Museums, not statues, are our link to the past

"Cancel culture" is a new term that is spreading on social media and in our newspaper. It means wiping out the memory of historical figures or symbols who are viewed negatively nowadays. This term is misleading. It's been applied, for example, to removing statues of Confederate generals or the Confederate flag from public areas.

A statue represents someone who is to be memorialized or glorified for the good things that person did. A statue or flag can also represent something - a movement or an ideal. In Germany, it is illegal to erect any monument to Nazis. There are no statues of Hitler or his henchmen. By the same token, Black people (and plenty of white people), when they are going about their business, don't want to see a statue of someone who fought to preserve their ancestors' enslavement. Seeing a Confederate flag today offends many people, because it symbolizes racism and white supremacy.

However, instead of forgetting, let's remember the past - good or bad - by visiting museums, the internet, reading books, learning in school, or reading historical markers. Germans are not proud of their Nazi past, but they also know that is not all there is to German history. We can present a contrast to the past - the progress we've made since then or an ideal to strive for: making our democratic institutions stronger.

There's a saying: If we forget the past, we are bound to repeat it.

Museums, etc., present us with the facts of history. What we do with these facts is up to us. We can be grateful for the people who fought for us and empathize with those that were mistreated.

Taking down statues and symbols doesn't mean we have "canceled" history. We haven't forgotten nor should we forget the past. Learn from it and move on.

Katharine L. Berman

Arlington Heights