Existing comment:
BLM protesters gathered at the Freedman's Memorial statue in Lincoln Park on June 26, 2020. Factions varied. One group said the memorial, whose funding was entirely done through donations from former slaves in the 1870s, should be preserved as is. Another said the statue is demeaning to blacks and should be redesigned or moved into a museum. The shouting group didn't care about any of this, was tired of people talking about this for a whole week (who has that sort of time?!) and demanded that "this mother-f-- should be torn down now!"
While reason prevailed that day, the lynch mob component said they'd be back until it was torn down. They had decided that the dreams of the freed slaves back then were totally inappropriate and irrelevant for today.
They reminded me of stories you hear of the child president's meetings with staff. The adults in the room try to take a reasoned, slower approach whereas the child is "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead," relying on his gut. We can end up disappointed after following the adults, but we often end up embarrassed, irrecoverable, and isolated following the child. |