The Case for Tearing Down Monuments Never Faded. It Just Got New Light.

Statues of Christopher Columbus or Nathan Bedford Forrest communicate that they were heroes. This is not history—it's false. If you have trouble reading this message, [view it in a browser](. [Tearing Down These Monuments Strikes a Blow For History, Not Against It]( The argument in favor of removing Columbus from his current position leering down on people from on high—in the case of Manhattan's statue, 76 feet above the street in Columbus Circle—is that he was a rampaging genocidaire and slaver who promoted the rape of Native women and girls among his lieutenants and sanctioned the murder of infants. His crimes against humanity were brutal and widespread, and he was at one point sent back to Spain in shackles, though that may have been down to more of a political dispute with a royal emissary sent to investigate his mismanagement of the Spanish colony on Hispaniola. He ultimately escaped with a pardon, both in law and in history. Esquire Politics Editor Jack Holmes on how its removal helps set that history straight.[Read More]( [16 T-Shirts to Help Support Anti-Racist Initiatives Across the Country]( If you're sitting at home watching what's happening in the world and wondering what you can do, you're probably feeling a whole lot of pent-up fury. If you can't take to the streets yourself and you've already donated directly, the humble graphic tee—the de facto mobile billboard of our era—is one way to telegraph your commitment to the cause without saying a single word at all. Best of all, brands around the world are making versions that help funnel money to the George Floyd Memorial Fund, bail funds, and other organizations that deserve your dollars. Here are more than a dozen tees you can wear with pride, knowing those dollars went toward something greater.[Read More]( [Bruce Springsteen Is an Excellent Radio DJ. And It’s Not Just His Playlist.]( On the day that three additional Minneapolis police officers were charged in the killing of George Floyd, Bruce Springsteen—rock and roll icon, writer of protest songs (listen to "Born In the USA" again), and old white guy (he’s 70)—spun the song "This Is America" by Childish Gambino for the listeners of SiriusXM radio. If you happened to be listening, it was probably the best part of your day. Something bad happens in your world, or in the world, and you think: What can I do to help? Sick neighbor, death in the family, tsunami, global pandemic—you think: What do I have to offer? Money. Sympathy. Baked ziti. This is always tricky territory for celebrities. Sometimes there is greatness ("We Are the World"). Sometimes there is not ("We Are the World: 25 For Haiti"). And sometimes Gal Gadot gets her friends to sing "Imagine" into their phones. In the category of inspiring, uplifting, and appropriate for the moment, Ryan D’Agostino points you to Bruce Springsteen, nascent radio deejay.[Read More]( [Barbershops Are Slowly Reopening. Here's What Getting a Haircut During a Pandemic Will Look Like.]( As states roll out reopening efforts of various stages, and given the evidence that barbershops operating too early or without proper precautions could contribute to the spread of the coronavirus, Esquire Grooming Editor Garrett Munce is wondering what getting a haircut will be like in the future. You probably are, too. So he’s been looking at states that have already reopened, like Georgia and Florida, and perusing the New York State guidelines that'll apply to shops in New York City, where he lives, once they reopen. The goal: to get a glimpse of our tonsorial future. Here’s what he predicts.[Read More]( [The Republican National Convention's Move to Jacksonville Has Strong Clusterf*ck Elements]( As it typically goes with this administration*, moving the RNC comes with its fair share of mess. The real business of the convention—the actual news like, say, selling out the party platform on Ukraine—will still take place in Charlotte, but the balloons and bloviating will be staged in Jacksonville. This has the added benefit of making the convention harder for those pesky reporters to cover. Esquire’s Charles P. Pierce says it’s a disaster waiting to happen.[Read More]( [The North Face's Belted Shorts Are an Instant Summer Classic]( There's a streak of functional fetishism (no judgement!) running through menswear right now, and coupled with a renewed nostalgia for retro style (the '90s, in particular, remain an era ripe for reinterpretation), tactical-leaning shorts like The North Face's Class V belted trunks have never looked better. Esquire’s Avidan Grossman makes the case for why now's the time to take the leap.[Read More]( [Read More on Esquire.com]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Notice]( esquire.com ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019