Re: Tayla Harris immortalised
Reply #10 –
Disagree - with this type of stuff, you need to call it out quick smart and turn it back on the perps of such things - they're the ones that'll look foolish now more than ever.
While I agree I think her strong reaction and the overt public support was enough short term.
The statue might just give her haters some extra fuel, or even push the more radical haters towards more extreme measures. I think in this regard we can't just think about redressing the issue with the offenders, we have to think about how it can potentially affect Tayla. Just because she is iconic relating to this issue, doesn't mean she is impervious or superhuman! It's not at all a given that the haters will all shrink in the public spotlight, some of them may well be genuine misogynists or homophobes!
From another angle, one might even say the artist has been a little bit opportunistic, given I believe it wasn't even initially commissioned. Thankfully it's not a yellow peril but I'd hate it to end up the same way without public support for a home, it could well do so though and that would leave Tayla in line for further derision!
I don't know where it should be housed long term. Our city put that stupid Girl and Bull rubbish up under sponsorship in a prime location, something which is a utter fantasy constructed for commercial purposes! At least Tayla and her history is real, not imaginary!
PS: Much of the debate deriding the statue is based on Tayla's lack of sporting achievements, and that is fair enough she isn't a sporting great by a long margin. FWIW, not even Erin Philips deserves a statue at this stage. But Tayla's statue isn't about sport!