The Daily Signal - Cancel Culture Comes for America's National Monuments

Episode Date: September 3, 2020

The nation's monuments are under fire from the progressive left. A new report commissioned by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recommends that the federal government "remove, relocate, or contextualize" the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, and six other statues and monuments. Jarrett Stepman, a contributor to The Daily Signal and author of "The War on History: The Conspiracy to Rewrite America's Past," joins the podcast to discuss the report from the DCFACES Working Group and explain the intrinsic threat that cancel culture poses to American history. To read the working group's report to the mayor, click here. And for more analysis of the report, read the commentary for The Daily Signal by Joseph Loconte, director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation, headlined "The Mayor, the Monuments, and the Mayhem." We also cover these stories: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo imposes new restrictions on Chinese diplomats.  United Airlines announces plans to put 16,000 employees on involuntary furlough or cut their jobs entirely, beginning in October. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler plans to move because of the number of protests outside his condo building. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Thursday, September 3rd. I'm Kate Trinko. And I'm Virginia Allen. Cancel culture is at it again, and this time it might affect our national monuments. Jarrett Stepman, contributor to the Daily Signal and author of The War on History, The Conspiracy to Rewrite America's Past, joins the show to explain how Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is seeking to remove, rename, or contextualize status. monuments, parks, and so on in the nation's capital. And if you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to leave a review or a five-star rating on Apple podcasts, and please encourage others to subscribe.

Now on to our talk news. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. is placing new restrictions on Chinese diplomats. Speaking at a press conference, Pompeo said Chinese diplomats will now need approval from the State Department before visiting American College campuses or meeting with local government officials. Pompeo told the press that for years, the Chinese Communist Party has imposed significant barriers on American diplomats working inside the PRC. Specifically, the Chinese Communist Party implemented a system of opaque approval processes designed to prevent American

diplomats from conducting regular business, attending events, securing meetings, and connecting with Chinese people, especially on university campuses and via the press and social media. Pompeo added, we're simply demanding reciprocity. Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have, and today's steps will move us substantially in that direction. United Airlines announcing travel has been affected by the pandemic is planning to put 16,000 employees on involuntary furlough or cut their jobs entirely, starting in October. The pandemic has drawn us in deeper and lasted longer than almost any expert predicted, and in an environment where travel demand is so depressed, United cannot continue with staffing levels that significantly exceed the schedule we fly. the company wrote in a memo, according to CNBC.

American Airlines is also planning to cut 19,000 positions in October. The terms of the COVID relief bill Congress passed earlier this year did not allow airlines to lay off employees prior to October. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, got her hair styled inside a San Francisco salon on Monday, despite COVID ordinances banning such activity. Salons in San Francisco were told on September 1st that they could reopen for outside services only. And certain services, such as color and chemical treatments, shampooing, and blowing hair dry, are still prohibited even outdoors. Video footage obtained by Fox News shows Pelosi walking through the salon with what appears to be wet hair and no mask on.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News salon owner Erica Kaios said that one of the independent stylist who rinse a chair at her salon texted her on Sunday night and told her that Pelosi's assistant had contacted her and the speaker was coming to the studio on Monday to get her hair done. The salon owner told Fox that it was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in. and I can't work. And she continued, I have been fighting for six months for a business that took me 12 years to build to reopen. I'm a single mom. I have two small children and I have no income. President Trump tweeted in response to the situation, Crazy Nancy Pelosi is being decimated

for having a beauty parlor opened when all others are closed and for not wearing a mask, despite constantly lecturing everyone else. Pelosi's office responded to accusations that Pelosi broke San Francisco's COVID ordinances, saying this business offered for the speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business. The speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment. Cortland Mayor Ted Wheeler is planning to move due to the number of protests held by his condo building. building. Wheeler emailed other residents in the same building, according to Oregon Live, a message writing about how he intends to move. The mayor wrote, I want to express my sincere apologies for the damage to our home and the fear that you are experiencing due to my position.

It's unfair to all of you who have no role in politics or in my administration. Oregon Live also reported that this Monday, a group of about 200 came to protest at Wheeler's condo building. We put graffiti on the building and even through a bundle of newspapers that was set on fire into the building. 19 arrests were made. Now stay tuned for my conversation with Jarrett Stettman as we discuss how Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is seeking to remove, rename, or contextualize statues and monuments in the nation's capital. Do you have an opinion that you'd like to share? Leave us a voicemail at 202-608-6205 or email us at

Letters at DailySignal.com. Yours could be featured on the Daily Signal podcast. I am joined by my colleague, Jared Stetman, a contributor to the Daily Signal and author of The War on History, the Conspiracy to Reworthy, rewrite America's past. Jared, thanks so much for being here. Thank you for having me on, Virginia. So, Jared, you have become quite the expert on the subject of cancel culture, and specifically really it's threat to America. And today we're unfortunately discussing the latest thing that the left wants to cancel, which includes our national

monuments. So I want to explain a little bit of this situation and what is going on. The DC Faces Working Group just released a report on September. 1st, which was commissioned by the D.C. mayor, Mayor Bowser, and Bowser, she asked that the commission would evaluate public spaces in the D.C. area and make sure that their namesake legacy was consistent with what she referred to as D.C. values. So this committee, they looked at all of D.C.'s monuments, the names of schools, parks, government buildings, and so on, and then made recommendations on what should be removed, renamed, or contextualized in light of a connection to slavery or racism. And their list even includes several national monuments.

So, Jared, just kind of give me your first thoughts on this report and maybe explain the report a little bit further, if you would. Yeah, what's quite incredible about this, of course, is that the sheer depth of where this is going. I mean, you know, we've seen so many historical figures in the last few years come under fire. Some less controversial, some more controversial. I think that many kind of saw where this was going, including myself, that there was a slippery slope right to the founding fathers, the founding generation 1776. And that's exactly what you see here. I mean, some of the things that are now under consideration for renaming or contextualizing, it's hard to get straight exactly what the mayor means. is things like the Washington monument, of course, named after George Washington, the Jefferson Memorial, which of course has a giant statue of Thomas Jefferson.

I mean, these are among the leading lights of the American Revolution. I mean, some of the most famous men, not only in American history, but all of human history, and figures that at one time were so almost universally celebrated. I mean, a man like George Washington was able to unite his own generation behind him, which the founding, generation was very fractious, but even generations thereafter. I mean, even during the Civil War, George Washington was beyond repute within the north and the south. And to see the D.C.'s government essentially say that these men are no longer acceptable, no longer in alignment with the values of Washington, D.C., a city that is named Washington after George Washington and Christopher Columbus, another one of these individuals that's canceled, I wonder when the actual

name of the city is actually going to be changed at this point. That's a scary thought. That really is. Like, wow, what's next? And I guess you're right. If they're trying to rename the Washington monument, well, then the city, yeah, I guess the city would be next. It would be. I think it's really an incredible thing. Of course, given what has happened much of modern Washington, D.C., maybe you could say George Washington wouldn't want to be associated with it. At the same time, Washington, D.C. is a federal city. It is made for the American people. It's our seat of government. You know, the monuments are here for Americans across this country to visit, to enjoy, to reflect on. You know, I think this idea, and certainly in the message that they're sending

is that all of these people are somehow that the people of D.C. can't tolerate or stand these, that these are somehow a threat to the individuals, people living in D.C., I think is very rich when D.C. itself right now is going through a series of, I think, riots and anarchy. We've had mobs approach diners and restaurants demanding that they join movements. If we want to talk about people feeling unsafe anywhere, Washington, D.C. right now has a lot of issues with safety. I don't think these statues are among them. And I think it's really rich to see the mayor of D.C. and to see the government here, blame the problems of today on the celebration of America's past that has led to so many good things, not just for Washington, but for the whole country.

Well, I'm glad you bring up that subject of safety because I was really fascinated as I went through this 24-page report that Mayor Bowser is quoted as saying, no matter your race, your faith, your sexual orientation, your gender identity, your background, you should be able to live, work, and play in Washington, D.C., without fear of violence or discrimination. I'm not sure how that connects to statues and monuments, but Jared, you live in Washington, D.C. You've had kind of a front row seat, if you will,

to the civil unrest over the past several months. What are your thoughts on this statement and on the unrest that you're seeing firsthand in D.C.? Well, it is pretty incredible, especially in a city like D.C., where you see an escalation, really of violence. I mean, crime is up by well over 40% this year. Murders are up, I believe, by something like 15%. We've seen a huge spike and property crime,

of course, and destruction. I have to say where I live on 14th Street, many of the businesses are boarded up, and it's not just because they're shut down for the coronavirus concerns. It's because they constantly fear to have rocks thrown through their windows that the protesters will turn to riots, which they have in many cases throughout D.C. And for those, especially in the national media, who try to portray this as that nothing really is going on here, that there is no rioting, that there is no violence, that there is no property destruction. I think that's really, frankly, a distortion of the truth.

One can feel just walking in Washington, D.C., which I did with my wife recently when we went out to a restaurant for the first time in a long time, but the city really does have an edge of anarchy about it. that even though it's in some ways a highly policed city because it is the seat of government, that this is a different place than even it was eight months ago and that there is that kind of that fear or threat of violence. And I think especially when you see mobs of people harassing diners and these videos that I think have gone viral, this idea that the statues, the statues that have often been attacked and defaced by people within Washington, many of whom have, you know,

vandalized these statues that have been just sitting there. The idea that these statues are a threat to a person's safety rather than actual mobs and violence, I think it's really rich. And I think it doesn't, I think it's not something that a reasonable person would accept. And I think it, I mean, it's a way to essentially appeal to a small band of zealots rather than the American people at large. And I think it very much calls into question Washington, D.C.'s leadership, especially at a time when they are calling for the District of Columbia to be added to the states within this country,

to join the union as another state, when to a certain extent they're reputing our country's national heritage with their own policies and ideas. Well, and it was interesting to see there were even some claims made saying, oh, no, no, no, you know, the monuments such as the Jefferson and the Washington Memorial, they were pulled from the report and, you know, were not advocating. for them to be, you know, removed or renamed, so on. But as a Wednesday afternoon, they are definitely still in the report. We'll be sure to link it in the show notes. It's available for the public to see. Were you, you know, surprised at essentially the boldness of even a pretty

progressive left committee still putting Washington and Jefferson monuments on this list? Honestly, at this point, it doesn't shock me whatsoever. And in my opinion, this is always where these arguments have been going about America's past. I mean, you know, we've heard so much about the 1619 project as of late, this idea that America was founded on slavery, that it was ultimately brought into the core. But I think this is really the next step in that and that this is no longer the 1619 project. This is the year zero project. This is the project to entirely eliminate everything about America's past. It is all bad.

It is all ugly. It must go for our new, bold utopian future to be ushered in. I think that really is the mentality here. It's no longer simply about criticizing the past or pointing out to the flaws in our history. It's about simply making it go away so that we can reconstruct a future based on whatever we want it to be. We no longer have to abide by the dictates of human nature. We no longer have to view events and ideas and people within the context of their times. all that goes away for the simplified narratives based on my truth rather than the truth.

And I think it's an incredibly dangerous thing. And it's been ramping up for a long time. Obviously, this summer, I think we've seen an escalation of the attacks on American history. And unfortunately, if this isn't curtailed, and especially in a lot of these cities where we've seen a high level of anarchy and this kind of anti-police kind of attitudes, I worry that this will escalate beyond simply a task. attack on statues and things like this, but will escalate into more general violence. And I think that that ultimately, by giving into the mob, so to speak, and giving into this idea that all history must be erased, I think you emboldened the radicals who I don't think at this, even now, represent the majority of the American people by a long shot. Well, and, you know, I think that that

sentiment so much so of history must be erased is kind of coming from people who don't know history. They're not historians. They haven't studied the true history of our nation. And, you know, I remember visiting the Washington and Jefferson Memorial as a child. And I think so many Americans have that memory. And if you've taken a tour in Washington, D.C., you may be aware of the fact that the Washington Memorial was actually, interestingly enough, built kind of in two different phases. Could you maybe just explain a little bit of the history behind the Washington Memorial? Yeah, actually it was built in two different phases. I actually had a brief interlude during the Civil War.

You can actually see this on the memorial itself. It's actually kind of looks almost two tones if you look from a distance where it was only really half completed. But it was finished after the war. There was actually a huge amount of donations, the kind of penny plan that was actually under Ulysses as Grant, to finish the Washington Monument, which I think, you know, of course, George Washington, you know, first in our hearts, first in our minds, and first in the hearts in the minds of his countrymen, he really was a towering figure. And there's a reason why the Washington Monument in the Capitol building are the tallest allowed buildings in Washington, D.C. It's this idea that, you know, of all the figures of our

founding, George Washington was the indispensable man. I think that there's absolutely, there's no question that that is the case. And so this idea that George Washington is somehow unacceptable because I think that the main contention is that he partook in the institution of slavery, which, in my opinion, which at the time was a very much a globalized institution, which the American regime was very much ultimately a part of eliminating on this earth. And George Washington, his actions, especially of freeing his slaves at the end of his life, did contribute to the ultimate not only elimination of slavery, but even the idea that slavery was somehow wrong,

which through much of human history was not the case at all, that George Washington in some case is being rebuked by the own standards that he and Thomas Jefferson and that generation of Americans set in world history, which I think is why this is so incredible that these men are simply dismissed as written off as pure villains and no longer tolerable, even in the case of inanimate statues for us to even discuss or think about today. I think that really shows a dramatic thing. fall for Americans, I think, of this generation. It's more of an indictment on us than it is on them

that we can't keep them their failings and their successes in a greater context. I think it's a lack of civic knowledge, and I think it's an increase in radicalism and impurity that I think does a disservice to Americans at large. Benjamin Franklin's statue is also on the DC Monuments list that the committee says should be removed, renamed, or contextualized. Now, Franklin, he did own slaves, but he later changed his views on the practice, and in 1774, he established the Pennsylvania Society for promoting the abolition of slavery. Your thoughts on Franklin's statue being on this list? Well, again, it just simply, it segregates certain individuals in history on the bad list without seeing the full breadth of their actions in life. I mean, without people like Benjamin Franklin, you know, would there even be this concept?

slavery is a bad thing. I mean, I think it's something that we today take for granted. We said, oh, of course, you know, that was that was a terrible evil. Why should we embrace this? But if you understand, especially the mentality of people at that time and through human history, most never saw slavery as something that was wrong. You know, we're judging by Franklin, by the standards that he set. And of course, we're blessed with a system, American constitutional system that allowed us to get rid of an evil institution, that allowed us to change the laws and ultimately abolish something like slavery, a terrible institution. I think, you know, those kind of ideas are important to have the full judgment of a man, to say that he needs to be canceled,

that needs to be done away with, that we can't learn from him and learn to attribute to his obvious greatness in the fields of science and the fields of politics in his contribution to the creation of the United States, which was, again, utterly indispensable. I don't think maybe there it even be a United States today without Franklin's contributions. Again, this is an indictment on us, not them. I mean, look, I mean, Washington, D.C. as a city has its own challenges. We can see how difficult it is in normal times to keep a peace, keep a nation of strong laws that lead to prosperity. What the American founding generation did is nearly a miracle. It's set on course of the fact that 13 colonies at the edge of the world ultimately became a global,

superpower, the most prosperous and powerful country on human history, and a beacon for people across the globe that has given hope to so many, a nation that has not been perfect, but it was committed to a great cause. That was all set in motion by people like Benjamin Franklin. Without his contribution, there would be no America. And I think that that is something that is missing when we simply decide, hey, we're going to remove those statues and disappear them from public life. So, Jared, have we seen this kind of activity before where there's actually a push, to alter history. Has this happened in other nations throughout history? Well, it does happen frequently in revolutionary movements. Of course, the French Revolution,

which now many of the protesters and rioters have actually openly embraced. They've built fake guillotines to, I assume, threaten people who don't want to join in in the revelry. Certainly the French Revolution, you could see examples. Absolutely attacking public works of art was very common, getting rid of portraits and paintings, and of course, eventually turning on human beings and, of course, executing people, which, you know, we haven't gotten to that part of this yet, but I do wish that many of those, especially those who are advocating for violence in the streets, would keep those lessons in mind that especially, you know, the most radical members of that movement often went to the guillotine themselves. But, you know, we've seen this in more modern

history too. I mean, I hate to draw the connection to the most radical regimes of the 20th century, but, you know, especially what we see now with the erasure of history and these kind of mobs harassing people, it is very reminiscent of the cultural revolution in China, where you see essentially an ideology of communism, unleashing mobs upon those who don't get along with the revolution, shaming them, attacking them, canceling them. I think we're seeing this really repeat itself. here in America. I think it's shocking to us because, you know, America has been free of a lot of this radicalism. But in 2020, we're seeing this breakout. And I think that's why it requires Americans to draw that line and to put a foot down. So, you know, we're not going to allow our history

to be erased like this. We want to keep these memories alive so that, you know, we can better contextualize our own lives and have an understanding that our past was not perfect, that there were flaws in our past and there are flaws in America right now. We hope we can make those things better so America will be stronger, so that we can become better while keeping the good things about what we are. And I think that those who want to erase history and tear down statues and all these things now, I don't think that they want to do that. I think they believe that they can transcend human nature. They can transcend human history and they can create their own perfect future based on that. And I don't think that's the reality at all. I think it leads to something

much worse. Well, it has been encouraging to see that a few leaders in D.C. are standing up and saying, wait a second, we're not in favor of going down this path. Senator Tom Cotton tweeted in response to the report that was released by Mayor Bowser, he writes, hey, D.C., they're not your monuments to rename or remove. They're America's monuments. And Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, he tweeted, not on my watch never going to happen in reference to the removal of statues and monuments in Washington, D.C. So are you encouraged to see that, yes, there are some leaders who are standing up and putting their foot down? I am encouraged by that, and I think there really needs to be more. I think it needs to be people across the political spectrum. I mean, we've seen a few Republicans

who have stepped up, and I do hope we see more Democrats, more vociferously, denounce this sort of behavior. I mean, I don't think it does a service to the country. I think a lot of people around the country see this as ridiculous and radical. Washington, D.C. and the residents here, many of them are advocating, as I said, for D.C. statehood. I think it's a bad look when they're advocating for D.C. statehood, yet saying that we want to repudiate all the traditions of the United States, that we want to condemn the greatest people in our country's history. But by the way, we want you to give us a lot more power in this country over the decisions of you and your home across the country. I think that's a very bad look for Washington, D.C.'s leaders. And I think that, I think it requires more people to

have a backbone and say, you know what, I don't think George Washington is an unredeemable monster. I think that America is not a country that's ultimately a racist country. And I think that's an incredibly important, especially right now when there are so many attacks of so many different sides, of calling out these radical movements, I mean, that that are being mainstreamed. I mean, at one time, the idea that George Washington would be canceled would be something out of a satire column, now it's becoming reality.

And to point out the fact that this is ridiculous, that there is nonsensical, that there is no reason for this other than to sow division and hate between Americans to essentially make us a more ignorant society. I think that needs to be pointed out right now. So I think rhetorical leadership, of course, is incredibly important. And I think actual steps. I mean, we shouldn't be uprooting America's history.

We shouldn't be tearing it out of public places, even if it's history that is uncomfortable for us, even if it's history that we don't necessarily agree with. We don't have to agree or think that every man and woman and an idea that is represented in a stature of public memorial is right or good. It should be a moment for us to reflect on these things and see them for what they are and see them in context of their own country that, you know, went through so many challenges and built what we have today. Jared, thank you so much for your time. We just really appreciate you breaking this down for us.

Thank you very much. And that'll do it for today's episode. Thanks for listening to the Daily Signal podcast. You can find the Daily Signal podcast on Google Play, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and now on IHeart Radio. Please be sure to leave us a review and have five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and encourage others to subscribe. Thanks again for listening and we'll be back with you all tomorrow. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage

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