them with places of public connection, recreation, and discussion.
Being a Jew, I don’t get the idea of putting up idols. It’s just not our thing, well not since Abraham busted up the idol shop. Then we had that whole thing with the golden calf. Check out the big ten commandments, number one rule to not have any idols. It’s just not a Jewish thing.
As a modern Jew, I interpret this idea of idols and statues differently now. I look at the protesters pulling down figures to an idealized past, rife with fallen heroes and failed leaders. We elevated these men on pedestals and placed them in the center of our cities.
Some are so high in the air that their faces would appear distorted if viewed from the ground. Washington, DC, is filled with statues of these false and forgotten gods.
Some statues are being torn down that some of us would be considered worthy of remembrance in bronze but now we are getting into judgment calls. We need to flush all of it. We can’t even decide if a mask is worth wearing to save all of our lives. How can we agree on what form of idolatry to keep?
Let's get rid of all of the bronze gods and replace them with places of public connection, recreation, and discussion.
If it were up to me, all of the American monuments to war would be removed and replaced with playground equipment, band shells, and picnic areas. As Americans, we are divided but misunderstanding, hatred, bigotry, and ignorance. We need space to eat and play, hold festivals and concerts. Where our kids can play together, and parents can talk. We need places to connect face to face.
Washington, DC, is created around circles. Pierre L’Enfant thought that invading armies would be confused and emulated the Paris street map. At the intersection of the diagonal streets is a lovely park that often has a monument to a winner or loser of a war.
For example, John Logan fought in the Mexican American war, served in the Senate, and made an unsuccessful run as VP to James Blaine. His statue was installed in then Ohio Circle, in 1901. I have lived in and around Washington, DC, most of my adult life, and I have never known a single fact about John Logan.
Logan has inspired no part of my life. His life is a complete mystery to me. The sculpture, while beautiful, is a monument to a man of war. It should be carefully boxed up and transferred to a lovely museum-like Vegas did with all their old neon signs. It could even become a real tourist attraction for the red-hat set and war reenactors.
Our parks should be filled with chess players and book readers, parents with kids, and people in love. The public spaces that we all pay for should be reserved for fall leaves and soft spring days. Green space should be filled with the laughter of children and the gentle recollections of our seniors.
There are calls all over social media to remove statues from every corner, including Nelson Mandela statues. I think the whole debate has become so toxic that we can’t have it without screaming at each other. We need to keep that discussion just for Twitter and Thanksgiving with “that” part of the family.
We can’t make these decisions on our own. We are too factionalized. Committees will be formed, and petitions will be circulated. In the end, nothing will be done because we can’t agree on the relevance of the monument. Some will assert that it is erasing history, and some will object to parts of the figure’s past that are objectionable to a portion of the population.
There is no end to the argument, protests, and lawsuits that can be brought from outside forces and inside resistance until nothing gets done. Let’s end all of the posturing and legal fees. We need objective criteria to take the politics out of it.
I suggest we quiz the neighbors and see if anyone that lives within ten blocks of the monument can:
1. Cite the complete name of the person depicted
2. Name anything that person has done
3. How that person’s life and legacy have inspired your life in the last year.
If more than half of the people can correctly identify the person in the monument, then we should keep it — no need to fuss or fight. We can hire the newly unemployed census workers to go door-to-door and ask people. While we are at it, we can ask folks what they would like to see in the park instead. I have a sneaking suspicion that a poop covered statue is not their first choice.
Given the rate of that statues are being torn down, they might not be there for that much longer. I have no interest in paying to clean or replace figures of people that I don’t know and with whom I would not like to have tea.
It is just not worth it.
