From what I’ve read, Columbus was not a guy who should be celebrated. I think, however, that a lot of folks value an October holiday.
Some have suggested that we instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day.
What do you think?
I have heard the same controversy. My daughter who lives in Columbus thinks its a travesty that she lives in the city named after him but does not get the day off!!!
At my workplace we get Veterans’ Day off but not Columbus Day.
We don’t get either, but the schools have the day off.
I live in a state capital and all of the state offices are open today. Only a couple of schools have the day off, most are in session. It seems like it is truly just a federal and bank holiday, at least around here. I wouldn’t mind having an Indigenous Peoples Day. The story of Columbus could be told as a part of the Indigenous Peoples story.
You mean government workers & banks, since they are the vast majority that have off.
But to your question, I like how the Native Americans are starting to request a rebranding of Columbus Day, since the government worker unions will never approve a diminution in their holiday schedule. (hopefully, posting the huffpo link is not a violation of TOS.)
Columbus was a genocidal, sadistic bastard and I’m completely in favor of removing his name from what is supposed to be a celebratory day. He wasn’t even considered a good guy in his own time. His people revolted against him and he was briefly imprisoned.
I haven’t the slightest idea why we even connect him with the US anyway.
And just to put the stupid rumor to rest once and for all, they didn’t think the world was flat. I can’t believe they still teach that crap in schools.
I think the discussion is silly. George Washington owned slaves. Should we all decide President’s day is racist now?
Oh please, vlad. Columbus’ actions went well above owning people. Go read about the atrocities he committed against his own Spanish subjects.
If Washington cut off body parts as part of punishment for calling him a peasant, we can talk about comparing the two.
This thread reminds me of this…
http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/a000db49bf43e9fd186fd1d998e26452
One of my kids was supposed to read “Lies My Teacher Told Me” for APUSH. I don’t think she ever actually read it, but I did and wow, Columbus should be reviled instead of celebrated.
Vlad, even ignoring the atrocities Columbus committed, celebrating Columbus Day in the schools makes me fear that we are perpetuating the myth that “Columbus discovered America.”
So you want a Lief Erikson day day instead?
I figure we don’t have a Lief Erikson day because his discovery did not lead to any permanent settlements.
In terms of “who discovered America?”, isn’t the obvious answer whichever ancestors of Native Americans got to America first?
I think our district calendar calls it “Student Holiday.”
Do you think any schools still teach the subject in terms of “discovery” of America?
12: Yes. a lot of them do.
(And it’s particularly galling when you hear this being taught up here in Alaska, of all places!)
How about day of “European colonization of the Americas”
Ok, a Native American day of some sort would be good, for a number of reasons. But not using the same date and just renaming it. Where I am, BTW, this is not about “discovering” America, but Italian or Italian-American heritage, among the folks who claim that. Sausage and peppers, not hard tack.
The cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have officially renamed the holiday Indigenous People’s Day. Some Italian-Americans are miffed because in some places Columbus Day is celebrated as an Italian-American holiday, and they feel it’s disrespectful to deprive them of “their” holiday. Apart from that, most people don’t seem to mind, and many strongly approve.
As for the Italian-American complaint, it’s worth noting that Columbus Day wasn’t initially conceived of as a particularly Italian-American holiday; Italian-Americans just claimed it over time. And other major ethnic groups don’t have official holidays. Of course, Irish-Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and around here the Norwegian-Americans celebrate Syttende Mai (May 17th), Norway’s Constitution Day, but those aren’t official government holidays. And many Italian-American communities celebrate other Italian or Italian-American holidays, like St. Joseph’s Day and the Feast of San Gennaro. Besides, there’s nothing to stop Italian-Americans from continuing to celebrate Columbus Day as an Italian-American holiday if they so choose; it’s just that in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, that celebration will coincide with Indigenous People’s Day, an official holiday.
PC at it’s “finest”. I find it humorous that the Twin Cites of MSP voted to recognize Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day because they didn’t want to celebrate a history of “brutal land-grabs”. Perhaps they can contemplate how PC they are when they’re sitting at the Vikings game. You know…those peaceful Nordic types who brought tea and lutefisk and handed out hugs everywhere they “explored”. Pffft. 8-}
It’s no wonder this country is circling the drain when this is the type of crap our elected officials spend their time legislating.
Wolverine–maybe, since you’re so knowledgeable, you can tell us why we SHOULD be celebrating a genocidal monster who had absolutely nothing to do with the United States of America.
And possibly skip logical fallacies like “the team near me is named Vikings, so the US shouldn’t change their holiday observances.” That’s even more of a whopper than I usually see around here.