Jamie
Jamie
Aug 25, 2017 · 2 min read

Viewing this from afar, as Lee Webb does, I can certainly appreciate the context you’ve given to this event.

I agree that whitewashing history is a terrible thing to do, and I definitely don’t agree with tearing down the monuments. I like the idea of having them permanently installed in a museum, because the full story and context can be told.

I’ve known friends who fly the Confederate flag, but what makes it confusing is that they’re British and have no link to the Southern States (let alone, the United States). I wonder whether a lot of the folks who fly it because they see it as a symbol of Southern Pride aren’t fully aware of the history of the Confederacy.

As George Santayana said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”

I wonder how well the rise and fall of the Confederacy is taught in American schools. I know that it isn’t really covered in the standard curriculum in the UK.

Just like when dealing with a medical issue: if folks don’t know all the facts, how can they make the most clear informed decision?

I’m not saying that the protesters (on either side) where ill informed, far from it. But I guess I’m asking how many of them fully understand the meaning of flag that they flew, the salutes they gave, the chants that they made, and where they all come from and the pain and suffering these things have caused to millions of people.

Sure you can’t operate a thought police, and I would never want that to happen, but I wonder whether these folks were completely educated on the consequences of those actions?

The fact that a lot of protesters immediately distanced themselves from the reports of violence as soon as it was reported tells me that they weren’t.

I wonder whether a similar sentiment is bubbling under the surface in the UK at the moment, as a direct result of Brexit.

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    Jamie

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    Jamie

    I’m a .NET developer specialising in .NET MVC websites and services, and I blog about .NET Core things