Removing Confederate Generals portraits?

[Liz Rosenthal]

As a Jewish person, I can assure everyone that were we to ban the work of every artist and writer in history who harbored antisemitic views, whether in Germany or some other country, the annals of art and literature would shrink dramatically. As far as I know, and I could be wrong, Wagner wasn't notably more antisemitic than others during his time. The fact is that antisemitism was the default religious-ethnic attitude toward Jews in Europe for nearly two millennia leading up to Wagner's time.. and then up to Hitler's time. It pervaded every level of society. So I don't know where we're going with this discussion.

I'd also like to express support for RSmyth's and Rob Wick's views regarding slavery, the South and the Confederacy in this thread. Guys, you are not alone.

(12-22-2013 09:44 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  

(12-21-2013 07:25 PM)Kathleen Wrote:  The article didn't provide all of the information and was incorrect.

Hi Kathleen, and thanks! See what the media can do...

As for political correctness - consequence and reason or common sense often don't go along well. We have been undergoing a process of whitewashing history for some years now regarding any celebrity who (even if only accidentally and unwillingly) ever somehow came in touch with Hitler. At present there's a big issue to re-name two nationwide quite famous constructions named after Hindenburg. One is a railway causeway joining the prestigious island of Sylt (Germany's "Martha's Vineyard") to the mainland. It was opened in 1927 and named after the second German President. For all those years neither member of any ethnic group has ever had an issue with these namings, suddenly they are questionable. So far so good, but knowing German thoroughness and consequence I wonder when the first demands will occur e.g. to forbid Wagner's music since he was an ardent and very active anti-Semite.

Hindenburgdamm