Live Long and Prosper Memorial

Equilibria

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From the drawing, I assume this will be placed at the foot of Merrimac St.

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The West End was allegedly a "slum" that had to be bulldozed, but it produced people like Leonard Nimoy. Apparently the bureaucrats were wrong.
 
The West End was allegedly a "slum" that had to be bulldozed, but it produced people like Leonard Nimoy. Apparently the bureaucrats were wrong.

Or the bureaucrats were happy to spew rhetoric regarding it being an alleged "slum", so as to sway popular opinion in favor of the demolition--in order to reward their developer friends who stood to profit handsomely by erecting the high-rise luxury condo towers and office buildings now standing there. Thereby coaxing said developer friends to make political campaign contributions to further cement the preexisting alliances [dependencies].

Point being: I doubt the bureaucrats who were truly in charge were inefficient enough to waste time giving serious thought to whether it truly met the criteria for a "slum" or not. [they could leave that to the pointy-eared Harvard sociologists] Instead, they were simply playing the game based on the way it was played at the time, no?
 
Yes, there are several aspects of why the West End was eradicated. All I can say is that as a boy in the 1950's, I clearly remember riding (what is now) the Green Line on its viaduct above the West End, and seeing an absolutely vibrant and beautiful neighborhood. It impressed my young mind as a town in Italy, colorful and old-world. But the Government was like that back then; unilaterally making sweeping decisions with virtually no public input or respect for individual rights. It happened in a lot of sectors of society back then. The NIMBYism and activism of today is often extreme, but is a reaction to those decades of Government overstepping and cluelessness.
 
Couldn’t we get a statue of the man rather than a big hand? Like, I know that Nimoy was best known for playing Spock, but it’s the actor who grew up here. Not the character..

For anyone who doesn't know, Nimoy did some cool interviews and documentaries and such where he talks about his childhood/background.


 
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Or a statues of Nimoy making the Live Long and Prosper hand sign (which also has Boston ties in its origin).
 
Couldn’t we get a statue of the man rather than a big hand? Like, I know that Nimoy was best known for playing Spock, but it’s the actor who grew up here. Not the character..

For anyone who doesn't know, Nimoy did some cool interviews and documentaries and such where he talks about his childhood/background.



I haven't seen these in a while, thanks for sharing. I agree that a statue of the man himself would be better than the Vulcan salute.
 
Not to make any insinuations because AFAIK there aren't any to make, but it's playing with fire to put up a statue of a famous person these days. Better to stick with the concept.
 
Not to make any insinuations because AFAIK there aren't any to make, but it's playing with fire to put up a statue of a famous person these days. Better to stick with the concept.


Spock owned slaves?????
 
Not to make any insinuations because AFAIK there aren't any to make, but it's playing with fire to put up a statue of a famous person these days. Better to stick with the concept.

Statue of a famous person or statue of a slaver? I can't think of any statue of modern people that anyone wishes to tear down. I've seen some people joke about peeing on the Bobby Orr statue, but none that want it removed. If it turns out that Nimoy was an awful person in private, the plans can be rolled back. However, it seems just from reading his wiki article that a lot of people have attested to his character and that he did a lot to support the arts and environmental activism.

I'd personally rather have no statue than one that's just a giant hand making a salute from an old sci-fi show. Perhaps the statue of Nimoy could show him making the salute (while wearing normal clothes). Still, I think it's important to honor the actor rather than the show he starred in.
 
Bingo. Again, I have no inkling that's the case, but why take the risk?

What risk?

That's like asking "why leave my house when there might be a crocodile on my lawn?". Sure it's possible, but it's very unlikely based on the knowledge we have. Don't you think someone would have come forward back when BU gave him an honorary degree or when Menino named a day after him?
 
Statue of a famous person or statue of a slaver? I can't think of any statue of modern people that anyone wishes to tear down. I've seen some people joke about peeing on the Bobby Orr statue, but none that want it removed. If it turns out that Nimoy was an awful person in private, the plans can be rolled back. However, it seems just from reading his wiki article that a lot of people have attested to his character and that he did a lot to support the arts and environmental activism.

I'd personally rather have no statue than one that's just a giant hand making a salute from an old sci-fi show. Perhaps the statue of Nimoy could show him making the salute (while wearing normal clothes). Still, I think it's important to honor the actor rather than the show he starred in.
It's important to consider the extent to which Nimoy identified with Spock, and in particular with the meaning behind the salute. Although he struggled with the association for a portion of his post-Star Trek life, he eventually changed his mind, even going so far as to publish a memoir titled, "I am Spock." To the extent that the hand salute can be seen as a meaningful representation of his contribution to the arts and serve as a reflection of his personal philosophy, it might well be a very appropriate tribute.
 
It's important to consider the extent to which Nimoy identified with Spock, and in particular with the meaning behind the salute. Although he struggled with the association for a portion of his post-Star Trek life, he eventually changed his mind, even going so far as to publish a memoir titled, "I am Spock." To the extent that the hand salute can be seen as a meaningful representation of his contribution to the arts and serve as a reflection of his personal philosophy, it might well be a very appropriate tribute.

Touché. I'd still like to see a statue of the man giving the salute, but I'm not as against the giant hand as I was when I first saw it.
 
Placemaking has become "Selfie Spot Making" and this is a great example of the trend.
I'm in favor of it.

The Bobby Orr statue is recognizable from the pose--nearly horizontal (the stick and skates help too)
But since Nimoy is mostly famous for looking into a Tricorder, a statue might be hard to "get" in most media, but the hand is globally recognizable.
(You'd also have to fight with Paramount over Star Trek IP)

And before Nimoy gave it to Spock, he got it from the blessing of the Cohanim. So far I haven't heard it called blasphemous or cultural appropriation, but it can't be entirely immune from such objections given that it was an active borrowing from a religious ceremony
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And before Nimoy gave it to Spock, he got it from the blessing of the Cohanim. So far I haven't heard it called blasphemous or cultural appropriation, but it can't be entirely immune from such objections given that it was an active borrowing from a religious ceremony

Nimoy was Jewish, so it's not appropriating - part of the story is that he learned the hand sign from his father in a West End synagogue. As a religious Jew, everyone I've talked to thinks it's awesome.
 
Moved to the Museum of Science, I assume because they'll pay for it (and as the article notes, Nimoy was associated with the museum):


If it's going to be at a gateway location I wish they had the money to make it, like, 10 stories tall.

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