Columbus Day? Indigenous Peoples Day?

[heyabbott]

Anyone who is angered by Christopher Columbus is either ignorant or an idiot for the calamity that happened after The Spanish conquered the Western Hemisphere. Blame the Spanish. It was their government who imposed the rules on the exploration and conquest. Columbus merely led the first expedition to find a new route to China. He didn’t set out to commit genocide or destroy thousands of communities of people. Cortez, de Gama ... Blame the Spanish. They set up the clas system in South America. But most of all blame Christianity, especially Catholicism. The priests and bishops were the ones who deemed the indigenous people sub human. Christianity killed them and subjugated them. Columbus is an easy target but it completely misses the mark. Want to protest genocide and conquests of the indigenous population of the Western Hemisphere? Can’t ban a church, but Christianity is the root cause of the majority of man mad ills in out society.
Leave Columbus Alone. Blame Christ.

 

[sgreenwell]

From Wikipedia: "According to Spanish colonist and Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas's contemporary A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, when slaves held in captivity began to die at high rates, Columbus ordered all natives over the age of thirteen to pay a hawk's bell full of gold powder every three months. Natives who brought this amount to the Spanish were given a copper token to hang around their necks. The Spanish cut off the hands of those without tokens, and left them to bleed to death. Thousands of natives committed suicide by poison to escape their persecution."

So uh, I'm fine with saying "**** you" to his holiday even if you want to give him a pass on the other stuff.

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

Read "Lies That My Teacher Told Me"

 

[playthrough]

I just wanted to mail a package today.

 

[TigerVols]

You know who relished celebrating Columbus Day?

Jeffrey Epstein.

 

[Spartan Squad]

Anyone who is angered by Christopher Columbus is either ignorant or an idiot for the calamity that happened after The Spanish conquered the Western Hemisphere. Blame the Spanish. It was their government who imposed the rules on the exploration and conquest. Columbus merely led the first expedition to find a new route to China. He didn’t set out to commit genocide or destroy thousands of communities of people. Cortez, de Gama ... Blame the Spanish. They set up the clas system in South America. But most of all blame Christianity, especially Catholicism. The priests and bishops were the ones who deemed the indigenous people sub human. Christianity killed them and subjugated them. Columbus is an easy target but it completely misses the mark. Want to protest genocide and conquests of the indigenous population of the Western Hemisphere? Can’t ban a church, but Christianity is the root cause of the majority of man mad ills in out society.
Leave Columbus Alone. Blame Christ.

"He didn't set out to commit genocide or destroy thousands of communities of people" but he did it anyway. The Spanish were awful, yes, but that doesn't mean Columbus wasn't. He did some messed up **** to the natives. So yeah, blame Columbus.

 

[heyabbott]

"He didn't set out to commit genocide or destroy thousands of communities of people" but he did it anyway. The Spanish were awful, yes, but that doesn't mean Columbus wasn't. He did some messed up **** to the natives. So yeah, blame Columbus.

I know. I’m not excusing Columbus. But he didn’t go off the reservation, pun intended. He followed and was part of his times. He was a functionary in the Euro-Christian dynasty. He acted with blessing of the Crown and Church. It’s the fault of Christians in general. Not Columbus in particular

 

[sgreenwell]

I know. I’m not excusing Columbus. But he didn’t go off the reservation, pun intended. He followed and was part of his times. He was a functionary in the Euro-Christian dynasty. He acted with blessing of the Crown and Church. It’s the fault of Christians in general. Not Columbus in particular

But whhhyyyyy should we recognize that? Especially since 1) there were already people effing living here and 2) he wasn't even the first European to represent a group to get over this way - that would be the Vikings. There are enough decent people in the world we can remember with holidays, if we want, that we don't have to recognize the questionable douchebag.

 

[heyabbott]

But whhhyyyyy should we recognize that? Especially since 1) there were already people effing living here and 2) he wasn't even the first European to represent a group to get over this way - that would be the Vikings. There are enough decent people in the world we can remember with holidays, if we want, that we don't have to recognize the questionable douchebag.

I’m not arguing that point. Do away with Columbus Day. But the blame lies squarely with Catholic Church if not the entirety of Christianity for the genocide, oppression and slavery. Scapegoating Columbus is weak.
People are defacing statues of Columbus when they should be marching on the churches demanding they make restitution and apologize. Indigenous Peoples Day should be when Christians hold themselves and their religion accountable for crimes against humanity. Not some 15th century Italian sea captain