Tuesday, June 30, 2020

#BLM Art and Former Statues

The thing that got me interested in the Monkees, even as a young kid, was the idea of history. All these references to things I had yet to learn. And then as I learned, I saw the pattern that every generation tries to remake or destroy the generation prior to theirs. The 60's were the template, the ultimate idea of the teenagers who don't trust anyone over 30 (knowing full well that people age). America was formed in rebellion.  Every day now seems like history, with pandemic numbers at absurd highs across America (We have 1/4 of the world's deaths, with only 4% of its population).  Where I live, MA, today was the FIRST day of no deaths from Covid since March. And yet, the police violence hasn't stopped, which is why the protests haven't stopped.  And why people are taking to the streets, seizing whatever power they can.  Social Media turned onto the real world.

Not only have there been gorgeous murals going up around the world in support of Black Lives Matter, but they are also painting the streets themselves. Black Lives Matter in huge letters, visible from space, or at least from small aircraft.

And the statues, ALL the statues seem to be coming down, all the ones which lack compassion.  And even the ones of old men, who might be on the good side of history.  In these days, it is better to rethink everything.  Even those who fought, did they not fight hard enough?  Did they do everything and we are still stuck in this world? Would their ghosts be fighting for change, along with the protesters? 

I imagine the ghosts on the better, more equitable side of history, cheering on the living.  All the energy (both living and dead) are contributing to the new world.  And even the ghosts with regretful pasts, are changing their minds.  Even they can change their minds, even they can fix things for the better from the grave.  

All the souls in the world want mercy for the future.

Even in Portugal,there is a sense of reckoning.  The idea that "Portugal is not a racist country" has been brought up again-how can the country which started the slave trade and commissioned histories to define the hierarchy of races- Prince Henry the Navigator has lots of statues-but we must now understand who he really is.


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