July 6, 2020
Is "Hamilton" too tame for the Black Lives Matter Era?
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| Garibaldi on a horse |
According to opinionator Ed Morales, "Hamilton" was in perfect tune with the uplifting Obama years, but now, five years later..."Its hero and its message are essentially ambivalent while today's politics around America's racial sins requires taking a strong stance."
As a result, he says, "Much of its audience will unavoidably see the work in a different light." That is, they'll think it's wimpy.
Is Hamilton outdated? Should the play be condemned for failing to speak up against racism? Or do you think it's perfect (or almost) just as it is?
More broadly, since protesters started pulling down statues of discredited heroes: Is it wise, or even possible, to judge long-dead people and their accomplishments for how well they play out in the court of public opinion today?
It's one thing to take down the statue of J. Marion Sims, who practiced gynecological surgery on unanesthetized slaves -- a travesty in any age. It's another if a statue is of someone who was simply on the wrong side of history.
Or is it? Maybe Garibaldi on a horse is up to the minute because his appeal was all swash and buckle, and that's timeless. (He did dashing stuff in South America and then unified Italy.)
What's okay to pull down? What's not?
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/05/opinions/hamilton-movie-mixed-messages-black-lives-matter-morales/index.html
More broadly, since protesters started pulling down statues of discredited heroes: Is it wise, or even possible, to judge long-dead people and their accomplishments for how well they play out in the court of public opinion today?
It's one thing to take down the statue of J. Marion Sims, who practiced gynecological surgery on unanesthetized slaves -- a travesty in any age. It's another if a statue is of someone who was simply on the wrong side of history.
Or is it? Maybe Garibaldi on a horse is up to the minute because his appeal was all swash and buckle, and that's timeless. (He did dashing stuff in South America and then unified Italy.)
What's okay to pull down? What's not?
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/05/opinions/hamilton-movie-mixed-messages-black-lives-matter-morales/index.html
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