The woman at the bakery with the confederate flag in a heart tattoo on her wrist.

She saw me looking at it and told me when she was a teen in the 90s she got into line dancing nights in her village hall. She had lots of fun nights and met a guy who she was married to for a time. “Now Americans have decided it’s racist. It’s a bit awkward”

I didn’t know what to say, so I asked if she was going to keep it. She shrugged and said it just reminded her of dancing with her friends. So I smiled, paid for my sausage roll and bag of crisps and left.

I suppose if we live long enough someone will tell us that something from our past is not okay anymore, and we have to make own decisions what to do about it. Based on her reasons I respect hers.

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ronnie · 56-60, M

There are many things in our past of which we should now be ashamed. Where I live, the area was involved substnatially in the slave trade. Many of the street names in major Scottish cities reflect those businessmen who owned tobacco, sugar and other plantations and exploited the people in those areas.

I am now very embarrassed by some of the names in places such as Glasgow and dearly wish that they would rename them with a principle new name with their original name displayed below in much smaller signage.

I also believe that the statues that adorn many of our cities should carry an explanation of the part the slave owners played and depict a 'slave' in an adjoining statue.

Instead all we do is talk about doing something while right wing football thugs worship the statues and protect them when ever there is talk of making changes.

wildbill83 · 41-45, M

@ronnie so, destroy any history you don't agree with?

sorta like all the book burning that went on in the 1930's?🤔

ronnie · 56-60, M

@wildbill83 That is a typcial far right response. How many statues of Nazis do you see in your country? None in mine. None of any of the British fascists either.

You know exactly what I mean and I do not need to justify it to someone who uses such a ridiculous, extreme example.

wildbill83 · 41-45, M

@ronnie yes, I know exactly what you mean; you want to rewrite history, and embrace woke nonsense, guaranteeing that history repeats itself...

ronnie · 56-60, M

@wildbill83 If I am woke, then I'm proud of that. Oh no, I never want us to forget and I enjoy response like this to let everyone see and fear the continuing rise of those extremists who not only embrace the worst that history can teach us, but to return to those mistakes. Free speech is a great thing, but freedom to challenge extremists before they endanger us, ethnic groups and nations is an even greater one.

History is for teaching us what went wrong. Statues are for celbrating the wrong doers and only those who support those cretins, tolerate them without challenge. Read my original post if you do not understand my meaning.

However, your response and attitude do give me further thought on this matter. I was unsure about whether the statues, symbols etc should be removed or some alternative placed to contextualise these. When those like you express the sentiments that you have and defend these symbols, is it clear that the extremists see them as more than a peace of history. It is much more than that to some. So perhaps, the objects do need to be removed.

Thanks for moving me along towrds a clearer opinion on this,