Opinion
Madison’s history proud, not for sale
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Every city on the planet has an interesting and engaging history, Madison being no exception. Madison's history is both unique and revolutionary. Madison has always been a beacon of resistance and change, from the welfare program to the enflamed anti-Vietnam riots of the 1960s.
This history, instead of being coveted and respected, is being exploited and manipulated as a marketing tool to advertise the city. Recently, historical markers have been placed across the downtown area highlighting both Madison's revolutionary and progressive past to passers-by. However, this is neither appropriate nor harmless.
The reason these markers are inappropriate and harmful is because they are nothing more than marketing tools. The markers are there to sell Madison's past to visitors of the city; the mere fact that they are all placed in the downtown area strongly suggests that they are not designed for the inhabitants. Also, placing these markers solely on State Street —considered the posh commercial hub of Madison — makes quite obvious that it is more a matter of convenience and of marketing than it is of pride and discovery.
So really, the question is: What is the problem with allowing easy access to Madison's history? The problem with this is the markers themselves are merely blurbs, clips of history. They do not have the space, and people on the street do not have the time to read too much into this city's history. The markers turn our dynamic history into small, digestible "fun facts," playing directly into the hands of modern times.
They make history "cute" instead of honorable, instead of distinguished. Instead of expanding Madison's history by promoting documentaries like "The War At Home" or actual books about this city, certain people have decided it is OK to chop up and exploit the city's history in order to make visitors feel as if they learned something.
These markers are also the first step in trying to make this city an all-out tourist destination further removed from its inhabitants. This becomes obvious when one gauges the citywide smoking ban and the ludicrous proposition of a trolley system.
Those running this city are forgetting about what truly makes it great: the inhabitants. Everything that has happened to make Madison's history so dynamic was due to rare and unique people with a connection to this place, not those who show up for a weekend, drop a lot of money and leave. Everything must be done with the inhabitants in mind, and selling superficial bits of our history is embarrassing to both the city itself and those who choose to live here.
When the history of a place is shown to you, it is never as interesting as when you discover it. For instance, I had learned of the Dow riots in an eye-opening conversation with a graduate student here at the university. I had learned that WORT is one of the longest-running volunteer radio stations in the country after researching Madison's media culture. Since those early days in Madison, I have never stopped learning about this city and what it has contributed to both the national and international dialogue across nearly all fields of education and life.
Such rich and illuminating history needs to be preserved, and it is all right to broadcast and introduce such history with pride. However, scattering markers, no more than a few paragraphs, across the downtown area, neither preserves integrity nor depicts with pride the tumultuous and lively history of this city. Madison, at its core, is not a city for tourists and we should not ask it to become one. Madison, at its core, is a city of wild depth, a city of romantics, lunatics, fascists, wilderness and sarcastic wit. How could anyone ever understand that from just a few paragraphs?
Wasim Salman (salman@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in international relations.
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Note also the very embarrassing and shameful events in Madison’s history, that you may not be aware of, but should be, such as the 1970 bombing of Sterling Hall in which one promising physics researcher was killed, and four others seriously injured. The first and only memorial plaque was FINALLY dedicated in May of this year outside Sterling Hall. That’s 37 years later!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SterlingHallbombing
So it’s better to have people, citizens and visitors alike, completely ignore Madison’s history instead of being exposed to even a little bit of it? By giving people a small taste of history, these markers will create a desire for them to learn more about these stories on their own.
The reason they’re downtown is because that’s where foot traffic is the greatest. You wouldn’t put one on the edge of the East Towne Mall parking lot because few people are walking there.
“So it’s better to have people, citizens and visitors alike, completely ignore Madison’s history instead of being exposed to even a little bit of it?”
The idea is to spend money to promote the true history. Like films and books.
“The idea is to spend money to promote the true history. Like films and books.”
You are kidding, right? You think the documentary “The War at Home” is the one true history? Or Tom Bates’ book Rads gives a fair, historically accurate account of Dow Day and Sterling Hall? Oh, please, get off the elist soapbox. History comes from a variety of sources, not just print and film. And there are some professors still left on campus who were here in the late sixties, plus many folks in the city itself. They will tell you stories that ain’t so romantic.
Wasim for mayor
Very enlightening! Strongly support the premise of your article…
The insistence that history has to be read in large volumes is a big reason why so many people don’t get into it. EVERY LEARNING ENDEAVOR has to start somewhere. Was the first item YOU read about Madison history really a complete book? You’re telling me you refuse to read newspaper articles about local history unless they refer to books and films? Are you against newspaper articles in general, by the way? Because many times they’re not much longer than the text on these markers (which is already longer than most plaques, etc., by the way), and usually journalistic ethics don’t insist on referencing books any time a complex subject is mentioned. So you must think newspapers are wrong, too. Oh, wait, you write for one… gee, that’s weird… Also, tourism can be a positive force in a community. Many tourists have a natural inclination to seek what’s unique about a community. I would see the blossoming of national chains on State Street to be a worse threat, and these markers to be moving in the opposite direction—celebrating the city’s unique stories.