Nelson

"Should I stay or should I go now?

Should I stay or should I go now?

If I go, there will be trouble

And if I stay it will be double

So come on and let me know

Should I cool it, or should I blow?"

Lyrics from 1981 song by The Clash

According to "Proposals for Location of the Statue of Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson" by the National Heroes Square and Gallery Development Committee, Nelson isn't eligible for recognition as a national hero of Barbados and therefore his statue does not belong on National Heroes Square. There seemed to be general agreement that the statue should be moved. 18 years later it has not happened. However in 2017 the statue was discovered one morning "defaced" by yellow paint. Here is a link to a story and the comments below it are telling in their similarity to comments about Richmond, Virginia's debates about removing statues from Monument Avenue. 

One response I believe merits greater clarification is when people opine that they don't care one way or the other about taking down the offending statues because is a distraction from systemic problems still bearing down on Black people. Their statements could lead you to think that they are either opposed to or indifferent to statue removal. But closer reading reveals that they believe that removal of the problem and the symbol of the problem should go hand in hand; that what they specifically do not want to see is that the removal of the statue become the proxy substitute for actually repairing or replacing the systems that continue as an ongoing legacy of slavery and racism. 

I came across an appalling video the other day, "15 Things Poor People Do That Rich People Don't!" The video is a product of a website called Alux.com, "Home of luxury and fine living enthusiasts," and "the place where future billionaires come to get inspired." It was appalling not for the specific recommendations - basically habits for productivity, but for the repeated and sweepingly generalized message that poor people "choose" to be poor. Given the fact that even if you adhere to all 15 of Alux's recommendations you are not guaranteed to become a billionaire, it is also not a fact that if one doesn't follow those recommendations one will become or remain poor.  This messaging wriggles around in the middle of how hard people work to make good livelihoods to support themselves and their loved ones, for personal fulfillment, and finally, hopefully, to contribute to the thriving of the collective body. If one works for the benefit of one's own circle of interest, does it automatically negate benefit for the collective or does it automatically contribute to it? How much attention must you pay to both? Trickle up or trickle down? Alux represents those focused on the individual quest for wealth, and when pushed will discuss the trickle down benefits for others - very Ayn Rand.