History needs context - and so do we

There is a lot of talk about throwing away some of the icons of our history. History is a moment fixed in time. You cannot erase it. It is fact. It happened.

Morality and standards change as people evolve. Almost all history is written by the victors. And those of us who follow almost always see history through those eyes.

Trying to wash away all that is bad removes the ability of almost everyone to understand the difference between good and bad, right and wrong. I am really struggling with the notion that we should dispose of all iconography of history in an effort to do right by those who were oppressed and mistreated.

Today NPR had a short piece on the removal and re-instatement of one of the most classic movies of all time. "Gone with the Wind". An epic movie of which there can be no doubt. Was it a fictional account? Was it accurate in the historical context? Does it bear repeating the stereotypes in the movie? I suggest listening to the story, it is from the scholar who does the commentary of the movie now back in circulation.

During the same time slot - there was another piece on Christopher Columbus. Was he a racist in our 2020 frame? Did he try (and largely succeed) in subjugating local native peoples?

I hope that we can bring some degree of sanity back to the situation and stop trying to erase history. Otherwise I fear we will ignore the wise words attributed most likely to writer and philosopher George Santayana, and in its original form it read, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." However given that I have a need in my head to find as much that is amusing remember Mark Twain who penned these words famously on the matter: "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."

So let us teach the context of good and evil - not try to hide it.