I wouldn't miss any statues of people

[Hingeandbracket]

Right from being a kid and first being aware of statues of famous people I never saw the point.

I wouldn't miss a single one, actually; even the ones to people I liked like Victoria Wood and Eric Morecambe - why don't we just chuck them all in the sea?

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/mel-gibson-sculpture-finds-new-11332436
Apparently he's been moved to Ardrossan. I was at Stirling Castle a couple of years ago and he wasn't there then. How bizarre

@Pumperthepumper

Derxa what about the one of Mel Gibson at Stirling castle?

Fabulous!

Michaelangelo's David? Chuck it in the sea?

Michaelangelo’s David does not exist to commemorate David. It signifies the the revolution of intellectual pursuits after centuries of Church oppression in Europe. It is housed in the Accademia in Florence. There is also a copy outside the Palazzo Vecchio. It is magnificent. It is art. It is not the same.

Here's William Wallace in his birthplace
www.lanark.co.uk/historical-lanark/timeline/1297/william-wallace-kills-sheriff-lanark

YABU. I love statues. I love looking at them and thinking about them, and I think they make a town centre look great.

We shouldn’t be getting rid of any of them. It’s mindless destruction by vandals.

But what if you look at it and think about it and realise that the person it commemorates was an exploitative bastard heartsoncake? Should we be glorifying people like that?

@derxa

Well I would object to statues of Robert Burns being taken down. No doubt MN would disagree since he was a terrible womaniser.

According to a Scottish chap on Radio 5 this morning it was only a matter of chance that prevented Rabbie Burns clearing off and making a killing as a slave trader, I googled it and found this - www.heraldscotland.com/news/12767382.forget-a-mans-a-man-for-a-that-burns-planned-to-make-fortune-from-slave-trade/

@ThePlantsitter

But what if you look at it and think about it and realise that the person it commemorates was an exploitative bastard heartsoncake? Should we be glorifying people like that?

It’s not about commemorating or glorifying them. It’s about history; they are part of our history. I can look at these statues and recognise the people for who they are and remember what happened.

@Vivi0 The point is, where does it stop?

All those plinths could be used for contemporary modern sculptures, something that would enhance their area

Please no so-called modern art - they don't enhance the area, they are awful. I don't like ornaments in the house, I don't think we need ornaments in parks or squares either. If people want to do away with statues then lets just do away with them and have another flower bed.

@Vivi0

Michaelangelo's David? Chuck it in the sea?

Michaelangelo’s David does not exist to commemorate David. It signifies the the revolution of intellectual pursuits after centuries of Church oppression in Europe. It is housed in the Accademia in Florence. There is also a copy outside the Palazzo Vecchio. It is magnificent. It is art. It is not the same.

I would agree with this distinction - I'm only talking about the statues that exist to honour or glorify some particular person from history. Many of them seem to be acts of self-self-agrandisment or honours from people who haven't really thought too much about how people actually are. In the unlikely event I did anything notable, I'd rather people remembered me in more tangible ways.

Surely a statue of a human just looks just like them is a bit of a cliche artistically at this point? It requires craftsmanship, sure, but it's hardly art. It just upholds the status quo.

Add to that, many of them are of powerful men who oppressed others. So boring and insulting.

Mind you, I live in an area filled with weird sculptures made of car parts and the like.

We shouldn’t be getting rid of any of them. It’s mindless destruction by vandals

Ha! And so it begins!

Vandalism - abhorrent.
Crimes against humanity - perfectly acceptable.

It’s not about commemorating or glorifying them. It’s about history; they are part of our history

Hilter is part of Germany’s history. I couldn’t imagine anyone describing the removal of a statue of him as mindless destruction.

I forgot they’d moved him, what a shame! There’s another ropy Wallace statue in the city centre but I can’t find it on images. Poor sod 😂

who even notices any statues? Whether you're a local or a tourist do you notice statues

My DH does, he takes a picture and looks up the person afterwards if he hasn't heard of them.

While I wholeheartedly agree with the removal of Colston's statue and believe it should have happened many years ago, I think, sadly, it would be harder to find a statue of a historic figure who wasn't a racist/paedophile/war criminal etc.

Do we get rid of them all? Maybe, yes.

But the fact is, ours (along with many other nations) has been built on the opression of others and statues are only the half of it. So many of our buildings, societies, universities etc have a tarnished history that removing everything isn't really viable.

e.g James II started the Royal African Company in which Colston was employed - time for the monarchy to go?

It’s not about commemorating or glorifying them. It’s about history; they are part of our history. I can look at these statues and recognise the people for who they are and remember what happened.
You don't need a statue to learn about history.

Sorry, OP, but you really don't sound very intelligent. IMO

Well that does not sound like a very intelligent comment. If you don't agree with the OP then state your case. Don't just attack the OP personally.

It’s not about commemorating or glorifying them. It’s about history; they are part of our history

Mostly they are realistic-ish representations of white men standing in triumphant/powerful poses with no extra context about the events or people that decided they should be there. Often that is just whoever wanted to pay for it. So I disagree.

Oh god, it’s not Wallace, it’s Rob Roy!

According to a Scottish chap on Radio 5 this morning it was only a matter of chance that prevented Rabbie Burns clearing off and making a killing as a slave trader, I googled it and found this Good for you. He didn't go.
making a killing as a slave trader Even this poisonous article didn't mention slave trading.

Would be strange if Nelson’s column wasn’t there or Boudicca.

Would be strange if Nelson’s column wasn’t there or Boudicca.

I reckon if they took the statue off the column nobody would notice for ages

I use them as landmarks.

I'd miss Black Diana. It's my landmark on my way home.

Chuck them all. Statues are cultural icon fetishism.

The Ken Dodd one at Liverpool Lime Street station should be first in line to go.