Popular Mechanics magazine published an instructional article on Monday informing its readers about the scientific ways they can tear down a statue “without anyone getting hurt.”
“Should you happen to find yourself near a statue that you decide you no longer like, we asked scientists for the best, safest ways to bring it to the ground without anyone getting hurt — except, of course, for the inanimate racist who’s been dead for a century anyway,” author James Stout wrote.
There are two scientific ways one can do this, according to the magazine: “The Physical Approach or “The Chemical Approach.”
“The force required to pull down a statue isn’t as great as you think, says mechanical engineer Scott Holland,” Stout wrote.
According to Holland, about 70 people can successfully topple a statue by force.
“To break the statue from its base, split into two teams on either side and work in a back-and-forth motion,” according to the article.
“Most statues are attached to the base by 2 to 3 feet of rebar, so you’ll actually be breaking it at the bronze above the rebar — not the rebar itself, says Holland.”
The chemical approach to toppling a statue is melting it using a thermite reaction or a sparkler.
Many people criticized the article on social media.
“I look forward to Popular Mechanics putting together a primer on how to make a Molotov cocktail,” Daily Wire Editor in Chief Ben Shapiro tweeted.
I look forward to Popular Mechanics putting together a primer on how to make a Molotov cocktail https://t.co/Re2VkHeJSN
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 17, 2020
Photographer and writer Atane Ofiaja tweeted, “Definitely not the Popular Mechanics of yesteryear that had guest writers like Buzz Aldrin. How lame.”
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HotAir.com editor Jazz Shaw questioned if the magazine was showing “woke signals?”
“Popular Mechanics goes full Taliban,” author Christina Sommers tweeted. “Several engineers chime in on how to destroy statues. I always thought @PopMech was about building things.”
🚨🚨🚨Popular Mechanics goes full Taliban. Several engineers chime in on how to destroy statues. I always thought @PopMech was about building things. https://t.co/hiXFORXRDW
— Christina Sommers (@CHSommers) June 17, 2020
Protesters have torn down several statues in cities across the country following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for roughly nine minutes during an arrest.
Statues of several Confederate figures, as well as former President Thomas Jefferson and Christopher Columbus, have all been torn down.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
