Bomber boys - bbc one

[bongodriver]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

..a reminder? Of what exactly? Of area bombing? Because when I google Sir Arthur Harris the first thing that comes out it's his Area Bombing thing..

It's like saying "Oh, I will make a statue of Mussolini because he improved the rail system and introduced the pension schemes, just as a reminder you know.."

this is when you get desperate for some sense Bongo, your explanation really doesn't compute

Yes.....why not? why not remind the world of terrible events in history and the people involved, no I will stick to my explanations in comfort, I obviously don't need to come to terms with anything, whatever you choose to represent Bomber command anybody wanting to find out more will eventually discover Arthur Harris.

Theres a waxwork of Hitler at Madame Tussauds, obviously your interpretation of what a statue or likeness is designed to achieve is different from most others.

Google is completely irrelevant in this whole discussion, when I google the same I find the Wiki which clearly mentions all the controvesy surroundin him and the statue, but reminds us of why the 'veterans' themselves sanctioned it.

I don't get desparate at all, but your need to prove the UK is some sort of maniacal German hating nation seems very desparate and computes even less.

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

Yes.....why not? why not remind the world of terrible events in history and the people involved, no I will stick to my explanations in comfort, I obviously don't need to come to terms with anything, whatever you choose to represent Bomber command anybody wanting to find out more will eventually discover Arthur Harris.

right, so according to your arm-twisting logic, it would be ok to have a statue of Gary Glitter for his "musical achievements"?

Do you even hear how ludicrous what you're saying is?
Last time I checked in the encyclopaedia of common sense, a full figure statue was meant as a celebrative form reserved for men that acted for the good of their own country, contributing in some substantial, determining and above all exemplar way.

And still you like to hide behind the curtain of "stop bashing the Brits you ungrateful bugger!".. if I made the statement about Hitler's statue that Hood did, god knows what you would have accused me of..

Theres a waxwork of Hitler at Madame Tussauds, obviously your interpretation of what a statue or likeness is designed to achieve is different from most others.

a waxwork that has been the object of many critics and damage apparently.. I don't think it's a good idea, especially when people take pictures with it.. it's twisted and resembles how light heartedly some people take the whole matter, turning one of the most twisted dictators of history into a tourist attraction is despicable.

Google is completely irrelevant in this whole discussion, when I google the same I find the Wiki which clearly mentions all the controvesy surroundin him and the statue, but reminds us of why the 'veterans' themselves sanctioned it.

I don't get desparate at all, but your need to prove the UK is some sort of maniacal German hating nation seems very desparate and computes even less.

you always have to generalise. It's not like the whole UK agrees about that statue as you know, that's my point. I just find it intolerable, like I wouldn't like a statue of Mussolini, Pol-Pot, Bin Laden etc...

[winny]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

right, so according to your arm-twisting logic, it would be ok to have a statue of Gary Glitter for his "musical achievements"?

Do you even hear how ludicrous what you're saying is?
Last time I checked in the encyclopaedia of common sense, a full figure statue was meant as a celebrative form reserved for men that acted for the good of their own country, contributing in some substantial, determining and above all exemplar way.

And still you like to hide behind the curtain of "stop bashing the Brits you ungrateful bugger!".. if I made the statement about Hitler's statue that Hood did, god knows what you would have accused me of..


a waxwork that has been the object of many critics and damage apparently.. I don't think it's a good idea, especially when people take pictures with it.. it's twisted and resembles how light heartedly some people take the whole matter, turning one of the most twisted dictators of history into a tourist attraction is despicable.


you always have to generalise. It's not like the whole UK agrees about that statue as you know, that's my point. I just find it intolerable, like I wouldn't like a statue of Mussolini, Pol-Pot, Bin Laden etc...

You're comparing Harris to Bin-laden? That's a little extreme...

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by winny

You're comparing Harris to Bin-laden? That's a little extreme...

well maybe, but there's a lot of people out there that still thinks he did a great deal of good to human kind

[PeterPanPan]

Originally Posted by winny

You're comparing Harris to Bin-laden? That's a little extreme...

+1 ... a rather thoughtless comparison indeed. (Can't believe this thread is still going ... oops, I'm partly to blame )

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by PeterPanPan

+1 ... a rather thoughtless comparison indeed. (Can't believe this thread is still going ... oops, I'm partly to blame )

it is if you keep on looking at things with a Western perspective..

[bongodriver]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

it is if you keep on looking at things with a Western perspective..

one of the most pointless statements yet hits the Nail on the head, you keep demanding people look at things from another perspective, you are failing to look at things from others perspectives yourself, all this 'self righteous tirade' stuff you keep bringing up, you are failing to view it from a Brits perspective.....I wonder why
if only Bin Laden looked at things from a Western perspective and we looked at things from a Middle Eastern perspective......what total rubbish, never changes the fact we are Western and Bin Laden is Middle Easten....what...once we take a minute to think about each others situation there will be world peace....oh puhlease!!!

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about all this 'history is written by the winners', blah blah.....Britain has nothing to be ashamed of, nobody will 'ever' have a spotless record in their conducts in events like wars, Harris is a dark smudge on ours, personally I couldn't care less if we have a statue of him or not, as long as the bravery of the crews is still represented in some way.

Once again, and I'll make it bold so hopefully it will stay: it's not a general attack to the UK, it's finding controversial and unnecessarily provocative to raise a full body monument to Bomber Harris and trying to make it more acceptable by dedicating it to the Bomber Command, it's like making a fullsize monument in the shape of the A-Bomb and dedicating it to the USAAF.

I will answer in bold too 'it was the veterans of Bomber command that approved a Harris statue!'

I suggest you go find an old bomber command veteran and tell him what you think.

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

one of the most pointless statements yet hits the Nail on the head, you keep demanding people look at things from another perspective, you are failing to look at things from others perspectives yourself, all this 'self righteous tirade' stuff you keep bringing up, you are failing to view it from a Brits perspective.....I wonder why
if only Bin Laden looked at things from a Western perspective and we looked at things from a Middle Eastern perspective......what total rubbish, never changes the fact we are Western and Bin Laden is Middle Easten....what...once we take a minute to think about each others situation there will be world peace....oh puhlease!!!

..you should seriously consider changing your nickname to "word-twister". The whole point is that you can ONLY see this topic with a self-righteous point of view, and as soon as somebody makes a valid point and questions how Area Bombing was against the Geneva convention and morally awful (other than useless), you cry "but they did it too!!!". SO?! We all know what the Nazis did, we're not questioning that, we're wondering why the crimes that YOU committed are more tolerable than the ones of the enemy, so much that you feel entitled to erect a statue as memory of it. Don't you REALLY see the twisted logic in this?!

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about all this 'history is written by the winners', blah blah.....Britain has nothing to be ashamed of, nobody will 'ever' have a spotless record in their conducts in events like wars, Harris is a dark smudge on ours, personally I couldn't care less if we have a statue of him or not, as long as the bravery of the crews is still represented in some way.

History IS written by the winners, if you don't even accept that then there's no point in carrying on with this conversation. And the bravery of the crews is not represented by a statue of Harris! It wasn't Harris that sat in those bombers at night, he was comfortably sitting in his office giving orders.

I will answer in bold too 'it was the veterans of Bomber command that approved a Harris statue!'

I suggest you go find an old bomber command veteran and tell him what you think.

naaaah, get your facts right man. It's the Arthur Harris Trust that did it, and they got support from the vets because they cunningly presented it as the sole Bomber Command memorial. I completely agree about the new monument for Bomber Command for instance, but not the Harris one, capisc'?!

As for what the vets think: I'm sure you know that there are SS vets that still think they were doing the right thing, so what shall we make of that?

[PeterPanPan]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

it is if you keep on looking at things with a Western perspective..

Amazing logic! If I look at this with an Eastern, Southern or Northern perspective, it is STILL a thoughtless comparison.

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

a full figure statue was meant as a commemorative form reserved for men that acted for the good of their own country, contributing in some substantial, determining and above all exemplar way.

My bold.

Yes.