# Insensitive Memorials **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824 "2012-06-30T17:28:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dufus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Dufus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dufus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/21 "2012-07-01T15:51:13Z")
> [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](#): > > There’s [this blackly comic classic tombstone](http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=19899). Isn’t using the word black in a negative meaning insensitive? I’m surprised no one is offended. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/22 "2012-07-01T15:54:53Z")
> [@Dufus](#): > > Isn’t using the word black in a negative meaning insensitive? I’m surprised no one is offended. Only on the dope… ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/23 "2012-07-01T15:59:10Z")
Yeah, we should rename bubonic plague “African American Death” to be more sensitive.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/24 "2012-07-01T16:02:47Z")
The streets on the submarine base in New London CT are named after subs that were sunk, with a little death toll on each one. Even [Scorpion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Scorpion_%28SSN-589%29) and [Thresher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Thresher_%28SSN-593%29):dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/25 "2012-07-01T16:34:13Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I don’t see it as being all that insensitive. Now maybe if they named it “Dead Man’s Curve Memorial Junction,” that would be in bad taste. Insensitivity is in the eye of the beholder. Great contributions so far! I personally find the airports/airfields named after air force members is a little more appropriate since that’s directly related to the job of those being memorialized. In the Northeast there are a whole slew of public roads and parks named after Native Americans. Does anyone know of one that fits in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/26 "2012-07-01T16:43:48Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > Did you know there’s a 9/11 memorial at ground zero? If it were a 747 for a memorial then we’d be talking. As an aside, I did find [this](http://www.garchis.com/top-5-worst-911-memorials). It doesn’t exactly fit the bill, but it’s an interesting look at how we try to memorialize tragedy (and it’s written by a conspiracy theorist, so get ready to read through some nonsense). ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/27 "2012-07-01T16:56:46Z")
Oh and one more thing: Is there any other country that thought it was a good idea to have [X mark the spot](http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM82WP_X_Marks_the_Spot_Dallas_Texas) where their beloved leader had his brains blown out? ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/28 "2012-07-01T17:01:46Z")
This wasn’t a memorial, but last summer I went to the Great Escape/Six Flags amusement park in upstate New York with my cousins who are both under 10 and we went on a James Dean themed children’s ride in which we rode little cars around a track. I’d say that was insensitive as well as stupid (unless whoever designed the ride did it as some sort of joke) although I found it amusing. In regards to other dead people, I think [this memorial](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrods#Memorials) to Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed in Harrods (although it was put there by Dodi Fayed’s father) is insensitive as it’s bizarre and incredibly tacky. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/29 "2012-07-01T18:31:45Z")
Then there’s the University of Colorado’s Alferd Packer Dining Hall. ---
**Author:** ![listedmia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e0b2c6/32.png) [@listedmia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/listedmia)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/30 "2012-07-01T18:38:29Z")
Here in New Orleans, I see a lot of boats/barges named after people who have drowned in the river over the years. Couldn’t find anything about it online, but my boyfriend says it’s official policy to do this. ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/31 "2012-07-01T18:40:53Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > If it were a 747 for a memorial then we’d be talking. …it’s not like there’s a mock up of a smashed Porsche at the junction where James Dean died. There’s a sign. You are reaching. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/32 "2012-07-01T18:43:43Z")
Lhasa has the enormously unappreciated [Monument to the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_to_the_Peaceful_Liberation_of_Tibet). It’s placed in a gaudy plaza directly across from the scarred, empty Potala Palace, and it needs 24/7 military protection to keep it from being defaced. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/33 "2012-07-01T18:55:06Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > (snip)so get ready to read through some nonsense). Would I be here if I weren’t? ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/34 "2012-07-01T20:17:00Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Then there’s the University of Colorado’s Alferd Packer Dining Hall. Now that’s what I’m talking about! > [@Myrnalene](#): > > …it’s not like there’s a mock up of a smashed Porsche at the junction where James Dean died. There’s a sign. You are reaching. I don’t see it the same way for a few reasons. The 9/11 memorial has faced a lot of rejection, and many will recall that it was changed several times until they finally settled on a public space (a lot of greenery and places to relax) coupled with a museum. It isn’t about the location, as there’s an apparently tasteful [memorial](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dean#Memorial) for Mr. Dean right near the spot of his death (well, a mile away -but I wouldn’t take issue if it were within 100 feet). Rather, it’s the nature of the memorial that I find insensitive (albeit not offensive). I also think it’s a little bit different to compare the memorialization (the second word I’ve made up in this thread) of a national tragedy to that of an individual tragedy. They’re using a public space in monument to a figure that had little to do with the public beyond his career (I didn’t know him to be a great figure of charity or carry flags for political causes). If his family wanted to purchase and maintain the intersection that caused his death, that would be one thing. Instead other interests were trying to capitalize on his fame. Ultimately it just comes down to me having different feelings and opinions than you. But I think we can both agree that the J[ames Dean Memorial Junction website](http://www.jamesdeanmemorialjunction.com/) front page really lacks subtlety > [@even\_sven](#): > > Lhasa has the enormously unappreciated [Monument to the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_to_the_Peaceful_Liberation_of_Tibet). It’s placed in a gaudy plaza directly across from the scarred, empty Potala Palace, and it needs 24/7 military protection to keep it from being defaced. It’s like a humongous, glorious middle finger. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/35 "2012-07-01T20:22:08Z")
Shoot, I live in middle Tennessee, where just about every highway, bridge and overpass (and a few exits) are memorials. On SR840, aka National Guard Parkway, that I travel to work most days (it’s basically a loop beginning and ending on I40 that begins where I live and swings you around Nashville to ~30 miles west of the city), every bridge and overpass is named for a TNNG person who was killed in the line of duty from whichever county the road is in at the moment. In my county, one of our exits off I40 is named for a city officer and county deputy who were killed there a few years back. Part of I40 is named for one of our state legislators who was murdered by a crackpot running against him. Two small bridges on our city streets are named for soldiers from the town killed in action. So, no, I’d have to join the rest in saying that that kind of highway memorial isn’t insensative. ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/36 "2012-07-01T20:26:55Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > But I think we can both agree that the J[ames Dean Memorial Junction website](http://www.jamesdeanmemorialjunction.com/) front page really lacks subtlety. Holy cats, some webmaster is lacking all of their tastebones. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/37 "2012-07-01T21:32:33Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Jimmy Dean Sausages? Or is that a different James Dean?😃 Different James Dean. [James Dean](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dean) was the moody actor who appeared in “Giant” and “Rebel Without a Cause” and died in 1955. [Jimmy Dean](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Dean) was the country singer who sang “Big Bad John,” had a variety show, acted in “Daniel Boone,” and was famous for the sausage company. He died in 2010. ---
**Author:** ![OurLordPeace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e8c25b/32.png) [@OurLordPeace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OurLordPeace)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/38 "2012-07-01T22:02:18Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Lhasa has the enormously unappreciated [Monument to the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_to_the_Peaceful_Liberation_of_Tibet). It’s placed in a gaudy plaza directly across from the scarred, empty Potala Palace, and it needs 24/7 military protection to keep it from being defaced. That makes me think of [this ill-considered monument](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Monument#Braveheart_statue) to one of the most frightfully inaccurate films ever made. I read that the security barrier just made things even more ridiculous, because then he appeared to have been captured. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/39 "2012-07-02T01:34:41Z")
Another example of what I consider to be a stunningly insensitive memorial is this [monument raised in 2010](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Continental_Airlines_Flight_11_memorial_Unionville%2C_Missouri.jpg) to memorialize the people killed when Continental Flight 11 was blown out of the sky, on May 22, 1962, by dynamite placed in the waste bin in one of lavatories. What’s insensitive about it? The memorial lists all the passengers and crew on the aircraft, [including the asshole who placed the bomb](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Airlines_Flight_11), as a suicide device. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824/40 "2012-07-02T01:48:00Z")
Does anybody else find a [Crusifix](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Essen_Kreuzgang_3_Kruzifix.jpg/220px-Essen_Kreuzgang_3_Kruzifix.jpg) to be a weird memorial to Jesus? Had they hung him would people wear necklaces with him dangling from a rope with a blue face and his eyes bulging out? What if they beheaded him? Would folks have busts of him in the guest room, just his head with blood coming out where his neck was and his tongue hanging out? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insensitive-memorials/626824.md?page=3)