To think blue plaques are being used by activists now

[pompomdaisy]

This is the lates blue plaque at TheTetley Leeds.

I know this was an awful and distressing event but should it be remembered on a blue plaque? Was that the intended use of these plaques?

www.instagram.com/p/CjVaZSKsN7e/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

YABU. History is not just about “nice” things.

I can't open the Instagram link because I'm not a member, but I'm assuming you're referring to this plaque?

www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/people/third-plaque-in-memory-of-leeds-man-david-oluwale-will-be-unveiled-3821867?amp

Google could have answered this for you OP

is the purpose of a blue plaque? Image result for what are blue plaques for uk A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. Intended use of blue plaques

Sorry, I fucked that up.

Trying again...

What is the purpose of a blue plaque?

A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker.

YABU it is a historical marker of an awful occurrence and it’s important to mark those.

I am very glad that it has been replaced btw

There are lots of different blue plaque schemes around the country. English Heritage run the one in London and those tend to be (a) for houses lived in by the great and the good; and (b) what everyone thinks of when you say "blue plaque". This is not in London so it's a different scheme with different aims who obviously felt commemorating this important and tragic event fitted in with those aims.

YABU. That poor man, I didn’t know of him until I read this thread. He deserves to be remembered, I’m glad his blue plaque is being replaced.

Would you like to explain, OP, why you think a blue plaque commemorating an appalling and tragic event must have been put up because of ‘activists’? A lot of the blue plaques even commemorate activists themselves.

Maybe they could raise a complaint and get it taken down.

You probably won't approve of this one either OP
www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/crime/memorial-plaque-tribute-to-final-victim-of-yorkshire-ripper-peter-sutcliffe-3035866

I'm also curious to know what you mean by 'used by activists now'?

I just think Leeds could become a trail of horrendous events rather than being celebrated for all the great things that have happened here historically.

Surely if they can manage to do this in London we can have this in Leeds.

YABVU. He deserves to be remembered.

They’re not mutually exclusive, you know. Or do you think we should ignore shameful things in our history? Pretend they didn’t happen?

There are plenty of plaques celebrating people and places in Leeds too, in fact there’s plenty all over West Yorkshire.

Utterly ridiculous. This sort of thing is being driven by a minority of fanatics. They are bullies, and like all bullies they will keep going until someone stands up to them.

Sadly placed to her but not the other victims
She was a student, they were sex workers.

I think commemorating sad events is just as important as happy or good ones.

Imagine if we only taught the "nice" bits of history?

Personally I think blue plaques have gone the same way ( or are going the same way) as commemative benches and flowers tied to fences by roads.

What way is that then? What’s wrong with a bench? I always read them, I think it’s a nice way to remember someone.

Except you don't know them so how is that remembering someone?

Except blue plaques are there to commemorate significant people in the community.

In other words, people will Google them and find out the historical significance.

But surely you know this?

I think I see what you're saying. However the times we are living seem to have a huge focus on judging historical events by contemporary standards and assigning punishment accordingly. Everyone likes to think that they would have been speaking up back then, they wouldn't have gone along with social norms of the time, they would have defended the oppressed and disenfranchised. The truth is most people wouldn't have cared or even known, and if they did, they wouldn't have cared enough to step outside the crowd and draw attention to themselves by saying so.

That said, this is recent history - only around 50 years ago, children of his - if he had any - would still be alive and remembering their Dad, maybe grandkids who never got the chance to know him. I think it's the right thing to commemorate him but if he's being singled out to make political points in line with current ideologies then I can see why some might be cynical about this particular plaque.

Yabu.