Comments

1. BayanIzumi wrote:

   Last year there was a demonstration on campus where hooded individuals were laying down in a high foot traffic area as a demonstration to show the “hidden” history of Columbus’ landing. Obscenities were hurled at them, people told them that if it wasn’t for Columbus, they wouldn’t be there. It’s weird because I don’t think the people who got angry were necessarily celebrating Killumbus Day to begin with but they felt attacked from the demonstration.

   Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 2:22 pm ¶

2. RobynT wrote:

   “Happy Columbus Day” is a trending topic on Twitter but the tweets seem mixed. That is, some actually say, “Happy Columbus Day” while others reference his general suckiness and others are just complaining that things are closed. The official Twitter statement is carefully worded: “On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus came to the Americas.”

   On my Facebook feed there are far more people posting anti-Columbus stuff, celebrating Indigenous Peoples and things of that nature.

   Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 2:35 pm ¶

3. Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist wrote:

   I will always associate Christopher Columbus as the man who helped the Spanish steal money and funds from the Moors and Jews and led to the racist, anti-Semitic, hateful Spanish Inquisition!!!!

   Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 2:35 pm ¶

4. Sara wrote:

   I work for a nonprofit that provides alternatives to incarceration/detention for young people, and post-incarceration transitional services for adults – we’re in NYC, and as a result almost all of our clients are people of color. But, we have off today – it strikes me as stunningly culturally insensitive for an organization that works with oppressed people to celebrate the holiday of an oppressor (I realize that it may be due to NYC schools being closed, which affects a number of our clients, but still). And of course, NYC still has a Columbus Day parade, which I’m obviously not going to.

   Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 2:50 pm ¶

5. CDF wrote:

   Heck, I keep forgetting about it…it could be simple memory lapse or subconscious history awareness.

   …and yeah, Happy Indigenous Peoples Day to you, Lucy!

   Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 3:23 pm ¶

6. mute wrote:

   I only recently realized that some Italian Americans use Columbus Day as a day to celebrate their heritage. While I’m with most folk in that Columbus has never been a man I’ve celebrated, I don’t want to say its a day that is completely without value.

   Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 3:36 pm ¶

7. Ay-leen wrote:

   I’m at work right now, so I guess that says something. ^-~

   Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 3:50 pm ¶

8. BSK wrote:

   I’m a teacher in a DC private school and we had today off. I teach young children (pre-k), so it’s a difficult situation to handle. On our calendar, this year I simply elected to not include it, noting that it was a day we didn’t have school, but not offering a reason. Perhaps this was a cop-out, but I can’t think of a developmentally appropriate way to talk honestly about Columbus and, more importantly, explain why we have a day off to “honor” a man who does not deserve such honor. I generally do not shy away from such tricky topics, engaging in serious conversations about MLK Day and Memorial Day and what they mean in our country’s history, but Columbus Day presents a unique situation I have yet to find a way to appropriately handle. I am open to suggestions, as I think I’d rather do something than nothing, but I’d rather do nothing than something wrong.

   It is also a larger issue in terms of school scheduling. We have Columbus Day off, but not the Jewish high holidays. I questioned the message this sends, and received no response. I understand that not all closings for Columbus Day are about honoring the man, and have as much to do with aligning calendars and the traditional early October 3-day weekend, but it’s uncomfortable for me.

   Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 4:02 pm ¶

9. Irene M. wrote:

   I’m Native American and wished my fiance a, “Happy Mass Murderer Day.”

   Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 4:07 pm ¶

10. Ange wrote:

    DFMA,

    The Spanish inquisition was a direct effect of the Moors’ (North African Muslims) colonization of the Iberian peninsula. The Spanish started it in order to get their country back from the North African Muslims, who tortured, raped and killed the Spanish. This in addition to, you know, forcing the Spanish to abandon their culture and religion, and forcing Islam down their throat.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 4:15 pm ¶

11. phoenix ray wrote:

    At my university in SF, we don’t celebrate Columbus day. we do however get to take Cesar Chavez day off. I’d much rather remember Cesar Chavez than Columbus.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 4:23 pm ¶

12. yolanda wrote:

    my thoughts on it: thanks for reminding me, racialicious!

    …not a big deal around these parts.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 5:07 pm ¶

13. Ruchama wrote:

    Where I grew up (near NYC), Columbus Day was the Italian holiday in kind of the same way that St. Patrick’s Day was the Irish holiday.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 5:10 pm ¶

14. Kaonashi wrote:

    Same here, Ruchama. It’s more of an “HEYYYY Italian Pride, let’s celebrate” thing. When you hear Columbus mentioned, it’s rarely in flattering terms.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 5:40 pm ¶

15. DigitalCoyote wrote:

    The comments on the MSNBC thread were sad, disturbing but mostly sad.

    There were lots of “if it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be here!” and “what about the Caucasians?!?!” threads when people were asked to consider the full scope of his “legacy.” They didn’t want their kids being taught that he brought disease, was on the verge of being killed by his own men because he didn’t know where the fuck he was going, and traded young Native girls as sex slaves.

    Others said that it was “wrong” for a teacher to have her class put him “on trial,” something about how we can’t judge the actions of the past with the present’s sensibilities. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure “rape” (for example) was still RAPE 500 some odd years ago…and like now, the people that can punish the perps really only care about certain types of victims.

    I guess the Eurocentric education system in America makes it really hard to swallow the idea that *paraphrases..Sinbad?* if the Indians knew then what they know now, they wouldn’t have let any of those assholes get off their boats.

    —

    @Irene M.: That’s kind of funny. I met a good friend of mine by expressing a similar sentiment. I think he was just plain shocked that I wasn’t dumb enough to wish him a “Happy Columbus Day.”

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 5:45 pm ¶

16. elenavator wrote:

    I live in Spain. I would like to point out that, first of all, it’s called “Día de la Hispanidad,” and is, as it’s name implies, a celebration of Spanish culture and of an event that was indisputably crucial to Spanish history, and also to the history of the Western hemisphere. I don’t really understand why it’s called Columbus Day exclusively in the US when no one, anywhere, thinks Columbus is a figure actually worthy of any praise. In fact, many Latin American nations have decided to recognize the importance of this day while also appropriating it and adjusting its focus: in Urugay, it’s called “Day of the Americas” and in Venezuela, “Day of Indigenous Resistance,” which I think is pretty sweet.

    So–I get pretty annoyed when I hear people saying that it’s an atrocity to try to celebrate this day and that the holiday should be done away with, because it WAS a pretty fucking important event. But, the way it is memorialized definitely needs to be reconceptualized and given a new focus (especially in the US–in Spain, it’s a trickier issue), and given more of a respectful, commemorative slant for the many injustices that would follow it.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 5:57 pm ¶

17. elenavator wrote:

    To Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist:

    In addition to Ange’s comment, I’d like to point out that of the many despicable, terrible, and stupid things Columbus did (dude wasn’t very smart), having anything to do with the Inquisition wasn’t one of them. His only crime in this case was to not care either way what was happening with the political and religious conflict going on in Spain–as long as he found a sponsor, he was happy. In fact, do you want to know who helped fund his voyage and argue in his FAVOR in the Spanish court? Two wealthy and politically influential Jews.

    (the story is complicated, though–what can you expect? Read up on Luis de Santángel and Gabriel Sanchez for more information)

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 6:11 pm ¶

18. Pickly wrote:

    In terms of “discovering” the americas: To me this still seems a useful way to describe the idea, since although the continents weren’t discovered for all people in general, they were “discovered” for quite a large group of people on the planet (and “discovered for the old world” or “discovered for Europe/Asia/Africa” is kind of a mouthful.)

    Otherwise, from when I was a kid, the day seemed mostly another day to get off school, and Columbus himself didn’t seem particularly celebrated, it was more of a “Columbus ran into the continents, Spanish started settling, lots of Indians were killed off.”

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 6:32 pm ¶

19. momo wrote:

    Today is Thanksgiving day in Canada. We don’t celebrate Columbus.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 7:09 pm ¶

20. honeybrown1976 wrote:

    I’ve never celebrated it. How can I celebrate genocide and theft?

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 9:13 pm ¶

21. Persephone wrote:

    Here at North Carolina State U, we had “fall break” this past Thursday and Friday, so we have a long weekend without actually acknowledging Columbus Day.

    I like the idea of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 9:22 pm ¶

22. BSK wrote:

    elenavator-

    Great points. It was a monumental event, for better or for worse (better for some, worse for others). It certainly changed the course of history, but it is not necessarily a celebration. Perhaps thinking of it as a memorial or a day of remembrance, depending on the perspective. Unfortunately, in America, if it was celebrated, than it was done in the name of Columbus, and his discovery of America, with no mention of the complexity of the issue.

    What’s really interesting is that, while Columbus is certainly not the hero he’s was historically made out to be, I also don’t know that he’s the villain he’s sometimes painted as now. He certainly did some horrible things and made choices that had dire effects on others. But was he much different than any of the explorers/conquistadors of his time? Probably not. It seems as if, after the pendulum was so far in the direction of adoration for years, that it has now swung to pure revilement, and he is sometimes put up next to Hitler, which I would not agree with. I welcome opportunities to talk about both sides of the issue, and what Columbus’s legacy honestly should be.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 9:30 pm ¶

23. Tapthepope wrote:

    In Maryland its like the 6th sense.

    ….I see white privilege…..

    The glorification of imperialism everywhere.

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 9:55 pm ¶

24. ashlynn wrote:

    You know, Happy Indigenous Peoples Day could sort of also stand for Happy Internally Displaced People’s Day as well. Whaddaya know?

    Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 10:37 pm ¶

25. The Hippo wrote:

    Up here at Westfield State College, we simply don’t talk about it, its the elephant in the living room,if you will. The Native Holocaust Day was just a free day, everything went on as usual,except no classes, no special dinner or anything like that. Its not progress, but its a start.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 12:28 am ¶

26. Whitney wrote:

    Someone posted on a message board that I frequent the following message:

    In regards to Columbus Day, I’d like to just express my reverence for Christopher Columbus — admiral of the sea and a great Italian.

    And I replied:

    “Who also enslaved, raped, and murdered Native Americans. Oh and he and his ships also brought disease that killed off between 1 and 3 million native Americans within 15 years of his arrival.

    Hardly a man to be reverent of.”

    And of course, he went off on a tirade against me and said that I’ve been brainwashed by liberalism in college. Typical response from a white conservative.

    I just find it so disingenuous to purposely ignore part of one’s country’s history and replace it with magical rainbows and lollipops and pretend that nothing bad ever happened.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 4:30 am ¶

27. stop the denial wrote:

    The liars will lie. Let them. We know the truth. People more interested in truth should continue expressing their discontent with honoring someone so undeserving. We know what happened to the Arawaks at the hands of Columbus. It wasn’t a fair match by any means. There are records from Catholic church officials who criticized the “admiral’s” wretched bullying behavior, along with his men. This country, the one whose living constitution that I appreciate, must reconcile its miserable history with native peoples. I am a black American whose slavery-descended ancestors gave much to build this U.S. nation, but I will never deny the reality that *other* nations preceded the one I claim as my own right now. We must not remain in denial. We must deal with what is.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 6:28 am ¶

28. ks wrote:

    My husband and I have officially changed it to Columbo Day. Rituals include streaming episodes and eating popcorn. Peter Falk is way more worthy of celebrating than invasion, enslavement and murder.

    There’s a street fair in my neighborhood, which has a big Italian-American population. But the Columbus-ness of it is not really emphasized. It’s more like, “Aren’t sausage and peppers tasty?” I don’t have kids in school, so I’m not sure what the local schools are doing about it.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 8:33 am ¶

29. m. wrote:

    @ Irene M.
    Happy Indigenous Peoples Day/no love for mass murderers!

    In the Bay Area, there are a lot of people who seem to be all about Columbus Day. If not, then just complaining that they don’t get their three-day weekend. Apparently, it’s a big deal in San Francisco’s North Beach or some such place which I fortunately have the pleasure of NOT residing in. I live in Oakland, and many of us in this area are lucky enough to not be inundated with too much racist bullshit masked as some sort of Italian/European/Latin/Hispanic ‘pride’, or what-not. In Berkeley, an Indigenous Peoples Day powwow has been held annually for nearly 20 years.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 9:25 am ¶

30. Frowner wrote:

    Folks from a local group which works in solidarity with some Dakota activists did a banner drop at Fort Snelling in “honor” of Columbus Day. (Fort Snelling was the military base for the long process of stealing land from the Dakota people here, plus it was where 300 Dakota were held in a concentration camp during the Dakota conflict in 1862-63 and where many, many died of hunger, cold and perfectly treatable diseases. It’s also where, when Dakota leaders came to the fort to complain that they weren’t getting the money/food that the government was supposed to be paying them, they were famously told “let them eat grass”. Or at least, it’s always quoted that way–it’s really “let them eat grass or their own shit”. Aaaaanyway, it’s a bad place.)

    I don’t know and I don’t much care to what degree Columbus was a moral agent–was he capable of thinking “hey, let’s not enslave our kind hosts!” or did his experience so stunt him that he could only see native people things he could use? Yeah, it was a different time. But we’re celebrating (or not celebrating) it now.

    Waziyatawin, a Dakota scholar here, has written about Fort Snelling that left to itself it will fall down; it’s crumbling already. The Fort stands, she’s written, because every fifty years or so, a bunch of white people decide that it should be shored up and rebuilt, regardless of what anyone else wants. The past gets preserved in the present through action, not through magic or through just hanging around. There is no neutral attitude toward the past.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 9:30 am ¶

31. m. wrote:

    I have to add one more comment.
    Even if white peoples’ reasoning for carrying on with any sort of ‘celebration’ on this day is along the lines of “a show of ethnic pride/BBQ thing/innocent expression of Hispanidad” and not some flamboyant European flag-waving, I feel the need to ask: why do people find it detrimental, on this day of all days, to celebrate? When I hear these weak-sauce arguments to not ‘dismiss’ European heritage by not acknowledging this day as significant or recognizing Columbus as a figure of historical importance, I am wondering if people realize this isn’t just some holiday with a little baggage attached, but a gruesome part of history? Not only that, it’s pretty foolish to feel proud on a day dedicated to a pack of murders and rapists crash landing on Caribbean shores in disease-infested ships. I mean, really. Unless those who celebrate consider a serious case of misdirection and general greed/stupidity some sort of intangible cultural property…

    Seriously, though; it’s time for ALL of non-Native America (not just a few white people that get it and aware POCs) to start acting like a grown-ass adult.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 9:56 am ¶

32. Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist wrote:

    @ Ange:

    DFMA,

    The Spanish inquisition was a direct effect of the Moors’ (North African Muslims) colonization of the Iberian peninsula. The Spanish started it in order to get their country back from the North African Muslims, who tortured, raped and killed the Spanish. This in addition to, you know, forcing the Spanish to abandon their culture and religion, and forcing Islam down their throat.

    OH YEAH THAT’S RIGHT! That gives the Spanish a GREAT excuse to discriminate and persecute the Moors and Jewish people, stealing their land, money and belongings, and then kicking them out of Spain!!! Yes! By golly, what an excuse.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 10:43 am ¶

33. chrissy wrote:

    I’d rather celebrate Leif Erickson day. Much more fun to dress up like a viking and drink mead.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 12:01 pm ¶

34. RainaWeather wrote:

    I didn’t even know it was Columbus Day. I’m off for Fall Break and all the public schools are open today.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 12:41 pm ¶

35. Ruchama wrote:

    In school, in maybe first or second grade, I learned “The year of 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. For many weeks he was at sea, with sailing ships that numbered three.” My mother heard me reciting that and taught me, “In 1492, Columbus was a Jew. He captured the British and made them speak Yiddish in 1492.”

    (Despite rumors to the contrary, Columbus was probably not Jewish. A bunch of his sailors were, though — if you were Jewish in Spain in 1492, going halfway around the world probably seemed like a pretty good idea.)

    I remember learning about Columbus in school as an historical figure that we should know about, but he didn’t get the same sort of “This is a good guy” treatment that George Washington or Abraham Lincoln did. We definitely did not get a full view of the history there, but we did get at least some discussion of what the Europeans did to the Native Americans.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 1:24 pm ¶

36. Cora wrote:

    I’m an American student currently studying abroad in Spain. I was shocked to discover that the holiday is a big deal here. Schools were closed as were 90% of businesses. There was even a televised parade that included the prime minister and military officials.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 1:45 pm ¶

37. bri wrote:

    See I never understood Culumbus day personally, even as a child. When I first learned of columbus (1st grade?) I didn’t see him as some sort of hero, nor did I think he discovered anything. How could he discover something that wasn’t lost? Growing up what I learned about him did not endear me to him either. :/ When we talked about Columbus in school I’d occasionally bring up attrocities he committed and how he was kinda dumb. (Occasionally because I was shy)

    Also, we never had the day off so that just added to the fact. XD
    —
    lol at Leif Erickson day.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 2:15 pm ¶

38. Asha wrote:

    I had off yesterday, but at work we referred to it as “The day Columbus did not discover America”

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 2:28 pm ¶

39. Danny wrote:

    I grew up in the late 80s-90s in a small predominantly white community. From what I remember, I don’t think most of us were that aware as kids on what Columbus day was for other than a day off from school.

    Most people didn’t really bother questioning or thinking about history and didn’t go beyond the explanation of “Columbus discovered America”. Fortunantly, there weren’t a lot of jerks near where I grew up who pull the “civilization” rhetoric so Columbus day wasn’t that over-bearing relatively speaking.

    I didn’t realize or was made aware it was a big Italian-American or Spanish-centric event even though my school had quite a number of kids of that heritage. There were also quite a few students who have Native/Indegenious background.

    Looking back, at least the area I grew up in, it really wasn’t a big deal. Not really any big parades or celebrations nor any lengthy discussions. I’m pretty sure privately or in some small college classrooms they talked greatly about it, but nothing wide open in the public. Nowadays, even though we know more, it still isn’t a big deal other than a day off (in my hometown).

    That’s pretty much my personal experiences with this day.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 3:15 pm ¶

40. anon wrote:

    Hmm, Leif Erickson day. That would actually be pretty awesome.

    I’m all for days celebrating specific European heritages, that’s fantastic. I do think that if there is an Italian celebration, it should be done on a date when something great was done by Italians… not this guy. Change the day and I’ll be more than happy to eat delicious Italian food with you all day/weekend.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 6:38 pm ¶

41. Melissa wrote:

    I work for a school district in Washington State, and we did not have Columbus day off. Some teachers talked about Columbus day, and some did not. It wasn’t a big deal to anyone, and I’m rather glad the school district chose to omit it from the calendar. I’d rather get out of school earlier than celebrate a less-than-celebratory occasion.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 6:41 pm ¶

42. elenavator wrote:

    Cora:

    I may have lived in Spain many years, but aside from my Spanish passport I gots an American one too, I am, as a fellow American student, shocked… that you’re shocked? I think it’s crucial to see the holiday in Spain as a celebration of Spanish culture, American-Iberian relations, and specifically of what could be seen as the beginning of Spain’s golden age, and its rise to being the most powerful country in Europe. If you are in Spain now, you will know, I hope, of how it has had a pretty severe inferiority complex regarding its lesser status within Western Europe–keep in mind that it has only been a democracy since the 80’s, and that from the late 1700’s onwards it was very, very poor, having spent everything they’d reaped and blatantly stolen from Latin America on a lot of useless wars. Then Napoleon came along and kicked Spain in the nuts. Oh, and I just thought I’d throw out that, to add to the list of its more current woes, it’s also the country that was hit hardest by the recession within the EU.

    Not that this excuses in any way the colonialist attitude that is inherent in the celebration, as opposed to a more neutral or apologetic commemoration, of the 12th of October. I just want to reiterate that Spain’s relationship with its history from half a millennium ago is a little complicated and nuanced, and this has hampered the process of critically reassessing the nation’s collective memory and sense of identity.

    Also, can I just add that just because something is a national holiday in Spain, doesn’t mean that it’s a big deal? I know I’ve been making a bunch of sweeping generalizations so far talking about Spain like its a single organism (there is only so much space I can take up in a comment…), trust me on this one: ANYTHING is a good excuse for a public holiday in Spain. Whenever possible, “puentes” or “bridges” are fitted into the calendar, meaning that if St. Whatever Day is on a Thursday, Friday’s free too. The military parade has only really been paid attention to THIS year because most of the people attending it were only there to scream for the president to resign.

    Finally: I guess I was wrong when I stated that no one actually thinks Columbus is a guy worth celebrating. Based on the complaints in the rest of the comments, there do seem to be some pockets of… well, ignorance, for lack of a better way to put it. I mean really. Columbus was a barbarian (I’m fully aware of the irony/appropriateness of calling him that, by the way), but, above all, he was uneducated, and an idiot. The dude went to his grave believing he’d sailed all the way to India. INDIA! Hence the awful insistence on calling Native Americans “Indians”! I thought everyone learned this…?!

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 7:06 pm ¶

43. Luis wrote:

    “I will always associate Christopher Columbus as the man who helped the Spanish steal money and funds from the Moors and Jews and led to the racist, anti-Semitic, hateful Spanish Inquisition!!!!”

    The history is a great deal more complex than that. For centuries kings on the Iberian peninsula, both Christian and Muslim, had mixed courts. Christian kings had Jewish advisors (many of which funded synagogues large communities) until the 1300s. Columbus actually arrived in Spain (he was Genoese) at the tail end of a century long push to remove Jewish and Muslim elements from every strata of Spanish society. In fact, he presented himself at court just days after the Muslim King of Granada, Boabdil, handed the key to the city-state to Isabel and Ferdinand. The Inquisition had been well underway already. 1492 is also the date of the official expulsion of Jews and Muslims from Castile and Aragon, which, in that very year, became Spain.

    Columbus had little to do with that. He did, however, try to enslave the indigenous Taino nations, eradicate the Carib nations, and opened the doors for the importation of African slavery to the Americas under the Spanish crown. He was a slaver, a thief, and a murderer who died in prison under a mad, blind haze.

    Bottom line is Columbus is still dead, I’m still alive, and therefore it’s a Happy Indigenous People’s Day.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 7:21 pm ¶

44. Jen wrote:

    @Asha “The day Columbus did not just not discover America but got confused and thought he’d discovered India, which had already been ‘discovered’ but not where he thought he’d found it”

    It’s a wonder the man was even able to put his pants on without some help.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 8:16 pm ¶

45. Brownbelle wrote:

    Ever since reading “Lies My Teacher Told Me” I have referred to it History of Cultural Genocide Day. I knew from jump that Columbus Day wasn’t much to celebrate, seeing as he is directly connected with the disenfranchisement of North America’s indigenous peoples. But I didn’t know how bad it really was until high school, when we had to read that book for my AP US History class. It’s amazing how biased history is in favor of the winners, and my fascination with the flexibility of history is a big part of why I decided to major in it at college.

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 8:18 pm ¶

46. ktrujillo wrote:

    My daughter’s class read “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” and then had (for middle school) a great conversation about this particular holiday and its meaning. There is hope!

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 8:19 pm ¶

47. ashlynn wrote:

    @ktrujillo Sherman Alexie is wonderful. And what’s even more wonderful is to hear that your daughter’s class is reading him! I wish I could have read that instead of I Know What You Did Last Summer. hah!

    Posted 13 Oct 2009 at 9:47 pm ¶

48. Jaya wrote:

    I moved to Canada for school a few years ago, and its Thanksgiving up here. Its the best of both worlds, really — I celebrate two Thanksgivings: one in October with my Canadian friends (and whichever Americans decide to come up here on the three day weekend) and one in November with my family.

    Make Columbus day a second turkey day across North America!

    Posted 14 Oct 2009 at 12:06 am ¶

49. Katie wrote:

    I’m late to the party, but I just wanted to share…

    I work at a dance studio here in DC, at the front desk. Monday, a 9-year-old boy named Will came into the studio for his tap class. There were a couple other kids there signing in, and we were making conversation with them by asking if they had the day off from school. Some kids said yes, some said no. But Will said “No, I didn’t get the day off, so I couldn’t celebrate someone coming to this country and cutting off people’s hands and giving them diseases.”

    Everyone was dead silence for a couple seconds.

    And then all of the staff started high-fiveing him.

    Posted 14 Oct 2009 at 9:52 pm ¶

50. petitfour wrote:

    Late to the party as always but I used to work at a little hippy dippy natural foods store and we were always open on columbus day with a sign that said “We’re open today. We don’t celebrate old dead white guy’s who got lost.”

    Posted 15 Oct 2009 at 2:11 am ¶

51. don't agree wrote:

    i know it’s kind of late but in school I have always read about Columbus. I do agree that it was not such a good thing that the Europeans came to this part of the world, especially because many Latin American countries are now in poverty because of all the money taken from them. However, the way some people approach this is ridiculous, I mean it was a big deal. Yeah he was totally lost and died without knowing that it was a new continent he just found, but he changed history by going against the general belief that the earth was flat and that was big at the time!!!
    I’m not saying that it was great that it happened but it had to happen, and no matter who did it the same abuse was going to take place, so it was a big deal. Now the way people teach it can change but no one can deny it’s importance in history.

    Posted 19 Oct 2009 at 12:26 pm ¶

52. Happybell wrote:

    Really, really late here. But in my corner of Sth America we don’t celebrate “Columbus’ Day” or “Día del descrubrimiento de América” (Day of the Discovery of America) any more. I think someone got it that it was inaccurate, and blantly egregorious to celebrate the day a guy got lost, stumbled on an island, thought he was in India, slaved and murdered the indigineous people.

    I remember asking a teacher during elementary school why on earth we were celebrating the 500years of the discovery of America if there where people already here. I suggested we celebrated 500 years since the Europeans found America and killed everyone who got in their way….it got me atime out. This year there weren’t any celebrations, schools were closed but all other business’ were open.

    Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 8:48 am ¶