Statue of firefighters at WTC excessively PC?

TwoShedsJackson

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20020111/us/attacks_statue_2.html

Given that this statue is based on an actual photograph, should all three men have been depicted as they are (white), or is it artistically valid to broaden the scope to include the other races that comprise the NYFD?

Sand

It just wants me make to laugh tbh. They saw that one of the most memorable images was the raising of the flag by the 3 firefighters. But they also wanted a multi-racial image as well. Seeing as they couldnt find an image as evocative as the raising of the flag they decided to "improve" it. A bit sad and definitly overly PC. Im just waitng for them to "improve" the statue commemorating the raising of the flag over Iwo Jima, they were all white there too and soldiers of all ethnic backgrounds died in that war (Even Americans of Japanese descent, fighting in the Pacific).

Victor

It reminds me of when the Ford Motor Company altered a photo of a group of British Ford workers for an ad campaign in Germany and edited out non-white workers (which have a much lower profile in Germany) or replaced them with white workers.

To many statue sin the world are to dead, white, men.

To be honest, this statue is a memorial to people who died bravely doing their jobs, saving people's lives. It shouldn't really depict any individuals (especially those living). Lets remember the people who died heroically and not have an ugly argument ether way.

Clintons Cat

why should the fact that the firefighters were depicted as being of a different race be considered an insult to the three living members of the NYFD ?
I thought the memorial was supposed to honour the memory of all those who died in a horrific act not celebrate the raising of a flag as an event worthy of commemoration in itself.
Blacks and in particular hispanics are used to seeing their part in the historic events of the united states airbrushed out of official (and of hollywoods depiction of) history.

Clintons Cat

Fron the New jersey Record
Owners of the original photograph.

The memorial sculpture, which will be cast in bronze and permanently placed in front of the fire headquarters as early as April, depicts three life-size firefighters raising a flag on top of a stone pedestal engraved with 9-11-01. When the pedestal is completed, the monument will stand 18 feet tall. A corner of the stone base will be left incomplete, signifying the loss of 341 firefighters and two emergency medical workers who died at the World Trade Center trying to help others, said artist Elliot Schwartz of StudioEIS, one of the sculptors.

Schwartz said the collaborative effort is based on Franklin's photograph, but the image he captured was altered slightly to suit the monument. The group of sculptors hired three actors who dressed up in firefighter gear to reenact the flag raising in a studio. The actors were photographed and the artists worked from the reenactment image.

Sand

the monument should honour the dead, not satisfy the PC need. Its just pathetic the way theyre trying to "borrow" an evocative image but saying there is something wrong with it because the firemen are white. Why shouldnt they simply have had a memorial that was completely neutral if the racial makeup was such a big deal to them?

Clintons Cat

Here is an interesting article about patriotism in art from the new york times.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20011029monday.html

Maybe Something more neutral such as the vietnam memorial which simply lists the names of those killed would have been a more fitting memorial.

meanwhile the clean up continues.

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/013/nation/Day_laborers_to_be_tested_for_:.shtml

paddymee

the monument should honour the dead, not satisfy the PC need. Its just pathetic the way theyre trying to "borrow" an evocative image but saying there is something wrong with it because the firemen are white. Why shouldnt they simply have had a memorial that was completely neutral if the racial makeup was such a big deal to them?

I agree with the idea of using a neutral monument.

However I don't really think that this is an overly PC action. The statue isn't a facsimile (sp?) of the event but an artist’s interpretation. His interpretation is trying to display unity between people of different races. So much for that ;-).

I suppose the reaction versus PC is not surprising considering the conservative backgrounds of the NYPD and NYFD. Remember they are all Irish ;-).

All banter aside one thought that really strikes me. The starting salary of a fireman is around 40K and I'm guessing that 80K is the most that a non-management pleb will earn. And these same people sacrificed their lives charging up a burning building to save stockbrokers and the like who earn millions a year. And the firemen (and women, Reg) would do it again.

Amazing people. I always had huge respect for firefighters and felt you had to be special to be one. But this capped it.

On a side note my wife applied for the San Francisco Fire Dept last summer. See if she gets in. I'm married to a fireman, er, firewoman, er fireperson. Oh, how PC.