Tuesday, October 09, 2007

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The encyclopedia says: "Columbus Day is a holiday celebrating the anniversary of the October 12, 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas."

So let's see if I've got this right, we have a holiday to celebrate the day a guy arrived in a place where there were already people living and that had already been visited by various expeditions from Europe, east asia, the Netherlands and that even the Phoenicians had been to before.

So why don't I have my own holiday? I've visited LOTS of places that already have people living there. And many a time I've visited a place that other people have visited before. In fact, it may even be at their recommendation that I visited.

I also notice that we don't have other holidays commemorating activities that eventually begot the demise of entire races and ways of life. And I promise I'm not over reacting here. (it's estimated europeans managed to wipe out 85% of the indigenous population within 150 years of Columbus' arrival)

I think the US is the only part of the Americas that continues to celebrate this day. Everyone else on this side of the planet has recognized that it's totally inappropriate and have changed the "holiday" to, instead, commemorate the poor bastards who were wiped out by the ensuing wars, smallpox outbreaks and seizure of land and material goods by those "brave discoverers". Celebrated as Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) in most countries in Latin America, Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) in Costa Rica, and the newly-renamed (as of 2002) Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance) in Venezuela.

It just seems fucked up, that's all I'm saying. That and I want my own damn holiday
Beth


PS- thanks to Garrett for being the catalyst for this rant!