Member-only story
15 Statues That Celebrate Actual Heroes
It’s easier than you would think to tell a nice statue of a good boy apart from a nasty statue of a bad one
A statue, or monument, is a thing that we humans like to put up in a public place to celebrate someone who we think did a very good job of something. We also use them to show other humans what sorts of behavior we think everyone should emulate. It’s all terribly confusing, apparently, but if you learn how to look, you can quite quickly get the hang of spotting the nice ones that celebrate actual heroes, and weeding out the nasty ones that belong in the bottom of the ocean because they celebrate someone who did a big treason or other wickedness.
Here are a few salutary examples of both sorts.
✅ Tombili
Tombili was a street cat in Istanbul who became internationally famous for his relaxed posture and cool manner of leaning. He was a true hero and his statue is very good.
🚫 Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest, on the other hand, was a slave trader and war criminal who became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. His statue is bad and ugly and people sometimes shoot at it when they drive past.
✅ Semyon
In 1987, Semyon the cat got lost in Moscow and spent six years finding his way back over 1,200 miles to his family in Murmansk. This monument in his hometown celebrates his loyalty and determination.
🚫 Robert E. Lee
In 1861, Robert E. Lee betrayed his country and spent three years fighting a war to preserve slavery. This monument in his home state features a perfectly nice horse but is otherwise trash.
