If we are judged by our most glaring mistake, none of us come out looking very well. I suggest while we can recognize the failings of Washington, Jefferson, Teddy, Abe and George Floyd – they do deserve credit when the entirety of their lives are considered. Each of them has contributed to our country.
Thousands of years from now when others re-discover this site like a Columbus of new . . . .they asked themselves “Why were four of the men without any color and why aren’t there any females up there?” taking a knee to honor this lost civilization.
Dangit. That’s all we need is for Mount Rushmore to get cancelled like the Bimiyan Buddhas. Mount Rushmore is problematic on so many levels besides this (stolen land, artist was Mr. KKK) but can we leave it for now?
Theodore Roosevelt was NOT a white supremacist, if I remember correctly. And Abraham Lincoln played the decisive role in freeing slaves in the first place. I hope you realize why we’re memorializing them: even though their ideology wasn’t in lockstep with others, they were instrumental to making America the great country it is today. Meanwhile, George Floyd was not, in himself, the decisive factor to reform the police. He was simply the last straw. And if we are going to list the sins of the four presidents, then wouldn’t it also be fair to mention armed robbery and attempted counterfeit? It did not justify his death, and he did serve the time for the armed robbery, but nevertheless, I wouldn’t support white-washing his complex personal history. I must say, Steve Benson, I whole-heartedly disagree with this cartoon.
I don’t believe Benson’s intent is to unduly vilify Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt, but to point out that this country’s poor record on this question is both old and deeply-etched. (Jefferson at least was reportedly aware of the irony of proclaiming “All men are created equal” while owning slaves, and Lincoln’s beliefs at the end of the war apparently differed from his beliefs at the beginning, but nothing stated in the cartoon is, to the best of my knowledge, essentially false.)
Today we have grown to the point in our history where we deem slavery to be a ‘bad’ (despicable, terrible, etc.) thing. The U.S. freed our slaves some 160 years ago. That’s 160 years out of some 12,000 years or more of human history that had slavery all through it, most all nations enslaving all races and nationalities and peoples. In Europe, and in the U.S., the slave owners used the Bible to justify slavery that is mentioned and sanctioned.
As said earlier, to judge people from the past by today’s standards is unfair and wrong. To ignore that history and not learn or grow from it is more wrong. Humans evolve and grow by building on our past. We need to know, but not delete or edit, our history in order to grow further.
But slavery is not racism.
We freed the salves in this Nation but have not overcome racism/bigotry. The racism issue was fought with protests and riots in the 1960s, 100 years after freedom. Progress was made. That progress peaked in 2008, and through 2018. But some 50 years later racism is still here, and might be worse. It has been recharged. That should be the focused issue right now. Racism keeps the U.S.A. from greatness.
Has anybody here ever eaten meat or worn leather? Driven a vehicle that burned petroleum? Used sexist words like “he” and “she”? Gone to church? Consumed dairy products? Don’t expect to be treated kindly by future historians, you disgusting degenerates!
One of the first things you learn when you major in history is that you can’t judge people who lived in a different time by present day standards. What they accomplished for this nation, including African Americans far outweighs the captions under them.
ferddo almost 4 years ago
We expect to positively evolve over the years… sad that we cannot maintain it…
brwydave Premium Member almost 4 years ago
If we are judged by our most glaring mistake, none of us come out looking very well. I suggest while we can recognize the failings of Washington, Jefferson, Teddy, Abe and George Floyd – they do deserve credit when the entirety of their lives are considered. Each of them has contributed to our country.
rlaker22j almost 4 years ago
without the first four like it or not we wouldn’t have a country in which the bitch about things, it’s a work in progress
Scoutmaster77 almost 4 years ago
The truth shall set us free.
The Love of Money is . . . almost 4 years ago
Thousands of years from now when others re-discover this site like a Columbus of new . . . .they asked themselves “Why were four of the men without any color and why aren’t there any females up there?” taking a knee to honor this lost civilization.
srsrubin Premium Member almost 4 years ago
Dangit. That’s all we need is for Mount Rushmore to get cancelled like the Bimiyan Buddhas. Mount Rushmore is problematic on so many levels besides this (stolen land, artist was Mr. KKK) but can we leave it for now?
walfishj almost 4 years ago
Judging people from 300 years ago by today’s standards makes no sense.
Radish the wordsmith almost 4 years ago
The racist Trump admin is driving the country backwards.
VadimUzdensky1 almost 4 years ago
Theodore Roosevelt was NOT a white supremacist, if I remember correctly. And Abraham Lincoln played the decisive role in freeing slaves in the first place. I hope you realize why we’re memorializing them: even though their ideology wasn’t in lockstep with others, they were instrumental to making America the great country it is today. Meanwhile, George Floyd was not, in himself, the decisive factor to reform the police. He was simply the last straw. And if we are going to list the sins of the four presidents, then wouldn’t it also be fair to mention armed robbery and attempted counterfeit? It did not justify his death, and he did serve the time for the armed robbery, but nevertheless, I wouldn’t support white-washing his complex personal history. I must say, Steve Benson, I whole-heartedly disagree with this cartoon.
CEELYS2 almost 4 years ago
Slavery in the USA abolished under Lincoln via executive order and the 13th Amendment 155 years ago.
Bill D. Kat Premium Member almost 4 years ago
So those men weren’t perfect. Without them, there would be no America. This strip is an outrage, and I am canceling my subscription to it.
rekam Premium Member almost 4 years ago
Under George Floyd it should have said Murdered by the police.
fritzoid Premium Member almost 4 years ago
I don’t believe Benson’s intent is to unduly vilify Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt, but to point out that this country’s poor record on this question is both old and deeply-etched. (Jefferson at least was reportedly aware of the irony of proclaiming “All men are created equal” while owning slaves, and Lincoln’s beliefs at the end of the war apparently differed from his beliefs at the beginning, but nothing stated in the cartoon is, to the best of my knowledge, essentially false.)
chris.lemarie almost 4 years ago
It’s all true, but it’s not ALL the truth. Don’t belittle your history by oversimplifying it.
ncorgbl almost 4 years ago
Today we have grown to the point in our history where we deem slavery to be a ‘bad’ (despicable, terrible, etc.) thing. The U.S. freed our slaves some 160 years ago. That’s 160 years out of some 12,000 years or more of human history that had slavery all through it, most all nations enslaving all races and nationalities and peoples. In Europe, and in the U.S., the slave owners used the Bible to justify slavery that is mentioned and sanctioned.
As said earlier, to judge people from the past by today’s standards is unfair and wrong. To ignore that history and not learn or grow from it is more wrong. Humans evolve and grow by building on our past. We need to know, but not delete or edit, our history in order to grow further.
But slavery is not racism.
We freed the salves in this Nation but have not overcome racism/bigotry. The racism issue was fought with protests and riots in the 1960s, 100 years after freedom. Progress was made. That progress peaked in 2008, and through 2018. But some 50 years later racism is still here, and might be worse. It has been recharged. That should be the focused issue right now. Racism keeps the U.S.A. from greatness.
Richard S Russell Premium Member almost 4 years ago
Has anybody here ever eaten meat or worn leather? Driven a vehicle that burned petroleum? Used sexist words like “he” and “she”? Gone to church? Consumed dairy products? Don’t expect to be treated kindly by future historians, you disgusting degenerates!
All the dinosaurs feared the T-Rex almost 4 years ago
Ya don’t learn about that in the history books!
John Foster Premium Member almost 4 years ago
One of the first things you learn when you major in history is that you can’t judge people who lived in a different time by present day standards. What they accomplished for this nation, including African Americans far outweighs the captions under them.