FDNY Statue...right or wrong?

[swrr88]

See the Firehouse.com article about the FDNY statue if you haven't yet... http://firehouse.com/news/2002/1/11_APstatue.html


So, what does everyone think?

I see it as the difference between the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial statue. At the IJM statue the men are depicted as those in the picture. The VM statue depects 3 soldiers overlooking the wall with each from a different race. That's what the FDNY should do. Make a statue that's not an actual event to represent the different races. To change real people to be politically correct is a slap to those guys.

[Firediver]

My personal feelings are that the representation of that historical picture should be accurate and not misleading. Years from now, people will see it and assume that it is a true representation. This will go to court, I'm sure, as they did not get rights from the newspaper who owns the photo. A compromise could be made, make a true representation of the picture for the WTC memorial, and a politically correct one for a Dept. wide LODD memorial. Political correctness walks a fine line between what is right and absurdity. What would the Vulcan Society say if three African-Americans raised the Flag and they made a statue with a white guy in it.

[Trkco1]

Honestly...Who gives a rats ***??......as long as Bin Ladden's face isn't depicted.....I could care less. Just Do It.

[SPFDRum]

To blatantly disregard true nature of the picture to be an all-inclusive feel good depiction is completely (insert profanity here) wrong. The guys where doing what was in thier heart, not looking for fame. If it's to be changed, maybe we need to rethink Pearl Harbor as an accident or the Nazis' as misjudged? Should we replace the Iwo Jima Memorial because someone was missed? This isn't the time to re-write history so everybody can get their moment. History and the monuments depicting it, need to be an accurate representation of actual events. Not some BS fairy tale. Hell, the elitists are already trying to rewrite history to make this great country as the instigator in no matter what befalls it.

PS I WILL NOT apologize for being an American.

[ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: Aff ]

[David L. Lowe]

To be politically correct in a tragedy of this magnitude is insane. Why don't we change the faces on the Iwo Jima statue. The picture was taken by chance.....and what it represents is the solidarity of the United States of America and the American people. What you see in the picture is real live history.......not make believe. Why don't they leave the picture the way it is. It's an insult to the three firefighters in the picture. Just one more time it shows the stupidity of our society if it accepts this change and the stupidity of those people making those decision to change it.

[Adze39]

Round two...ding, ding, ding

[FFD9551]

Wow. Rewriting history before it's history. This is a slap in the face of the firefighters who put up that flag at Ground Zero.

"Hey, thanks for raising the flag, guys, but you're not the right color". Politically correct racism.

Changing the images of the men is wrong. Did the firefighters at least get a say on what race they were going to be?

If we want to memorialize all of the heroes at the World Trade Center, and the ethnicity they represent, let's do it the RIGHT way. Sculpt a statue of Firefighters, Police AND Paramedics going up a WTC staircase, or responding to the building. Mix up the ethnicity and sex of the rescuers. This wouldn't be rewriting history like the proposed flag raising statue will.

George Orwell got it right, he was just 20 years early on the date.

[ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: 4096 ]

[capt 49-4]

If they are going to change the faces and people why not use the faces of the Mayor, Police Commish, and the Fire Commish!!!!

Stay Safe

[ADSNWFLD]

Could you imagine the uproar if the three guys were BLACK and someone wanted to change it.

Leave history alone.

This is not the time for the PC paperpushers to try to do something nice. (in their minds)

God Bless all of the heroes.

[RSQLT43]

Next someone is going to bitch cause they didn't make one of them female. Oops, shouldn't have gave them any ideas.

[ffemtmjb]

[quote]``The symbolism is far more important than representing the actual people,'' he said. ``I think the artistic expression of diversity would supersede any concern over factual correctness.''

---

This quote from the article sums it all up for me. Symbolism over fact. A pretty sad statement. Hope this guy doesn't have anything to do with writing school textbooks.

[fireman_387]

Think about the PC meaning, it's intent was not to leave anyone out. WELL if you DID NOT DO ANYTHING then you should be left out. It is almost like passifying a whinning kid thing, give in and he will shut up. Far as I am concerned, LET EM' WHINE !!! Do not let the fact that there were 3 guys who stepped up to the plate that did something that was captured in time be marred by 2.7% and ?% of 11,500; so what if there white, if there were a hispanic or a black in the picture then THEN give them there do.

[DocBryant]

Has there not been enough pain and tears lost over September 11 allready. First they keep FDNY Firefighters from going and HONERING their fallen Brothers and Sisters by not letting them go and pull them out. Now they want to be politally correct and make it a racial issue when there is no room for it. If New York wants FDNY to remain the best around allow them to heal and keep the rascial issues out of it (and the rest of the BS that is going on). If you are going to use the Picture make it historically correct. I know when I saw the picture for the first time and even up until now I never saw three white guys in it I saw three Firefighters raising a flag. If you want to put three races in it make of something else and add the females in it and lets not forget the Police Officers who lost their lives also. This is not the time to rewright history. And as someone in here also said "what would happen if they were black Firefighters that raised the Flag". My hats of to the three Firefighters that took the time to stand up for America and raised the flag.

The question is for the ones that want to make an issue out of this; Do you think the first thing on their mind is that " I am doing this for the White people of America"? Leave the picture alone and bring up politcal correctness up later. There is no room for the rascial issues....

[ 01-12-2002: Message edited by: DocBryant ]

[ 01-12-2002: Message edited by: DocBryant ]

My heart and prayers go out to FDNY, and the families of the 343 firefighters that lost their lives in the attacks. Time does not heal all wounds. some one right now misses their dad, brother, husband, friend, and or neighbor. Please continue to support these men and women. While many of us must "get on with our lives" how do get on with life after something like this has happened. May God comfort you. Please know I am still thinking and praying for you after all this time and will continue. I think the statue is a great idea. Let's be real. political correctness has gone far enough. Many lives (of all nationalities) were lost Sept 11, 2001, but why can't we have the statue historically correct instead of politaclly correct. Honor the lives that were lost. Next thing everyone is going to do is try to doctor the picture so three races are represented in it too.

[FFMcDonald]

The Iwo Jima Memorial is a representation of an actual picture. And from the looks of the statue that they are having commissioned to be done at Metrotech - it is a copy of the picture that appeared in the Record -

If you are going to copy the picture- copy the picture. If not- then do something completely different.