Happy be assholes to indigenous people day

Seems no one can wish us Native Americans a happy Indigenous Peoples day without someone else who clearly has a problem with people not calling it Columbus Day, or just Native Americans in general, chiming in to “correct” them by saying it’s Columbus Day. That or just commenting with racist memes. I’m glad you’re all having fun today at least.

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Stillwaiting · M

Let's get straight to the point here. The best way to deal with this is to abolish such holidays celebrating sub-groups of humanity. Why? Because none of them are without fault in their history.

Columbus certainly had his issues in treatment of indigenous people. TBH .. the various tribes of indigenous people often treated each other the same way. They warred with each other over territories, hunting grounds and other resources. They killed, took captives that were sometimes treated as slaves, etc. Why celebrate that anymore than Columbus??

Do away with it all and end the squabbling.

PerchingDove · F

@Stillwaiting Columbus was one man. Indigenous peoples involve whole demographics. All civilizations have their negative aspects from their pasts, but celebrating a day dedicated to them isn’t the same as celebrating their negative aspects.

SW-User

@Stillwaiting Why not just embrace it all and end the squabbling? We can study the history of Columbus without pretending he was some kind of hero. Likewise, we can appreciate Native Americans without pretending they were entirely peaceful and perfect. It seems like humans often don't want to recognize the reality of humanity.

Stillwaiting · M

@PerchingDove Neither was Columbus a sole perpetrator of colonization. The British, Portugese, Spaniards, French, Dutch, Etc all colonized. People the world over have used force to take what they could throughout human history. Including indigenous people like the Aztecs, Inca, Romans, Egyptians, Persians, Mongols, Europeans, African tribes/nations. It's what life was in those days and some are not so distantly in the past. We are all guilty of it at some level. Most of us had ancestors affected by such motives among conquering factions somewhere in our history.

Stillwaiting · M

@SW-User My point exactly. Honestly, I could care less .. but am sick of the woke bullshit that condemns one example and wants to ram it down everyone's throats while ignoring other examples.

PerchingDove · F

@Stillwaiting But the holiday is called Columbus Day, it’s a celebration of one man who - not even counting his treatment of the indigenous - was a really horrible person who shouldn’t be celebrated. Now quit arguing with me. Your arguments don’t even add up.

SW-User

@Stillwaiting I think in large part this has been a reaction against the traditional narrative of civilizing, Christian Europeans rightfully displacing dumb native savages who let themselves be killed. I think a modern audience knows full well that Europeans committed atrocities and that the native peoples were decimated. In either case, I don't think the point of recognizing an indigenous peoples day is to say that they were perfect. It's just giving attention to a group that's often forgotten.

Stillwaiting · M

@PerchingDove And there it is .. if I dont agree with you I'm dismissed. So much for tolerance.

Read what I really said. I am not arguing Columbus was a good guy, conceding the point actually. Just saying if inclusiveness and sensitivity is the goal .. lets end the foolishness over this kind of stuff. If we stop having holidays that are celebrating individuals or groups, there wont be any reason for these discussions.

PerchingDove · F

@Stillwaiting Lmao! Your problem is you just have to make everything a political argument. You just admitted your main drive is that you’re tired of all the “woke bullshit” That just shows that the point of indigenous peoples day just goes right over your head. Quit making everything a political argument for one minute and take a moment to realize there’s a whole world outside of your echo chamber.

Stillwaiting · M

@PerchingDove The point I'm making is most of these holidays days have never really had a point. They are all contrived for a political or social agenda of some kind.

I don't mind the name changing .. but what will that really accomplish? Does it do anything to change the situation on the reservations out west?

PerchingDove · F

@Stillwaiting No, it won’t. But pointless as it may be, it’s still better than celebrating someone who shouldn’t be. Make of that whatever you will.