In the wake of the Charlottesville riot, several cities witnessed mobs of people tearing down Confederate memorial statues. Those who tore down these monuments justified their actions by claiming to be fighting against racism and white nationalism. In his press conference Tuesday, Donald Trump wondered where the call for monument removals would end: “Is George Washington next week? And Thomas Jefferson the week after?” The answer may be sooner than that.

On Wednesday, professional race-baiter Al Sharpton was asked by Charlie Rose, “Should they take down the Jefferson Memorial?” Sharpton responded, “When you look at the fact that public monuments are supported by public funds, you’re asking me to subsidize the insult of my family. I would repeat that the public should not be paying to uphold somebody who has had that kind of background. You have private museums, you have other things that you may want to do there.”

Let’s be abundantly clear: Racism is wrong. Those who justify condemning, excluding and hating others based solely and primarily due to their race or ethnicity are wrong. Those who hold views that espouse one’s race to be of greater significance than their common humanity with other races are wrong. This is why both white supremacists and Black Lives Matter activists are wrong. They have chosen to see and interpret everything through the lens of race rather than the reality of our shared common humanity. They have chosen to highlight both real and perceived grievances as justification for holding racist views, and they justify animosity toward anyone who rejects these race-based perspectives.

The Left for years has steadily fueled a grievance culture, especially among racial minority groups — all for political gain. But now this grievance culture is threatening to set the nation on fire, in some cases literally. Various ideas and symbols are and can be offensive, but when people are taught that to be offended is to be oppressed, people will rise up to fight. Now we have leftists calling for removal of symbols of America’s history, all because they have chosen to identify these symbols with only negative and offensive ideas. The truth is that America’s Founders were flawed men, as all individuals are, but they worked to produce the greatest, freest country on earth. And Americans today and people around the world have benefited immeasurably from their contributions. Eradicating their history and historical contributions to appease ill-conceived notions of oppression is to do violence to history and truth.