Readers respond: Focus on statues needs wider lens

There is much talk of using a lens to view our world. A lens is useful for magnifying a particular subject. The consequence of using a lens is to lose a broader perspective.

The Oregonian/OregonLive story on statues vandalized during the 2020 focuses narrowly on the fact that our country’s founders were — in some instances – slaveholders, (“5 Portland statues pulled down during 2020 protests will be subjects of new talks,” June 19). This narrow aperture blinds us to the broader perspective which should be used when addressing a question as important as whether our nation’s founders are worthy of being celebrated. To make such a judgment, a lens should not be applied in a way that disallows consideration of simple facts: The founders, including Virginia slave owners, overthrew an unrepresentative, monarchical, colonial power in favor of a radically new vision of democratic control. That vision included principles of individual worth and self-determination that the world was largely unacquainted with.

Today, people may be dissatisfied that the initial concept of an independent America left work undone – work that would take centuries to accomplish. But one thing is certain: the originators of the concept made the most difficult and important contribution. If we can now only see their contribution as half a loaf, and then apparently suggest that half a loaf is worse than none, then we need to abandon this lens. For The Oregonian/OregonLive, especially, the aim should be to offer its readers some perspective.

Aubrey Russell, Portland

To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion.