How politically correct can we get?

[robkelk]

Teachers' union votes to urge school boards to remove John A. Macdonald's name from public schools

Yes, John A. Macdonald was one of the politicians who started the "residential schools" program that nearly destroyed the culture of the native peoples. He's also one of the politicians who spearheaded the building of the transcontinental railroad... and he was Canada's first Prime Minister.

This, IMHO, is the Canadian equivalent of tearing down statues to George Washington because he kept slaves. (Yes, I did just quote Trump. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.)--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[robkelk]

The Premier of the province (roughly equivalent to a US state Governor) thinks this proposal has "missed the mark."--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Labster]

This all reminds me of a situation with a bit more subtlety than the Confederate memorials.  Here in California, the Franciscan bishop Junípero Serra was the man responsible for the creation of the Catholic mission system across the state, and spreading Christian and Spanish culture to the natives.  The padres saw a lazy people who didn't accomplish much, so they invited people to stay in their missions... and wouldn't let them leave.  They introduced the Native Americans to severe corporal punishment, much as they did to children at home.  Spain was not too far removed from the Inquisition at this time, after all.  Of course a lot of people died, but that was mainly from disease.  And a lot of culture was destroyed, but that was to save their souls.

So when the Catholic church decided to beatify Serra into a saint, it got a lot of mixed reactions.  Sure, they were brutal conquerors, but they were also men trying their best to save lives and souls of the native people.  Even the local Chumash tribe was split between those who love Serra and those who despise him.  I'd say that his intentions were pure, but you know what they say about good intentions.  Things were much better for the Indians under the Mexican Government -- and then when the U.S. took over it was a dollar a scalp.

Morality should always be understood in the context of its time.  And if it's more than seven generations ago, it's just water under the bridge.  That's why all of this stuff from the 1860s is coming out now -- it's nearing the last chance to amend the historical record.  I feel like the Confederates were, in their time, supporting what was then considered an immoral system by making war against their own country.  People can have whatever monuments they want, but if we're going to have some monuments to General Lee on public land, we might as well have some to Osama bin Ladin.  Yeah, I know, Osama killed less Americans, so maybe just a few plaques, not the full statue treatment.

Obviously John MacDonald is closer to Father Serra -- we do history a disservice when we judge men to be evil by today's standards.  I enjoy Caesar salad just fine despite the fact that he basically overthrew 500 years of Roman republicanism and killed a bunch of Gauls.  (Though one would expect the salad to come with garum.)-- ?×V

[Bob Schroeck]

Sorry, Brent -- wrong Caesar.  You're a few thousand years off.-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.