In Defence of a National Monument

Once again I recently found myself defending the newest landmark of our capital city's skyline.

This sculpture was erected at a time when public dissatisfaction with the health system and national infrastructure was particularly high. People berated the government for using funds in an apparently frivolous manner and ignoring the problems of the country. “Decadent”, “vain” and “pointless”, how could the leaders of our country support such a waste of tax money?

But this monument was the first significant instance of public spending in order to boost national pride. This sculpture marks a determined effort to defend our individuality that has been under threat by globalisation. With the decline of our national language and cultural heritage, an icon was absolutely essential to awaken the zeal of the people. Surely this is a cause worthy of such once-off capital expenditure?

Even beyond this, by bolstering national pride more impetus is created for social change. The aforementioned health and services issues become more personal and therefore more important due to this increased cultural identity. With such icons, we can advance both aesthetically and materially, while keeping our national individuality. In short, cultural pride is intrinsically linked to all national issues.

For these effects to take place however, we must embrace this monument as a symbol of our emergence into a modern world.

-The English Student