A majority of Americans want to preserve Confederate monuments - Reuters/Ipsos poll

[webfact]

A majority of Americans want to preserve Confederate monuments - Reuters/Ipsos poll

By Chris Kahn

 

Workers remove Confederate Postmaster General John Reagan statue from the south mall of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, U.S., August 21, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Spillman

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A majority of Americans think Confederate monuments should be preserved in public spaces, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll, a view that is at odds with efforts in many cities to remove them.

 

The Aug. 18-21 poll found that 54 percent of adults said Confederate monuments "should remain in all public spaces" while 27 percent said they "should be removed from all public spaces." Another 19 percent said they "don't know."

 

Responses to the poll were sharply split along racial and party lines, however, with whites and Republicans largely supportive of preservation. Democrats and minorities were more likely to support removal.

 

Cities across the United States are debating what to do with hundreds of statues, plaques and other monuments to the slave-holding Confederacy. Some monuments already have been removed this year in cities like New Orleans and Baltimore.

 

The poll also found that the public was almost evenly divided over the deadly "Unite the Right" rally that was called to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia.

 

The rally was organised by white nationalists and drew members of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists, as well as left-leaning counter-protesters. It quickly erupted into violence, and a 32-year-old woman was killed after a car plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters. The man who police say was driving the car was described by a former teacher as having been "infatuated" with Nazi ideology. There were people among both camps who came carrying sticks and shields.

 

Trump later blamed "both sides" for the conflict. "You had a group on one side that was bad," he said. "And you had a group on the other side that was also very violent."

 

His comments were met with a chorus of rebukes across the political spectrum, including Republican Party bosses and business leaders. Trump later disbanded two presidential business advisory groups after a growing number of CEO members quit to protest his comments, and all 17 members of Trump's arts and humanities committee also resigned.

 

Yet, according to the poll, 31 percent of Americans described the rally as "an even mix" of rioting and intimidation by white supremacists and left-wing counter-protesters, a viewpoint that roughly lines up with Trump's comments. Another 28 percent saw the white supremacists as the aggressors and 10 percent mostly blamed the left-wing counter-protesters. The remaining 32 percent said "other" or "don't know."

 

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English throughout the United States, gathering responses from 2,149 people, including 874 Democrats and 763 Republicans. It has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 2 percentage points for the entire group and 4 percentage points for the Democrats and Republicans.

 

(Reporting by Chris Kahn; Editing by Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-22

[ezzra]

So why not erase any and all history of slaves owning nations on earth

since the down of times why don't we? clean slate right? and if we

 go there, we should also erase other shameful events in history, and they

were many of those too many to for this page....

[Scott]

A post from a questionable source has been removed.   Please use credible sources as links. 

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.  

 

This is the WORLD NEWS forum.  

[phantomfiddler]

Nice to know that the majority of people are sensible !

[Rancid]

What the majority want is hardly relevant in any democracy, its what the loudest voices or campaign contributors want. So the US electorate ousted the establishment figures and voted in Trump as he promised more jobs and less wars, as such one would believe the average American wants more jobs and less wars. However Trump has been stifled at every turn, again, what the majority wants is irreverent, they will get what the establishment wants and have the media ram it down their throats.

[LannaGuy]

Ah that 'silent majority' above the noise of 'Antifa' and the 'racist nutters' been waiting to hear from them.

[FreddieRoyle]

When I heard the anti-Trumpers wanted to blow up the Stone Mountain in Georgia, I thought they were joking. They weren't. This has all got totally out of hand, it started with a statue and has now progressed to huge historical monuments, next will be works of art, bank notes, music, anything that could be construed as having a relation to unfortunate chapters of White history.

 

 Suffice to say, re-writing history is wrong. full stop.

[iReason]

39 minutes ago, ezzra said:

So why not erase any and all history of slaves owning nations on earth

since the down of times why don't we? clean slate right?

 

They were traitors to the United States of America.

[iReason]

11 minutes ago, FreddieRoyle said:

When I heard the anti-Trumpers wanted to blow up the Stone Mountain in Georgia, I thought they were joking. They weren't. This has all got totally out of hand, it started with a statue and has now progressed to huge historical monuments, next will be works of art, bank notes, music, anything that could be construed as having a relation to unfortunate chapters of White history.

 

"When I heard the anti-Trumpers wanted to blow up the Stone Mountain..."

Just making stuff up.

While weakly attempting to inject irrelevant drivel.

 

 

"...next will be works of art, bank notes, music, anything..."

Hyperbolic, hysterical gibberish.

 

 

[natway09]

You can delete whatever you want but it will not change a thing.

America gone mad ,,, (Have they no work to do)???

[connda]

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”

- George Orwell, 1984

Unlike many in the politically correct world, I don't particularly wish to head down the path of totalitarian dystopias.  It's interesting that so many others do.  So purge the statues, purge the pictures, purge the street names, and purge the building names -- and purge the books.

Next will be the rewriting of history, that you my friends will probably never notice, as that revisionist history will be aimed directly at your children, the upcoming generation, who will inculcate any historical perspective that their teachers provide them.
Then one day, you may find, there is something evil about you personally - history dictates that it is so.  Therefore, it must be true.
No, I don't want to live in a world like that, and hopefully I'll be gone by the time New-history has redefined society - but will you my friends?  Will you?

Edited August 22, 2017 by connda

[heybuz]

1 hour ago, iReason said:

 

They were traitors to the United States of America.

no they believed in state rights as soveriegn states. they believed they had the right to succeed.

[hdkane]

1 hour ago, iReason said:

 

They were traitors to the United States of America.

truly, i think that is the only point that seems to have any validity in the argument to remove the statues...still, it is a part of history, and should be preserved, don't you think? i don't think that people in the uk would expect to have statues of william wallace torn down...or statues of geronimo torn down...the list can go on forever...i think the most reasonable thing is to leave the statues...and perhaps place plaques that would offer a reasonable and objective description of the person's actions, as well as their influence...the antifa people looked a lot like taliban soldiers when they tore down the buddhas a few years back...

[Pdaz]

1 hour ago, FreddieRoyle said:

When I heard the anti-Trumpers wanted to blow up the Stone Mountain in Georgia, I thought they were joking. They weren't. This has all got totally out of hand, it started with a statue and has now progressed to huge historical monuments, next will be works of art, bank notes, music, anything that could be construed as having a relation to unfortunate chapters of White history.

 

 Suffice to say, re-writing history is wrong. full stop.

Yep the Yank anti monument idiots are no better than Islamic State who also destroyed history.. 

[mikebike]

12 minutes ago, connda said:

Next will be the rewriting of history, that you my friends will probably never notice, as that revisionist history will be aimed directly at your children, the upcoming generation, who will inculcate any historical perspective that their teachers provide them.

See voucher schools. Happening now.

[iReason]

38 minutes ago, heybuz said:

no they believed in state rights as soveriegn states. they believed they had the right to succeed.

 

"Lee was a top graduate of the United States Military Academy and an exceptional officer and military engineer in the United States Army for 32 years. During this time, he served throughout the United States, distinguished himself during the Mexican–American War, and served as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee

 

Gen. Lee was asked to lead the United States Army when the insurrection flared up.

Gen. Lee deserted, deciding to take up arms against his own brethren of 32 years and the United States of America.

He was a traitor.

 

States rights? Rights for what? To continue what?

Please don't be disingenuous.

 

Fortunately, they did not succeed in their bloody attempt to secede.

 

Edited August 22, 2017 by iReason

[iReason]

[LannaGuy]

21 minutes ago, iReason said:

Horrible as was the 12 US Presidents who owned slaves:

Washington
Jefferson
Madison
Monroe
Jackson
Van Buren
Harrison
Tyler
Polk
Taylor
Johnson
Grant

Edited August 22, 2017 by LannaGuy

[funandsuninbangkok]

Once again Trump is out in front on this and fake news media got it wrong. 

 

Americans will now enjoy a summer of antifa and Blm protesters wrecking havoc all over the States cheered on by our "caring social justice" media. 

 

Meanwhile Obamacare will completely implode. 

 

In November 2018, once again, Democrats will pay at the polls for their  social experiments and lose more seats locally and in Washington. 

 

60 Republican Senators in 2018. Yummy!

Edited August 22, 2017 by funandsuninbangkok

[retarius]

Snowflakes are perpetually offended people who are always looking for something to be offended about. People should grow thicker skins. I am tired of PC people telling me what I can say or think. Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me and neither will statues of historical figures. Whitewashing history was explained in Orwell's 1984....who controls the present controls the state....whoever controls history controls the present. 

 

Nancy Pelosi has been in Congress for 30 years or so walking past statues of slave owners, and now suddenly wants all these non-PC statues removed. Political opportunism.

[carbine1125]

1 hour ago, natway09 said:

You can delete whatever you want but it will not change a thing.

America gone mad ,,, (Have they no work to do)???

I agree. The radical Muslims don't have anything to worry about. America is destroying itself from within.

[iReason]

14 minutes ago, retarius said:

Whitewashing history was explained in Orwell's 1984....who controls the present controls the state....whoever controls history controls the present.

 

No one is "Whitewashing history".

 

They are removing monuments that glorify Traitors.

 

[helpisgood]

1 hour ago, LannaGuy said:

Horrible as was the 12 US Presidents who owned slaves:

Washington
Jefferson
Madison
Monroe
Jackson
Van Buren
Harrison
Tyler
Polk
Taylor
Johnson
Grant

Irrelevant!

 

The statues in question were put in place to for the purpose (operative word here) of honoring military people for leading an insurrection against the US govt. - that cost very many lives  - to defend and to perpetuate a slave-based socioeconomic system.  Having these statues placed on public grounds is stating that the insurrection was a good and just cause.  Anyone with a modicum of decency would agree it was not. 

 

By the way, there are so many other aspects of Southern heritage in the USA that can be honored, e.g., in literature and music.  Oh yeah, and the Southerners, including those whose parents and/or ancestors were slaves, who fought as soldiers for the USA as patriots and not traitors.   

[LannaGuy]

32 minutes ago, iReason said:

 

No one is "Whitewashing history".

 

They are removing monuments that glorify Traitors.

 

Ah the "traitor' that was appointed to Washington and Lee university?  the 'traitor' who had a Sub named after him?  that Lee you mean?  

[LannaGuy]

2 minutes ago, helpisgood said:

Irrelevant!

 

The statues in question were put in place to for the purpose (operative word here) of honoring military people for leading an insurrection against the US govt. - that cost very many lives  - to defend and to perpetuate a slave-based socioeconomic system.  Having these statues placed on public grounds is stating that the insurrection was a good and just cause.  Anyone with a modicum of decency would agree it was not. 

 

By the way, there are so many other aspects of Southern heritage in the USA that can be honored, e.g., in literature and music.  Oh yeah, and the Southerners, including those whose parents and/or ancestors were slaves, who fought as soldiers for the USA as patriots and not traitors.   

Of course 'irrelevant' to you as it does not suit your sanitized view of history. These monuments are historical not glorification. 

[Gecko123]

They do have historical significance, and probably shouldn't be sold for scrap. Put them in a museum which those who are interested can visit.  Leaving these statues up in public places is way too socially divisive, and they should have been taken down long ago. Statues don't just represent who we have been but who we aspire to be as a people. Hitler, Himmler, Hess, Goebels and company were part of history too, but you don't see statues of them in Germany's public squares and parks, for good reason.

 

Those who argue in favor of keeping these statues in public places need to ask themselves how they would feel walking past a statue of someone who fought to keep their ancestors enslaved?

Edited August 22, 2017 by Gecko123

[iReason]

17 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

Ah the "traitor' that was appointed to Washington and Lee university?  the 'traitor' who had a Sub named after him?  that Lee you mean?  

 

Yes. That Traitor.

 

Lee was not appointed to "Washington and Lee" university.

 

"Washington and Lee was founded in 1749 as a small classical school named Augusta Academy"

"In 1796, George Washington endowed the struggling academy with a gift of stock, one of the largest gifts to an educational institution at the time; in gratitude, the school was renamed for the first United States President."

"In 1865, after his surrender at Appomattox Court House, former General Robert E. Lee served as president of the college until his death in 1870, when the college was renamed Washington and Lee University."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_and_Lee_University

 

 

Edited August 22, 2017 by iReason

[iReason]

15 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

Of course 'irrelevant' to you as it does not suit your sanitized view of history. These monuments are historical not glorification.

 

These monuments are glorification not historical. Of course 'irrelevant' to you as it does not suit your view of history.

 

There. Fixed that for you.

[LannaGuy]

1 minute ago, Gecko123 said:

They do have historical significance, and probably shouldn't be sold for scrap. Put them in a museum which those who are interested can visit.  Leaving these statues up in public places is way too socially divisive, and they should have been taken down long ago. Statues don't just represent who we have been but who we aspire to be as a people. Hitler, Himmler, Hess, Goebels and company were part of history too, but you don't see statues of them in Germany's public squares and parks for good reason.

 

Those who argue in favor of keeping these statues in public places need to ask themselves how they would feel walking past a statue of someone who fought to keep their ancestors enslaved?

I feel fine it's history. I walk past many statues when I visit Russia of those that fought against my family (white Russians) and I bear no malice and see them as informative and historical. Pellosi suddenly feels 'hurt' and 'injured' after 30 years?  poor thing

 

This is PC gone bonkers 'people of colour lives matter' won't be any better for moving some statues.