I think some of what we are seeing is a result of growth as a species. If you look at the course of evolutionary development over the course of recorded human existence, you will find behavioral trends that, while seemed completely normal in that time, are completely barbaric and unimaginable to us now. Cannibalism, human sacrifice, slavery, etc.
Even throughout the pandemic, I’ve taken a step back to see how we live and how it contrasts with 50 years ago, or even with 20 years ago. I find myself talking with younger coworkers about the differences between a want and a need and our vastly different perception of the definition of “deserve.”
I think in a lot of ways people in a couple of hundred years will think we were terrible. And in a way I hope they do because we will have progressed that much furthur.
So maybe permanently immortalizing people is a bad idea.
What are your thoughts on Gandhi, Aristotle or Islam?
I couldn’t care less about a boot wearing Texas oilman calling the “New Deal” the “Jew Deal”.
I realize Cullen was attempting to be pejorative but calling it the “Jew Deal” although inaccurate is a great compliment.
Now as far as the song. If the students want a new song, they should write it, they should sing it and sing it loud and get others to buy in.
Most song became school songs organically and not by some edict from a mealy-mouthed administrator.
If the students believe the song is discriminatory then it is discriminatory.
You do remember from your history classes that it was the northern states that insisted on the 3/5 clause.
Yep because the South was doing their best to have it both ways. These are definitely people to be counted for our representation, but we’re still going to treat them as not people but property in every other facet.
Also…IBL because this thread is getting locked at some point soon.
How was slavery not human trafficking? Human beings were literally bought/sold/traded.
Let’s go even further - those schools never wanted AA to begin with until football saw a way to make cash off of them.
Some who never had much contact with non blacks were “bought” and others accepted it willingly. At some places they still operate it like a plantation with multimillion Football only facilities that has cafeterias and beds so you never have to leave.
This generation knew what they signed up for and now you want to rewrite history at a place that has bent their backs over to accept you? There are more non athlete alums with monetary power than athletes with money power
Sorry for the confusion. I was trying to connect all of those crimes to American Slavery.
People choose to believe that American Slavery was just “forced labor” and gentile when it was absolutely sick and perverted.
If we are going to continue to harp on racism and ripping down statues and renaming everything, perhaps we should consider abolishing the NFL, NBA, MLB and probably all collegiate sports…
Removing your history because you find it distasteful is the most inane concept ever.
University of Houston…named after a pro-slavery slave owner.
It’s not “removing” history. History can’t be removed. That’s a purposeful sleight of hand that seeks to keep status quo. Replacing statues and changing tradition and renaming a building can’t remove history. 50 years from now when a child of a child born today plays for UT, the history will be “the former school song had racist ties but the UT community came together and created a new song to represent the school”. And that’s more reconciliatory than “yeah UT still forces Black students to sing a song with racist ties”. What we do today, what we decide to change or not change for tomorrow will also be history at a certain point. Choose what you do now wisely.
That is because a lot more people saw Gone with the wind than read Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
General Lee was one of the finest people to ever wear a uniform…you might consider reading about him. Meanwhile Grant was one of the most ruthless people to ever wear a uniform…
No doubt the Civil War was fought to free the slaves, but only after the North had no need for them lol.
As dreadful as it was, there is not a country in this world that did not practice slavery at one time or another.
In fact it was America that fought a war and became one of the first, if not the first, country to free all of its slaves.
But hey, let’s go ahead and rewrite history…the next thing to go will be the American flag because it obviously offends many too.
The people that are screaming all this crap is not the problem…the one’s that are giving in to their every whim are the ones who are nuts…
It’s not about slavery when I say that about confederate leaders.
Then what could it be…it was a group of men fighting for their states they lived in. Some were very good people, some weren’t…same as the North.
Care to elaborate why the confederate leaders were any worse than the Yanks?
Who resigned as Governor and didn’t want Texas to join the traitors to America
University of Houston because that is the city where we are situated.
They were traitors to our country. They wanted secede and leave so I’d rather not celebrate them. Especially when you add what they were fighting for as you mention.
I’m a history guy - nothing wrong it keeping end acknowledging it. Enough black history was whitewashed to begin with but doing this is absurd. Sadly, who is forcing these guys to make such demands is the one we need to know as UT athletes only participate in football anyway you never see them anywhere else unless they have a name.
Now if Ricky Williams and Earl Campbell or even VY speaks out? Then we’ll see as they benefited greatly from attending UT before they ever played a down.