Thursday, August 24, 2017

A Question of Hate

Throughout history, artists have been commissioned to sculpt statues to show reverence to mythical Gods or impactful humans who have dramatically influenced the course of history.  In ancient Greece  the gods Zeus or Poseidon were believed to have exerted  power and influence over ancient Greek society. Thus artists sought to immortalize them via the construction of a sculpture or statue.  The Egyptians in an effort to commemorate the power of the great Pharaohs constructed incredible monuments. This practice of sculpture construction is a practice that dates back thousands of years. However there is another practice that has gained momentum as of late called "sculpture dismantling" that dates back to the ancient world as well.  Recent scholarship has indicated that much had been done to erase the female Pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut from ancient Egyptian history, by those that reigned after her. Statues and other artifacts connected to Hatshepsut and her legacy were destroyed as a result of their efforts.  Why? Because history is written by the winners and those that reigned after Hatshepsut allegedly wanted her legacy erased because she was a female. 1

Two weekends ago a White Supremacist Rally was held in Charlottesville, Virginia, under the guise that they were to there toprotest the removal of a statue of Civil War general, Robert E. Lee.  The rally was met by an intense resistance and eventually violence erupted. Horrifically, multiple people lost their lives that day. Let's be clear , the possible removal of the statue did not fuel the hatred of the Neo-Nazi  or White Supremacist factions attending the rally that day. Hatred was the culprit. The opportunity to move forward an agenda of hate was the reason for the rally and the violence that ensued was a vehicle used  by the protesters to act upon their hate. This hatred towards other races and religions is a major part of the White Supremacist culture which has lived and been perpetuated for centuries in our great nation. Crimes have been inflicted upon humanity and gone unpunished  at the hands of these " hate groups".  As a nation we need to move forward a stronger series of political reforms.  These reforms need to be designed to eliminate crimes against humanity which are motivated by hatred and violence, with more vigorous prosecution for those responsible.

Tearing down statues is not the answer to removing hate from our nation.  We need to pump the brakes and be reflective about what we are really trying to accomplish. Statues in America have long been built in remembrance of military leaders, social activists or political figures who have accomplished something of significance.  The judgment of their legacy and impact is up to those that they leave behind. The opinion whether favorable of unfavorable may even change from time to time. People that make history usually are polarizing figures that cause a measure of discord, but discord is a fundamental and necessary part of our democracy. Removing or destroying a statue does not make that figure any less polarizing; only time can accomplish that.

Statues are constructed in the United States to serve as reminders of people and their actions that have changed our nation for better or worse. Unfortunately these actions at times unquestionably changed our nation for the worse. Especially glaring are those of the Civil War era and the issues that those fighting the Civil War sought to resolve.  The consequences of the resolution should not include the  erasing of history through statue removal or dismantling, because the winners get the final say. Rather, the answer is to educate our culture about the issues that led to conflict and their resolution. Then we need to examine the "question of hate" and act upon eliminating it wherever and whenever possible.

1. American History Encylopedia,  Hatshepsut Joshua J. Mark   October 19, 2016

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Dreams





For most baseball fans, baseball is the game of our youth. Many of us dream of playing Major League Baseball. The reality though is that only the few and very fortunate are blessed with the opportunity to walk across the white lines of major league diamonds and engage in careers as major league baseball players.  My sons' Peter, Scott and I all put our formal association with Little League Baseball in the rearview mirror quite a few years ago.  However, every August we renew our passion for the game, closely following the Little League World Series.  Each year we are delighted for two weeks by the amazing stories surrounding the players and their teams, as well as the action on the field.

Over the years we have become familier with just how special a place Williamsport is, watching players from all teams interact off the field, enjoying amusement, fare and experiences designed to make them feel like royalty.  This year, things have been taken up a notch with the development of the Little League Classic.  On Sunday of week one, players from the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates arrived on site to watch Little League teams from around the world engage in this years tournament. In addition to taking in the games major league players and litttle league players had the oppurtunity to engage in conversation, as well as play ping pong, or just spend quality time with each other. Not only was it special for this years particiants, but also for many of the major league players as well, having previously played there as Litttle Leaguers.  You could'nt construct a dream any better.

The dream does'nt conclude though with the end of the days action at Williamsport.  After the final game ends, all of the players from all the little leagues represented, board busses and head to Bowman Field, the second oldest minor league ball park in the nation. (capacity 2,500)  Once they arrive the players will be treated to a major league baseball game featuring the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The entire stadium witll be sold out with essentially an audience of Little League baseball players. Keep in mind that many of these players will be seeing their first major league game. Hopefully the game will be as much of a classic as the rest of the day.

Espn, MLB and Little League baseball executives all deserve congratuations for organizing a day that brought together little league baseball players and their major league heroes.  In doing so they ultimately created an experience that most adolescent baseball fans could only dream about.