I was on vacation the last two weeks so this post is a little late, but whatever. I chose to spend time with my family instead of writing about a subject that can make my blood boil. Deal with it.
Over the years, I have gone from being straight up angry about Columbus Day to being just sad about it. Not crying on the couch in the dark because of something, but sad because everyone has read the history books about this guy and what he and his men did to indigenous people. The information is there and still we have Columbus Day. The information is there and still it's a federal holiday. All the information is there and we as a country have done NOTHING about it. You don't want to beat a dead horse, but if there were an Adolf Hitler Day or a Pol Pot Day or a Joseph Stalin Day, how quickly would there be a movement to end that day of observation?
Instead of being full out angry about this holiday still being around, I would want to educate people about it. Educate people about the atrocities that not only did Columbus perpetrate when he came to the 'New World' but what other explorers did. Look at the Spanish Conquistadors. Killing. Maiming. Raping. It's all there. You don't want to drop this knowledge on little elementary school kids, but I think that high school kids could handle the facts. I never had this education in high school. I was never given the facts in school, but I learned about the facts by reading real history books.
The best thing you can do about this holiday is to get the facts. Once you learn the facts, share them! Yes, it is good to be angry about this being a holiday. But don't get sucked down by the anger and dragged into the mud. Be above that. Be better than that. Spread the facts because educating the masses is the best way to fight stupidity and ignorance.
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