PS also.... if you value freedom of expression sometimes it’s more important to let debates stand, and everyone can see for themselves what responses can be made to prejudice. It’s a case by case analysis but in this instance I submit there was value in the fact there were a series of good replies — not just mine. Eliminating the thread is not eliminating the prejudices. keeping the thread means there is a response which remains available.
Nevertheless, I am sorry that you lost your post. I too love history, and it is a shame that it ended up as collateral damage in this case.
well luckily it's not the end-all. a new thread could be created addressing the interesting points of history the OP feels are salient. surely that's not so difficult. after all she did take the time to create this thread.
I think its more @Syrte feeling that a meaningful response which she took some time off her day to write was lost.
Sorry, I’m not sure what that means? Is this as harsh and abrupt as I perceive it?
If I remember correctly, a certain member who obviously had a grievance of some sort against the French spouted off some absolute garbage accusing them of just about everything except eating their own babies, and the Mods rightly shut the thread down.
Don’t be silly, everyone knows it’s the Swiss that eat babies
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:4377_-_Bern_-_Kindlifresserbrunnen_am_Kornhausplatz.JPG
Don’t be silly, everyone knows it’s the Swiss that eat babies
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:4377_-_Bern_-_Kindlifresserbrunnen_am_Kornhausplatz.JPG
Fun fact:
According to my former, enthusiastic history teacher, it is not clear why exactly this monster was put on top of the fountain right next to the Zytglogge in Bern.
But there are two main theories about what this monster represents:
1) A monster to scare off children in order to not go further to the (then) steep flank of the hill towards the Aare (a river)
2) An antisemitic symbol. The hat reminds of the hats Jews were wearing in the Middle Ages. Antisemitism was widely spread in medieval times throughout Europe, let's not forget about the Ghetto in Venice and how Jews were treated when the Black Death took its tolls.
Edit: I grew up in Bern, Switzerland, which is why our history teacher told us about the whole thing. I never googled nor verified his side of view though.
Ps: if anyone wants to google the story: the fountain is called Kindlifresserbrunnen