Quote:
Originally Posted by Throttlesteer
Guys, I know this is a sensitive subject and should have known that it would take a bit of a turn. I appreciate that it's stayed civil, but am still interested in your thoughts about the original question. I realize humans are flawed and many historical figures on all sides of the aisle have dark history.
I do agree, it's hard to judge Cobb or Cap Anson using today's standards. Although some were more outspoken than others, racism was still a widely-accepted behavior well past the turn of the century. Keep in mind, Birth of a Nation was the most prominent movie of the time Cobb, WaJo, Collins, etc...were playing. It was a socially-accepted behavior, even though we can look back on it and judge it otherwise. I completely agree with Klrdds; People 50-100 years from now will probably apply similar judgement to the socially-accepted norms of today and think we're a bunch of idiots or Neanderthals.
I will continue to collect guys like Cobb, Anson, and Speaker. I strongly disagree with their points of view and certainly would not celebrate their behavior. But, I also appreciate their contributions to the history of baseball on the field. If they were current players exhibiting the same behavior in the context of today's societal standards, it would be a very different story.
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To put a couple little things in perspective:
Cap Anson was born in 1852
Slavery was abolished in 1865...obviously abolishment doesn’t equate to equality.
Ty Cobb was born 1866
Toilet paper wasn’t invented until 1878, 2 years after the telephone 1876.
It is dangerous to pass historical judgement on individuals who lived in a time and society in which most people today can’t even imagine.