DCPS Chancellor encouraging parents to talk about genocide for Thanksgiving

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving is objectively stupid and only the most clueless racist would not see that. But DCPS should really be focusing on educating kids.

So is Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday you could come up with. And I’m sure you have many criticisms of the 4th of July and all the historical inaccuracies therein.

But what good will come from eliminating every tradition and celebration from a society? Is that really going to be an improvement? Must every festive occasion be turned into an opportunity to reflect on oppression and if so when are we allowed to experience unifying moments of joy in our culture? Can you even have a society without any traditions that cause people to bond, feel nostalgia, and connect with neighbors?

Im honestly curious what the end game is here. Is the plan to create new traditions and celebrations in the progressive society of the future?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving is objectively stupid and only the most clueless racist would not see that. But DCPS should really be focusing on educating kids.

So is Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday you could come up with. And I’m sure you have many criticisms of the 4th of July and all the historical inaccuracies therein.

But what good will come from eliminating every tradition and celebration from a society? Is that really going to be an improvement? Must every festive occasion be turned into an opportunity to reflect on oppression and if so when are we allowed to experience unifying moments of joy in our culture? Can you even have a society without any traditions that cause people to bond, feel nostalgia, and connect with neighbors?

Im honestly curious what the end game is here. Is the plan to create new traditions and celebrations in the progressive society of the future?

I don’t see the problem with getting together with family, talking about what you’re thankful for, while also not perpetuating the bullsh*t myth that the pilgrims and the native Americans were best friends. Seems like a better version of the holiday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving is objectively stupid and only the most clueless racist would not see that. But DCPS should really be focusing on educating kids.

So is Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday you could come up with. And I’m sure you have many criticisms of the 4th of July and all the historical inaccuracies therein.

But what good will come from eliminating every tradition and celebration from a society? Is that really going to be an improvement? Must every festive occasion be turned into an opportunity to reflect on oppression and if so when are we allowed to experience unifying moments of joy in our culture? Can you even have a society without any traditions that cause people to bond, feel nostalgia, and connect with neighbors?

Im honestly curious what the end game is here. Is the plan to create new traditions and celebrations in the progressive society of the future?

Some of us don’t cele rate Christmas and Easter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving is objectively stupid and only the most clueless racist would not see that. But DCPS should really be focusing on educating kids.

So is Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday you could come up with. And I’m sure you have many criticisms of the 4th of July and all the historical inaccuracies therein.

But what good will come from eliminating every tradition and celebration from a society? Is that really going to be an improvement? Must every festive occasion be turned into an opportunity to reflect on oppression and if so when are we allowed to experience unifying moments of joy in our culture? Can you even have a society without any traditions that cause people to bond, feel nostalgia, and connect with neighbors?

Im honestly curious what the end game is here. Is the plan to create new traditions and celebrations in the progressive society of the future?

I don’t see the problem with getting together with family, talking about what you’re thankful for, while also not perpetuating the bullsh*t myth that the pilgrims and the native Americans were best friends. Seems like a better version of the holiday.

I completely agree, that was my point. My preference would be that we celebrate being thankful on thanksgiving, indigenous peoples’ day in October etc, and our kids learn about the historical wrongs associated with colonization in their history classes. What I object to is the new trend of turning every holiday into a moment of cultural self-flagellation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving is objectively stupid and only the most clueless racist would not see that. But DCPS should really be focusing on educating kids.

So is Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday you could come up with. And I’m sure you have many criticisms of the 4th of July and all the historical inaccuracies therein.

But what good will come from eliminating every tradition and celebration from a society? Is that really going to be an improvement? Must every festive occasion be turned into an opportunity to reflect on oppression and if so when are we allowed to experience unifying moments of joy in our culture? Can you even have a society without any traditions that cause people to bond, feel nostalgia, and connect with neighbors?

Im honestly curious what the end game is here. Is the plan to create new traditions and celebrations in the progressive society of the future?

Some of us don’t cele rate Christmas and Easter.

I think you missed my point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving is objectively stupid and only the most clueless racist would not see that. But DCPS should really be focusing on educating kids.

So is Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday you could come up with. And I’m sure you have many criticisms of the 4th of July and all the historical inaccuracies therein.

But what good will come from eliminating every tradition and celebration from a society? Is that really going to be an improvement? Must every festive occasion be turned into an opportunity to reflect on oppression and if so when are we allowed to experience unifying moments of joy in our culture? Can you even have a society without any traditions that cause people to bond, feel nostalgia, and connect with neighbors?

Im honestly curious what the end game is here. Is the plan to create new traditions and celebrations in the progressive society of the future?

That’s selfish. (Also no one said eliminate anything) You cannot bother to reflect on our country’s history without making it about how it inconveniences or annoys you?
You can still be thankful, I tell my children to be thankful they were born in this time period where we can make greater changes and have made many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving is objectively stupid and only the most clueless racist would not see that. But DCPS should really be focusing on educating kids.

So is Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday you could come up with. And I’m sure you have many criticisms of the 4th of July and all the historical inaccuracies therein.

But what good will come from eliminating every tradition and celebration from a society? Is that really going to be an improvement? Must every festive occasion be turned into an opportunity to reflect on oppression and if so when are we allowed to experience unifying moments of joy in our culture? Can you even have a society without any traditions that cause people to bond, feel nostalgia, and connect with neighbors?

Im honestly curious what the end game is here. Is the plan to create new traditions and celebrations in the progressive society of the future?

I don’t see the problem with getting together with family, talking about what you’re thankful for, while also not perpetuating the bullsh*t myth that the pilgrims and the native Americans were best friends. Seems like a better version of the holiday.

I completely agree, that was my point. My preference would be that we celebrate being thankful on thanksgiving, indigenous peoples’ day in October etc, and our kids learn about the historical wrongs associated with colonization in their history classes. What I object to is the new trend of turning every holiday into a moment of cultural self-flagellation.

Yes, we should all be thankful that those of us who are non-white or not white passing were not born in a time where we would be raped, murdered, and have things taken from us just because of skin color….oh wait…

[Anonymous]

DD7 and I took a different approach that works well. Instead of focusing on genocide, for months our bedtime story book was an anthology of indigenous folk stories. Before reading each, I pointed out which nation the story is from. Now from the mythology DD has a solid idea of how rich was the world that was here before it was colonized.

We talk about that the reason there are next to no indigenous kids in her class is because they were driven from this land, the places where we live in VA now. When we visited the NRA museum, I pointed out the guns that would have been common at time of people being driven off these lands.

But I think the more important part of the conversation for a child is to know in a positive way what was here and is now gone. Mythology is a way for them to connect with that world and appreciate it. We also make a point to buy from indigenous shops, highlighting that this allows people to continue to live on their own terms and to keep their way of life going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God forbid the school system recommend people read a book or two.

How about just telling people to be Thankful and spend time with friends and family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God forbid the school system recommend people read a book or two.

How about just telling people to be Thankful and spend time with friends and family?

Privilege means no fun for you! Repent every holiday your people murdered. So every holiday.
*please note this is sarcasm.

[Anonymous]

Before we eat our Thanksgiving meal we read books about how indigenous people were killed and oppressed. We thank the land for growing our vegetables and make sure everyone knows that some of the vegetables are not indigenous and were brought here by colonizers. Then over pie we talk about how bad our lives are because we live in a horrible place and and everything we have is because others were oppressed. Then we watch football and go to bed.

[Anonymous]

You can celebrate Thanksgiving while still acknowledging and learning about what actually happened. Getting upset about this is so, so stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Before we eat our Thanksgiving meal we read books about how indigenous people were killed and oppressed. We thank the land for growing our vegetables and make sure everyone knows that some of the vegetables are not indigenous and were brought here by colonizers. Then over pie we talk about how bad our lives are because we live in a horrible place and and everything we have is because others were oppressed. Then we watch football and go to bed.

Do you also talk about slaughter houses and how they slaughter the turkey/ham you have so gloriously presented to your family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before we eat our Thanksgiving meal we read books about how indigenous people were killed and oppressed. We thank the land for growing our vegetables and make sure everyone knows that some of the vegetables are not indigenous and were brought here by colonizers. Then over pie we talk about how bad our lives are because we live in a horrible place and and everything we have is because others were oppressed. Then we watch football and go to bed.

Do you also talk about slaughter houses and how they slaughter the turkey/ham you have so gloriously presented to your family?

No. But we do sacrifice one person in our family to the gods to forgive our sins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Before we eat our Thanksgiving meal we read books about how indigenous people were killed and oppressed. We thank the land for growing our vegetables and make sure everyone knows that some of the vegetables are not indigenous and were brought here by colonizers. Then over pie we talk about how bad our lives are because we live in a horrible place and and everything we have is because others were oppressed. Then we watch football and go to bed.

You’re doing it right, PP.
Are there tears of regret involved? That might make it a smidge better.
Just a thought.