The Student Room Group

Rhodes must fall

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“Put it simply: Oriel has sold out. Student welfare is not, and never will be for sale.”

How is student welfare at risk from a bloody statue? Those idiots probably wouldn't even know who he is if they didn't look around for things to be offended by.
These idiots are going to get a real shock when they enter the 'real world', away from their ivory towers. Changing history is not going to change the fact that it happened.

#regressiveleft
Original post by Aceadria
These idiots are going to get a real shock when they enter the 'real world', away from their ivory towers. Changing history is not going to change the fact that it happened.

#regressiveleft


But it isn't exactly "changing history", it is leaving it in the past and moving forward.

Rhodes statue should fall, there is no reason for anybody to be reminded of his colonial legacy every morning. It's completely unnecessary, we live in a multicultural society and times have changed, and British Imperialism was left behind a long time ago. I think it will be very refreshing to see his statue gone.
Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
But it isn't exactly "changing history", it is leaving it in the past and moving forward.


Technically, it is. You're removing something that was built in the past.


Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
Rhodes statue should fall, there is no reason for anybody to be reminded of his colonial legacy every morning..

Again, are students at one of the world's leading academic institutions that sensitive? There's plenty of statues in London (where, incidentally a large number of graduates from Oriel will end up); are you suggesting we bring them all down?


Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
It's completely unnecessary, we live in a multicultural society and times have changed, and British Imperialism was left behind a long time ago. I think it will be very refreshing to see his statue gone.

And in a multicultural society, it's important people realise what the past was about. As for British Imperialism, it was not all bad. I'll let you debate this in the History sub-forum.
Reply 44
Avatar for Howard
Howard
5
Leave it be. He was a man of his times.

If we were to remove the statues of anybody that could be said to be racially intolerant or otherwise unenlightened by today's standards we'd be a world without statues.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 45
Avatar for Howard
Howard
5
Original post by Age Quod Agis
Did Henry VIII reign affect Black people in any way...?


Oh, so it's only black rights that are important?
Why is imperialism seen as a bad thing? Everywhere that's good in the world, is good because we have been there. Even in the middle east, the more tolerable places, like where women don't have to cover up etc., have strong historical links to us.
Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
But it isn't exactly "changing history", it is leaving it in the past and moving forward.

Rhodes statue should fall, there is no reason for anybody to be reminded of his colonial legacy every morning. It's completely unnecessary, we live in a multicultural society and times have changed, and British Imperialism was left behind a long time ago. I think it will be very refreshing to see his statue gone.


Well I for one want to see Hadrian's Wall torn down. It is a symbol of Roman oppression against my Celtic ancestors. Infact I want all Roman artifacts in Britain to be destroyed, I am sick and tired of being constantly reminded of Rome's colonial legacy.

#RomeMustFall
Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
But it isn't exactly "changing history", it is leaving it in the past and moving forward.

Rhodes statue should fall, there is no reason for anybody to be reminded of his colonial legacy every morning. It's completely unnecessary, we live in a multicultural society and times have changed, and British Imperialism was left behind a long time ago. I think it will be very refreshing to see his statue gone.


Which can be achieved without taking down the statue, which to be honest has a bit of a feel of trying to white wash history - hiding what wrongs we as a nation did doesn't solve anything, learn to live with the past rather than tearing it down and pretending it didn't happen.
Reply 49
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HS2030
15
:/
Reply 50
Avatar for Josb
Josb
6
Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
But it isn't exactly "changing history", it is leaving it in the past and moving forward.

Rhodes statue should fall, there is no reason for anybody to be reminded of his colonial legacy every morning. It's completely unnecessary, we live in a multicultural society and times have changed, and British Imperialism was left behind a long time ago. I think it will be very refreshing to see his statue gone.


Do you also think the statues of Queen Victoria should be removed? and Churchill? and George Washington in the USA?

You won't find a single historical character that is completely clean. Many had their flaws, but their statues have been erected to celebrate their accomplishments. By bequeathing his wealth to Oxford in order to create the first international scholarship program, Rhodes undeniably made a good action - this is what his statue represents.

Moreover, at his time, South Africa was a very well advanced country in the world. It is only later that its leaders rejected progress and South Africa thus became an anachronistic regime, but Rhodes is not responsible for what South Africa became after he died.

Times have changed, this is precisely why we shouldn't judge historical characters by our modern standards. Otherwise, you can say that statues of Disraeli, Gladstone & co. must be removed because they were misogynist and against democracy, whereas their ideas were just mainstream at the time. And you can do that for pretty much any historical character.
Reply 51
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TeeEm
19
Definitely it must not fall
Rhodes is Greek, and it must not fall
Reply 52
Avatar for Josb
Josb
6
Original post by Greenlaner
Well I for one want to see Hadrian's Wall torn down. It is a symbol of Roman oppression against my Celtic ancestors. Infact I want all Roman artifacts in Britain to be destroyed, I am sick and tired of being constantly reminded of Rome's colonial legacy.

#RomeMustFall


You should claim reparation to the Italian government. If you say that your ancestors were forced by the Romans to work in the Cornwall tin mines, you may even get some ancient bronze statues back.
Original post by Josb
You should claim reparation to the Italian government. If you say that your ancestors were forced by the Romans to work in the Cornwall tin mines, you may even get some ancient bronze statues back.


Good idea. Infact, I will do one better, I'll attend a university in Rome, then I will demand they take down all their statues of Roman emperors.
There are some battles worth fighting but I don't think this is one of them. I think this entire thing has been blown out of proportion - both by the people supporting the campaign and the people acting as if getting rid of the statue is the end of the world - and it's now probably just acting as a distraction against genuine issues that still remain today. I honestly don't really mind if the statue stays or goes, I'd just like this to stop being news...
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
But it isn't exactly "changing history", it is leaving it in the past and moving forward.

Rhodes statue should fall, there is no reason for anybody to be reminded of his colonial legacy every morning. It's completely unnecessary, we live in a multicultural society and times have changed, and British Imperialism was left behind a long time ago. I think it will be very refreshing to see his statue gone.


Well you can't touch it. It is part of a listed building.
Just a few months ago they were saying they are willing to accept extremist views on the basis of freedom of speech and universities should be a forum with no censorship.

Yet they are removing bits of history they don't agree with???? Damnnnn back at it again with the left-wing bigotry
Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes

, there is no reason for anybody to be reminded of his colonial legacy every morning.


Especially those hypocrites who have benefited from the money he left for scholarships and then campaigned to remove his statue, eh?
Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
But it isn't exactly "changing history", it is leaving it in the past and moving forward.

Rhodes statue should fall, there is no reason for anybody to be reminded of his colonial legacy every morning. It's completely unnecessary, we live in a multicultural society and times have changed, and British Imperialism was left behind a long time ago. I think it will be very refreshing to see his statue gone.


By this logic, should the statute of Henry VIII be removed from Trinity College, Cambridge? It offends me to be reminded of his religious intolerance and brutality.

In fact, I think we should tear down most of the buildings in central London. They were built using the funds of imperialism and it offends me to have to walk past such icons to imperialism.
I take it that the Egyptian pyramids should also be torn down? They were even built by slaves, how oppressive!Also, the statue of liberty, after all, it was a gift from the French to annoy the British in relation to the colonial era rivalry between the two nations.

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