Comments on: President Cutten and a shameful episode in the history of Acadia University https://nsadvocate.org/2017/11/02/president-cutten-and-a-shameful-episode-in-the-history-of-acadia-university/ The tyrant's foe, the people's friend. Mon, 10 Sep 2018 15:07:51 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.7 By: Ronald Stockton https://nsadvocate.org/2017/11/02/president-cutten-and-a-shameful-episode-in-the-history-of-acadia-university/#comment-6424 Thu, 02 Nov 2017 23:50:19 +0000 https://nsadvocate.org/?p=5959#comment-6424 An individual’s history, contributions, flaws and/or evils are not erased or forgotten just because there is no statue or building named after him or her. The issue is whether the statute, building, street, or other infrastructure carrying the name is meant to glorify the individual and/or his or her actions. There is always a risk precisely because no one is without flaws, even the hero. Some argue we should not name things after people. That may be a good idea because, after all, most people who make valuable contributions to their families, their neighbours, their communities, their countries, their planet, don’t see their name in lights, on banners or on plaques.

The statues of the southern generals were put up to make a point to African-Americans. The Cornwallis statue in Halifax was put up to make a point to Haligonians in hard times and, probably, to remind us that anyone different was the enemy, not capitalism.

Re-name Cutten House if it offends someone one but don’t name it after someone else.

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