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Reconsider Columbus Day |
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posted 5/26/2010 at 10:43 AM by Cassie D |
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Consider this quote, taken from the website connected to this video:
"Do you really want to celebrate the legacy of a man who committed heinous crimes against the Indigenous people of the Caribbean and throughout the Americas?....
By honoring Columbus with a federal holiday, our government continues to vehemently insult Native Americans and perpetuates a philosophy of racism and domination....speak up, take a stand, and help eradicate Columbus' name from the federal calendar" (http://reconsidercolumbusday.org/Home.html).
I do not perceive the observance of Columbus Day to be a "vehement insult" to anyone nor that it "perpetuates a philosophy of racism and domination". Whatever the origins of the decision to create the holiday, I think it is now simply one of those random "holidays" that come up on the calendar that, in comparison to other holidays, we give little head to (though some enjoy taking the day off).
However, the video does raise a good question: why DOES the US celebrate this day? We established long ago that Columbus wasn't the first to discover the Americas, though he apparently was the first brave European, aside from the Vikings long before his time, who ventured to challenge what was accepted as fact in his day and come back with evidence proving that the world was indeed round, not flat just as he had hypothesized. Props to him for that - for challenging something accepted by those in his world and doing something about it. However, it also seems he was motivated by greed and personal advancement to the point that he mistreated, enslaved, and conquered indigenous peoples for his own gain, as did his countrymen and the rest of Europe. (....It is noteworthy to mention that the indigenous peoples he came in contact with weren't entirely blameless either.)
The story of Columbus is a cautionary tale for PeaceJammers. It poses a lesson for us that while we can challenge contemporary thinking and even change what our world knows to be "fact", we can also abuse that discovery, that power, if we don't use it responsibly. There were many ways Columbus could have used his discover for the good of all rather than for the benefit of himself, his men, and his country.
In regard to Columbus's challenging European thought by stipulating that the world is round and setting out to prove it, I applaud his efforts and see similarities between what he did and our Nobel Peace Laureates who are going against the grain and fighting for so varied of causes, especially those involved with PeaceJam. There is one MAJOR DIFFERENCE between Columbus and the laureates though: the laureates are seeking to do GOOD, Columbus was after personal gain and hurt people all along the way (as is the case when one selfishly thinks of his own interests over those of others). In the same way, what we as individuals do and as PeaceJam do to make a difference in our world can be used for good or for bad. I perceive that we here with PeaceJam are all aiming for good, but if we forget that we can end up epitomizing a Columbus rather than a Nobel Peace Prize Winner. In the words of Spiderman's uncle "with great power comes great responsibility".
So what now? Here are some questions I'd like you to consider: What does the holiday represent now to you? To our country? What does it represent to other cultures and countries? Should we be celebrating a nationally recognized indigenous holiday instead of Columbus Day as this video suggests? Do we HAVE a nationally recognized indigenous holiday? Why? What would such a holiday entail? Should we simply redefine HOW we observe the day by working towards a combination of remembering the indigenous peoples and what happens when a bold challenge to accepted "facts" is proved right but then handled irresponsibly when an individual or nation lets its own selfishness get in the way of common good? I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
Saying that "It's not your fault, it happened a long time ago" or "remaining neutral, pretending it didn't happen or that it doesn't still impact us today" is not an option (quote taken from the video). CHANGE STARTS HERE. |
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