Columbus Day

[Anonymous]

Do you acknowledge it or do you acknowledge today as Indigenous People's Day?

[Anonymous]

I celebrate both, you can acknowledge both.

[Anonymous]

Neither. I don't get a day off of work. I don't have parties to celebrate. Basically this is the same as last Monday and next Monday. Just another day.

[Anonymous]

"Acknowledge" is a weird word to use in this question?

I acknowledge that both are holidays. Columbus Day seems kind of stupid in light of what we know about his "discovery," that he wasn't even the first European to bump into North America, and that he was a worse-than-average human even considering the standards of his time.

But, all of that said, the holiday doesn't provoke strong emotions in me. Yes, European contact was horrible for indigenous peoples. But that was inevitable. Whatever mistreatment was inflicted by the Europeans, the impact of disease was always going to be several orders of magnitude more destructive than anything the Europeans could inflict intentionally.

I'm more sympathetic toward the sentiments behind Indigenous People's Day, but it feels artificial and contrived. It's not its own thing but is rather a reaction to Columbus Day; so there is still a European frame about the whole thing.

[Anonymous]

I celebrate neither, but would only acknowledge indigenous people's day.

And by "acknowledge" I thumbs up'd my mom's daily text message GIF. And sent her one that said Happy Monday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I celebrate both, you can acknowledge both.

How?

You can celebrate Hitler and the Jews?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Acknowledge" is a weird word to use in this question?

I acknowledge that both are holidays. Columbus Day seems kind of stupid in light of what we know about his "discovery," that he wasn't even the first European to bump into North America, and that he was a worse-than-average human even considering the standards of his time.

But, all of that said, the holiday doesn't provoke strong emotions in me. Yes, European contact was horrible for indigenous peoples. But that was inevitable. Whatever mistreatment was inflicted by the Europeans, the impact of disease was always going to be several orders of magnitude more destructive than anything the Europeans could inflict intentionally.

I'm more sympathetic toward the sentiments behind Indigenous People's Day, but it feels artificial and contrived. It's not its own thing but is rather a reaction to Columbus Day; so there is still a European frame about the whole thing.

Agree with this whole post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I celebrate both, you can acknowledge both.

How?

You can celebrate Hitler and the Jews?

You're kind of doing it if you celebrate "Indigenous Peoples" Day. The inhabitants of the Americas prior to the arrival of Europeans committed any number of atrocities against one another. So, lumping them together and celebrating all of them together is a bit incongruous. Celebrating the Aztecs and the Totonacs at the same time, for example, would have been deeply weird for both groups.

[Anonymous]

What exactly is there to acknowledge about Columbus? seriously. Unless you consider that being a pioneer in genocide is worth celebrating. The guy was no Thomas Edison or the Wright brothers. So, again, what is there to celebrate about him?

[Anonymous]

Leftists and guilty white people celebrate the latter, MAGA's celebrate Columbus; most people don't care either way.

[Anonymous]

I never cared about it when I had the day off, and wouldn't have known it was today except for seeing this post. I'm working today.

[Anonymous]

I didn't even know today was Columbus Day

[Anonymous]

It’s not a holiday for me. I couldn’t care less.

But if I did have to pick, I’d go with a third option - “Megafauna Day”. To commemorate all the species of giant land animals that were wiped out when the first humans showed up in North America, and started massacring them into extinction.

[Anonymous]

I always like having the second Monday in October off from work. Odds are it’s going to be a beautiful autumn day. It’s perfect for a hike or spending time outside. Could care less what the day is named.

[Anonymous]

My grandparents were Italian immigrants in the early 1900s. So for them, Columbus Day was always important given the history of the events preceding the holiday.
However, in our small nuclear family we think of this day as immigrants day in Lou of Columbus Day in addition to indigenous peoples day. So perhaps a melting pot day.