Should so called “thanksgiving” be a national day of mourning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another attempt to ruin a holiday by shaming Americans.

Get your own holiday to cry over.

America does have a dark past. We should reflect on the massive human cost of building this country.

-Mayflower descendant

The funny thing is that the most obnoxious commenters on this topic likely arrived more than one hundred years after your family.

I arrived 44 years ago, almost to the day. What’s your point? I give two figs what some internet cosplay Mayflower descendant says? That entitles them to what, exactly, in terms of moral authority or understanding of the situation?

Best I can tell from your perspective an actual Mayflower descendant is up to their elbows in blood and owes all kinds of land and reparations. You should go over her house and take what you want from her garage. Leave me out of it. I’ll be sitting comfortably in my house with friends and family, drinking wine and watching football, thanking the good Lord I managed to navigate UMC American life without being indoctrinated to feel so much shame and joylessness about my country, culture, and self.

Enjoy your day of mourning.

None of what you’re enjoying would be possible without the genocide of indigenous people (and enslaved people). Pretty sh1tty you won’t even *acknowledge* that.

It’s not about shame, it’s about awareness and acknowledgement.

[Anonymous]

No. We now have Indigenous Peoples Day. Thanksgiving is for giving thanks, celebrating with friends and family. It also pre-existed the pilgrims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Surely there must be more pressing modern days issues for Native Americans to focus on than the history of Thanksgiving.

Having the US acknowledge their loss is certainly a small step forward. There is certainly much more needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Surely there must be more pressing modern days issues for Native Americans to focus on than the history of Thanksgiving.

This is a pretty big one, for them.

Think about why. It's something external that they can complain about endlessly and will never have any effect on it. A safe and convenient enemy.

Some dopes are falling for it. But not many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:History has both dark spots and bright spots. Why? Because people evolve and do better.

I think it’s weird that we fixate on white American history without any contemplation of other cultures.

Go read about Native American history. Comanches are known as the most brutal, blood thirsty tribe. Their warring and land grabs started long before any Europeans arrived.

People with power have always done bad things. They were barbaric. Now we are less barbaric. All of us.

That’s the whole point of acknowledging other peoples’ experiences. We were all taught Christian white man’s version of history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surely there must be more pressing modern days issues for Native Americans to focus on than the history of Thanksgiving.

This is a pretty big one, for them.

Think about why. It's something external that they can complain about endlessly and will never have any effect on it. A safe and convenient enemy.

Some dopes are falling for it. But not many.

You don’t think there were any external forces causing the current state of Native American people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surely there must be more pressing modern days issues for Native Americans to focus on than the history of Thanksgiving.

This is a pretty big one, for them.

Think about why. It's something external that they can complain about endlessly and will never have any effect on it. A safe and convenient enemy.

Some dopes are falling for it. But not many.

You don’t think there were any external forces causing the current state of Native American people?

I assume the reason that you skipped the the rest of the phrase is that you agree with it.

[Anonymous]

Discussion tangent:

Something I realized after reading "Guns, Germs and Steel" was that, even if the European explorers and setters arrive in the Americas with nothing but kind hearts and friendly intentions, they still would have pretty much wiped out the indigenous population within the same time frame; the diseases they brought with them would still have spread just as much in such a vulnerable population.

Another tangent - I'm teaching 5th grade social studies and we are just discussing European explorers and settlers of the "new world" right now. I never had such an easy time getting student (these are ESOL students) to understand the term "epidemic" before, or why so many Native Americans were susceptible to the diseases the Europeans brought. Talk about "lived experience".

Anyhow,

Thanksgiving is our only truly American holiday, that everyone can celebrate regardless of religion. It doesn't have to have anything to do with Native Americans, though. It can just be a day of thanks for food and family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Surely there must be more pressing modern days issues for Native Americans to focus on than the history of Thanksgiving.

This is a pretty big one, for them.

Think about why. It's something external that they can complain about endlessly and will never have any effect on it. A safe and convenient enemy.

Some dopes are falling for it. But not many.

You don’t think there were any external forces causing the current state of Native American people?

I assume the reason that you skipped the the rest of the phrase is that you agree with it.

The PP pretends like Native Americans put themselves in this situation and they are faking it somehow for attention? WTAF? The US actually was/is the enemy.

Don’t be a d1ck and pretend like it didn’t happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Discussion tangent:

Something I realized after reading "Guns, Germs and Steel" was that, even if the European explorers and setters arrive in the Americas with nothing but kind hearts and friendly intentions, they still would have pretty much wiped out the indigenous population within the same time frame; the diseases they brought with them would still have spread just as much in such a vulnerable population.

Another tangent - I'm teaching 5th grade social studies and we are just discussing European explorers and settlers of the "new world" right now. I never had such an easy time getting student (these are ESOL students) to understand the term "epidemic" before, or why so many Native Americans were susceptible to the diseases the Europeans brought. Talk about "lived experience".

Anyhow,

Thanksgiving is our only truly American holiday, that everyone can celebrate regardless of religion. It doesn't have to have anything to do with Native Americans, though. It can just be a day of thanks for food and family.

What about July 4?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Discussion tangent:

Something I realized after reading "Guns, Germs and Steel" was that, even if the European explorers and setters arrive in the Americas with nothing but kind hearts and friendly intentions, they still would have pretty much wiped out the indigenous population within the same time frame; the diseases they brought with them would still have spread just as much in such a vulnerable population.

Another tangent - I'm teaching 5th grade social studies and we are just discussing European explorers and settlers of the "new world" right now. I never had such an easy time getting student (these are ESOL students) to understand the term "epidemic" before, or why so many Native Americans were susceptible to the diseases the Europeans brought. Talk about "lived experience".

Anyhow,

Thanksgiving is our only truly American holiday, that everyone can celebrate regardless of religion. It doesn't have to have anything to do with Native Americans, though. It can just be a day of thanks for food and family.

I guess our ancestors shouldn’t have pushed the fake pilgrim story then.

The 4th of July is a “truly American holiday”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Discussion tangent:

Something I realized after reading "Guns, Germs and Steel" was that, even if the European explorers and setters arrive in the Americas with nothing but kind hearts and friendly intentions, they still would have pretty much wiped out the indigenous population within the same time frame; the diseases they brought with them would still have spread just as much in such a vulnerable population.

Another tangent - I'm teaching 5th grade social studies and we are just discussing European explorers and settlers of the "new world" right now. I never had such an easy time getting student (these are ESOL students) to understand the term "epidemic" before, or why so many Native Americans were susceptible to the diseases the Europeans brought. Talk about "lived experience".

Anyhow,

Thanksgiving is our only truly American holiday, that everyone can celebrate regardless of religion. It doesn't have to have anything to do with Native Americans, though. It can just be a day of thanks for food and family.

I guess our ancestors shouldn’t have pushed the fake pilgrim story then.

The 4th of July is a “truly American holiday”.

The fake pilgrim story was invented in the mid to late 1800s as way to bring the country together. Now we're taking the story apart. But we have nothing to replace it with. Similar to the wider parallel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Discussion tangent:

Something I realized after reading "Guns, Germs and Steel" was that, even if the European explorers and setters arrive in the Americas with nothing but kind hearts and friendly intentions, they still would have pretty much wiped out the indigenous population within the same time frame; the diseases they brought with them would still have spread just as much in such a vulnerable population.

Another tangent - I'm teaching 5th grade social studies and we are just discussing European explorers and settlers of the "new world" right now. I never had such an easy time getting student (these are ESOL students) to understand the term "epidemic" before, or why so many Native Americans were susceptible to the diseases the Europeans brought. Talk about "lived experience".

Anyhow,

Thanksgiving is our only truly American holiday, that everyone can celebrate regardless of religion. It doesn't have to have anything to do with Native Americans, though. It can just be a day of thanks for food and family.

I guess our ancestors shouldn’t have pushed the fake pilgrim story then.

The 4th of July is a “truly American holiday”.

Other countries don't celebrate independence? TIL.

[Anonymous]

Yes, and then send all the racist WT back to where they came from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, and then send all the racist WT back to where they came from.

Racism is not limited by skin color.