Okay, so, there are some who feel compelled to ban, burn, bulldoze and obliterate “things” that the eyes should see what the heart cannot hold. However, most are of the opinion that (to misquote Emerson) Censorship is the hobgoblin of little minds. We cannot put the toothpaste back in the tube; undo a deed once it is done; silence a word once it is spoken...and we should not cancel culture nor should we even try.
These manifestations of human creativity are who we were, who we are and who we may become. They are the good, the bad and the ugly...glorious gleanings of the triumph of the human spirit and haunting reminders of man’s inhumanity to man.
Recently, the statue of Robert E. Lee found its way to a foundry and was snuffed out in a blaze of glory. I am not sure what this destructive display accomplished, but I am sure of this: if a statue enrages us, we do not have to stand and stare at it; if a TV show insults us, we can switch the channel; if a motion picture or a Broadway play shocks our sensibilities, we can walk out of the theatre; and if a book offends us, we do not have to re-read it (if we have even read it to begin with). So, let’s half shut our eyes and wide open our minds and listen when “mother mary comes to us whispering words of wisdom...Let it be, let it be!”
Lorraine Ferrara
Coxsackie