Free Yourself

The other day I listened to an entertaining historian who concluded with his view that statues of Confederate luminaries should not be removed from public sites. They illustrate our warped view of history at the time when they were erected, often in the 1920s, according to this Texan.

Ramesses II erected quite a few statues of himself in Egypt about 3,000 years ago (and added to them by having his name carved into statues of his predecessors). He probably still holds the record. There are giant statues of the Egyptian, much larger than those of slave-whippers like Jeff Davis or Bobby Lee, but they have the same function. It isn’t to illustrate history. In most cases, statues of leaders are erected to scare folks in lesser castes. Statues of Ramesses, Davis, Lee, Saddam and Buddha were created to reinforce the power of one group over others. They demand obedience. Free yourself. Topple them.