Mount Rushmore, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, features the carved heads of four of our most famous presidents. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, respectively. Completion of the project finished in 1941 and since then the term, "Mt. Rushmore," can be used in any event to describe the four best people you know. "Who's on your Mt. Rushmore of NBA players?" and the like.
While the construction and occupation of the mountain lives in controversy as the Black Hills are owned by the Lakota people, technically, to this day, a fun game to play would be what honorable non-Presidential American deserves to go on there.
One Reddit user wanted to know who is worth enough to be carved into a mountain when they asked:
"You get to add another American to Mt Rushmore but it can’t be a president. Who do you choose?"
It's the internet, after all. Let's get the "Goofy But Worth A Shot" nominees out of the way first. After all, some of these candidates we can't even see.
Wa Ba Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo
"There is already a non-president on Mt. Rushmore."
"John Cena."
zoqfotpik
"John Cena? Wtf? But I don’t see—"
"Dammit. Take my upvote."
User Deleted
Makes Total Sense, Until You Think About It
"How is Nicholas cage not here yet."
deus_vult_34
"He stole the declaration of independence"
King_DeandDe
"He's buried under the mountain in a treasure vault that collapsed in on him when he discovered it. There was a documentary about the incident that came out in 2007."
Hologram22
Why Be Stingy? Put Both Versions Up.
"Weird Al."
OntarioLakeside
"Seconding Weird Al."
"One question: with or without mustache?"
MsDucky42
"With. And the UHF era tight curl."
"It’s only right."
Eternaltuesday
Thank You For Being A Friend
"BETTY WHITE"
momogirl200
"Redo it, Mt. Golden Girls"
WhoHayes
The thing about Mt. Rushmore, and it's legacy, is we should be transforming it into something positive to help ease the troubled history it has. Make it a true testament to the American who helped shape us or shaped a generation.
It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
"Mr Rogers"
PitchforkJoe
"He specifically asked that there not be any statues to honor him. So I doubt he'd appreciate this. It's why I vote Bob Ross instead."
photoguy423
We're So Much More Than War And Death
"Mark Twain. The quintessential American writer."
"We always put up statues of military and politicians across this country. It would be nice to see more of our creative side get honored. Put up Poe on the mountain. Attract goths to the site."
inksmudgedhands
"That’s a damn good point."
"I’m an American who emigrated to France a long time ago."
"Just about every city in France has a street named after De Gaulle but also one named after Victor Hugo, the writer. Before the Euro, French franc notes had authors, scientists, painters, composers, etc in addition of course to war heroes and presidents."
"It would be great if we honored them in the US, too."
amerkanische_Frosch
What Do People Outside Of The Country Think?
"Im European and I would put Conan O'Brien on it. He has made me laugh for 20 years. I dont glorify celebrities usually but damm does he deserve it."
Prixm
And then there's these, people who have done beyond anything we could conceive to help advance the moral fabric of America that maybe we should consider carving another entire "Rushmore."
Somewhere else, obviously.
Yay, Vaccines
"Dr. Jonas Salk. Saved us all from polio"
Barefoot_Alvin
"He would represent American science and innovation. I like it."
WellWellWellthennow
"I do love me some Jonas Salk but then you have to get into the whole Sabin vs. Salk thing so I'd favorite Maurice Hilleman instead. 40 vaccines, this guy developed. 40."
"Late edit to add: Sabin and Salk were rivals who both developed excellent polio vaccines I mean. Salk finished first and ran massive trails in the US but Sabin developed the oral vaccine and run massive trials in the Soviet Union. They both were characters who did good science."
gonegonegoneaway211
The Obvious Choice
"MLK"
carlsquidy
"Not sure if you're aware but there's a pretty cool MLK monument in Washington, DC. If you're ever in the area, it's worth checking out."
GenghisTron17
"I came here to write a smart argument, but you came out of the gate with an ACTUAL amazing choice. I’m gonna go crawl back in my troll hole with my tail between my legs."
Tre_Altrix
Never Doubt Her Contributions
"Sacagawea"
bivalve_connoisseur
"This is the most on-theme suggestion so far. The presidents currently in the monument were selected because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory. Given Sacagawea's role in exploring the Louisiana purchase, I think she belongs."
CrabbyBlueberry
Build Stronger Children And Let Them See This
"I recently heard someone refer to Frederick Douglass as "the Black Founding Father", so I feel like he'd be an appropriate choice."
"(And, yes, we all know he wasn't a contemporary of the Founding Fathers; the point was he's as important to our history and how the country sees itself, and I'd argue that the America that emerged from the Civil War was as different to the one that came before as the America before and after the Revolutionary War.)"
mikevago
It's important to honor people who have done a great service to their people and their community. Just make sure it's on land that you own and are ethically able to use.
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This Woman's Viral Thread About Helping A Stranger On The Train Is An Incredible Must-Read
Many of us have had to ask for help at some point in our lives.
Oftentimes, it is a challenging thing to do, even in our most difficult circumstances.
However, when help is asked for, good people show up.
Erynn Brook was on her way home from work when she encountered a woman. The story of what happened next quickly went viral.
Sometimes a happenstance meeting can shift someone deeply.
I’m waiting on kitty ultrasound results and trying to distract myself a little bit so I’d like to tell you a story… https://t.co/pyAWNhvSop— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554400160
I was on my way home after work. It’s about 10pm, and the subway is pulling up to my stop. I’ve been stressed about… https://t.co/AvzZJTB4wK— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554400215
She’d been looking at me and I hadn’t really noticed. Her lips were barely moving, but I took out one earbud and sa… https://t.co/VuxXcIC25T— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554400291
Many would have ignored this girl, but Erynn decided not to.
At the top it said “my seizure plan”. I blinked at it then looked up at her. “Are you having a seizure now?” I aske… https://t.co/h6SzAgGMn4— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554400391
She mentioned her stop was 3 stops away. I asked if she would like me to ride with her to her stop. She said she di… https://t.co/Rd4a2Ve0cm— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554400531
Then, only a laminated page to guide her, Erryn jumped into action.
Then she seized. She had already moved her purse out of the way and folded her scarf in a place to catch her head a… https://t.co/ffVnVSfbYB— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554400652
This seizure plan paper is like an anchor. It says what to do, what not to do, how long seizures might last, what m… https://t.co/CkW6OXwabF— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554400903
Then she offered to stay with the girl until her stop.
I tell her I’m just going to ride the subway with her to her stop, and if we miss it, don’t worry, I’ll sit with he… https://t.co/MaVSXQoNy0— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554400998
She mentions that she needs to get a prescription refill. I say prescription refills are so annoying. She nods a bi… https://t.co/DYaa2Q89r8— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554401087
She was flabbergasted by the vulnerability of having a seizure disorder.
It says she gets these seizures 1-4 times a day, and each episode lasts 10-60mins. Just think about that for a se… https://t.co/LfxIgzMLgR— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554401269
She comes out close to her stop. I ask her if she wants to get off. And she says “I’m just so tired, I want to go h… https://t.co/MZmVp4YOA3— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554401409
She places her folded scarf on the back of the chair and positions herself just so. She tells me “if it gets real b… https://t.co/d8KaC2OwCd— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554401510
Then, Erynn decided to get the girl home.
I’m a big sister and a woman in the world. I’m either sitting with her until she’s completely ready to get up and w… https://t.co/ohhpQxkMS3— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554401702
She just needs to make it up the stairs. She says her condo is right outside the exit. Offer to walk her up the sta… https://t.co/Aaxz4meNWy— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554401812
We get to the barrier and I say. “I’d like to walk you to your building door if you’ll let me.” She protests again,… https://t.co/iqHZMXTUzU— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554401937
She tells me that one of her seizures yesterday happened at the gym. THE GYM! I don’t even go to the gym and I have… https://t.co/QyX5Q2WDIS— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554402191
I walk her to her building door and open it for her. She says “thank you for staying with me and getting me home sa… https://t.co/TwqibpJ6XH— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554402310
This brought up many feelings about the ways in which we interact with each other, and what few defense mechanisms this girl had.
I have so many feelings. And they keep coming back to that scarf. That’s the image I see. How it was pre-folded bef… https://t.co/stPIyoRqHL— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554402446
She was fully prepared to go it alone. I didn’t help her, not really. My job was to make sure that no one interrupt… https://t.co/Z3P1kTNQKI— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554402511
She called us to action.
It’s not a story about me being a good person. It’s not a story about how brave she is (though she clearly is), it’… https://t.co/ttvbCudtQw— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554403030
We’re taught to call 911 when something looks bad and we don’t know what it is. And if I hadn’t heard her, if she d… https://t.co/i5RA76ciSI— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554403172
And this girl who’s just trying to go home because this is her daily life, would’ve been burdened with loud noises… https://t.co/faWMxDGmkY— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554403227
This girl has seizures more reliably than I eat breakfast. And she’s just out there living her life as best she c… https://t.co/mkHeT5wAQ5— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554404264
Before addressing larger and more systemic issues.
[cn/tw: assault] There is no policy or program structure that addresses the high rates of assault for disabled fo… https://t.co/Mjgx0XIgXM— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554404838
We built a world where an 18 year old who gets seizures 1-4 times a day, is taking the subway home, alone, and she… https://t.co/08opRK8XKQ— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554405670
We built a world where I could hit an emergency alarm button and walk off at my stop, feeling like I just saved thi… https://t.co/tCwLIVedsT— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554405932
Don’t get me wrong, emergency services are great and we should use them when we need to. That’s not the point of th… https://t.co/7zuYDh1mwg— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554406100
“She looks nice.” It took maybe 30 minutes out of my day to make sure she got home. And she didn’t need me at all… https://t.co/WmoZzbIN4u— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554406369
She noted the difference between accommodating someone and truly helping them.
Accommodation is the bare minimum. If I sat with her until my stop and then left, that’s what accommodation looks l… https://t.co/PHIKjjTDop— Erynn Brook (@Erynn Brook) 1554406584
Many people's hearts were warmed.
@ErynnBrook Thank you so much for the reminder that compassion can build bridges and touch lives in ways that money… https://t.co/SrpmACESMC— Jeff Bray (@Jeff Bray) 1554425828
@ErynnBrook I’m glad she found a safe person in you.— Sharon Olive✍️ (@Sharon Olive✍️) 1554427047
@ErynnBrook Thank you for writing this. Thank you for helping.— Jane Worley (@Jane Worley) 1554430747
This is how you show up for people.