Honestly, there are probably more historical figures that belong off their pedestals than on, because listen – they’re human beings. And most of us are a fine blend of good, bad, ugly, and really trying.
People say if we’re knocking down statues today, though, these 14 folks should be the first to go.
13. A handful of war crimes.
Erwin Rommel is hailed as some clean “innocent” saint by some people despite his unquestioning loyalty to the NSDAP and his actions against minority populations in North Africa and France.
He even committed quite some war crimes such as ki**ing of POWs, however. His name was cleared mostly by the americans at the end of the war. This was due to the fact that america needed the german army as a kind of buffer against the communist ussr, so america started painting the picture of rommel being one of the good ones.
They did this as well for all the other germans, making the point that not all germans were bad or nazis.
12. A money-hungry slouch.
Thomas Edison. He was nothing more than a money hungry guy who stole the ideas of him competitors.
He burned down Tesla’s laboratory and ki**ed an elephant to show people how dangerous Teslas idea was.
Funnily enough the electricity we use today is the one that Tesla was vouching for.
11. Par for the course.
Andrew Jackson. Committed full-on genocide of Native American, but remembered as a rags-to-riches and valiant president and general.
Also, Lyndon B Johnson. He dragged his feet through the civil rights movement and only signed it when it was politically beneficial to him and his party. Plus, he contributed the most to America’s involvement in Vietnam
10. Of course they do.
Almost all of the US presidents have skeletons in their closets that nobody really talks about.
Whether it’s leading an invasion of a country, or using slave’s teeth as dentures. History is a rocky subject, and a rabbit hole when it comes down to the United State’s life.
9. It is kind of strange.
Santa he spies on kids and breaks into people’s houses only when they are asleep.
8. You take the good with the bad.
Mother Teresa was apparently a bitch.
Over a third of her patients received inadequate care. Conditions there were likened to nazi concentration camps. She actively campaigned against the use of condoms during the aids epidemic.
When she fell ill she ran away to California for care, instead of staying in one of her death traps.
Here’s a quote from her:
“There is something beautiful in seeing the poor accept their lot, to suffer it like Christ’s Passion. The world gains much from their suffering.”
7. A bit of a weirdo.
Woodrow Wilson.
Often remembered for coming up with the League of Nations idea, he was a super racist religious fundamentalist weirdo.
The guy who didn’t kept his promise of not involving the US in WW1 and had an infamous pro-Klan movie projected at the White House isn’t that much of a hero? Can’t say I’m surprised
6. Room to debate.
Che Guevara comes to mind. Several years ago this dude’s face was on posters, and clothing all over America.
Edit: A lot of you are arguing in favor of Che, and that’s fine. There is room to debate here. My main point was that most people wearing his image on a shirt know next to nothing about him.
5. There’s a long list.
Henry Ford, H.P. Lovecraft, Charles Lindbergh…
These are just the first few I could think of the extremely racist or anti-semitic famous Americans from around the turn of the 20th century. I’m sure there are many, many more.
4. There’s a line to walk.
Margaret Sanger.
I know many disagree with me, that’s fine. I’d welcome insightful comments. I do think it’s dangerously disingenuous to hail someone as the leader of reproductive rights for women — someone who was a known eugenicist who encouraged abortion for people she deemed genetically weak or unfit.
If famous people who did amazing things but also owned slaves are not be revered in America, it makes sense to me that someone who supported forced sterilization bills should also go without respect.
3. More than a bit icky.
Steve Jobs. Not only was he incredibly mean and cruel to his coworkers and employees, he also essentially stole credit for everything that was achieved under the name “Apple”.
He had no particular skills that aided him in succeeding other than to take credit for others accomplishments.
2. Wild, right?
Robert E. Lee. That man is a traitor to the United States. It boggles my mind as to why some military bases or academies have statues of him.
1. Actually a bad king.
King Richard I aka Richard the Lionheart.
He is held in a high regard but he was actually a bad king. He had no interest in governing and his attention span was limited to k**ling people in warfare. He was regarded as a cruel leader (even by the standards of the 12th century) and is only held in high regard because the monks liked his crusading and because the Victorians considered him an “empire builder”.
I should also point out that, despite being born in Oxford, Richard I did not consider himself “English” and he considered himself a Frenchman where he spent most of his adult life. He considered England to be nothing more than a piggy bank to fund his crusading and he hated the nation which is why it is so baffling to see England football fans use crusader imagery and boast about the “three lions on the shirt”.
If you want to know more, watch Terry Jones’s Medieval Lives.
Hard to argue with these choices, I think.
Best to be pretty careful about who you idolize, I think.
