Quote:
Originally Posted by bradnixon
Like others, I think re-naming the parkway for Macdonald was a dumb idea in the first place. It was done recently and without consultation so it shouldn't be a big deal to change it to something more appropriate.
On statues, I think my position is that rather than try to erase or forget the history, the statues of figures like Macdonald should be accompanied by plaques that detail the full story. We need to acknowledge the skeletons in our national closet.
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Fair enough to acknowledge history's skeletons, but what is the full story? What is the balanced story that comes closest to truth?
This reminds me of a trip to Raleigh North Carolina, and taking a walking tour with a northerner, who went out of her way to walk around the back of the Capitol building so we would not see a Confederate statue. I asked about it, because I was there to learn, but I was denied. Is it ever a good idea to deny our history? Nobody learns the good or the bad.
I personally could be bitter and offended about the past and those who made certain decisions, but I accept that world in the past was less enlightened and that we should look forward to a better and more just future. Those in the past made decisions based on beliefs of time.
What was discovered in Kamloops should shock nobody? This was an inevitable discovery and was probably known to some degree. Those involved have lots of difficult decisions ahead to decide whether to exhume the bodies and try to identify the children. I question whether that is a good idea but that is thankfully not up to me. I do hope that any records are made available.