The Oatmeal: Columbus Day

plastiqe

plastiqe

Grinch
Joined
Oct 5, 2004
Messages
597
Location
Canada, eh
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/columbus_day

I usually don't like his unfunny comics but I think Oatmeal makes a good moral point; there are better examples of historical figures who deserve a holiday named after them. As an avid Civ player I'm all for historical fiction but c'mon... In Canada we have Thanksgiving coming up this weekend. It's nice being up north where you get to watch the Daily Show and discuss the issues when they don't really affect you.

Columbus = evil?
 
Every sane person knows that Leif Ericson was the first European explorer to find North America. Besides, Columbus Day was just a political stunt to win over the pariah immigrants of the day; Italians.

Having Scandinavian heritage, yes I'm a little biased.
 
We don't really celebrate it around here. I was rather shocked when I visited family in New England in the mid-90s and it was coincidentally over Columbus Day. They shut down schools and had big festivals and stuff and just... weird man, weird. We don't do that here in the heartland.

That's when I met Patrick Kennedy and shook his hand. Dude has a schnozz the size of Texas.
 
No real Columbus Day celebrations in Texas, either. Schools get the day off but that's just because they schedule a teacher work day for that particular day.

Granted, the history curriculum in Texas is bad enough that you could conceivably get to 10th grade and still have never heard the name of Leif Erickson...
 
plastiqe said:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/columbus_day

I usually don't like his unfunny comics but I think Oatmeal makes a good moral point; there are better examples of historical figures who deserve a holiday named after them. As an avid Civ player I'm all for historical fiction but c'mon... In Canada we have Thanksgiving coming up this weekend. It's nice being up north where you get to watch the Daily Show and discuss the issues when they don't really affect you.

Columbus = evil?
Click to expand...

The Oatmeal remains unfunny. This article also isn't groundbreaking at all.
 
Yea, no one really has any BBQ or other crap on Columbus Day. It's really just a day off of school.
 
Leif Ericson Day will never catch on in America. Starting white people off in our glorious new land by cutting and running? Hell no.

Now Columbus? That guy got stuff done.
 
The only thing I remember Columbus Day for is having a day off from school. Now the funny thing is after we all moved my brothers new school district doesn't get Columbus Day off, so he's obviously not happy.

Otherwise everyone I know either doesn't care about Columbus ("oh, he's just some boring dead dude from history and I don't really care much about history") or they are aware to some extent about his ambiguous legacy but otherwise don't really bother with it. I don't know anyone who actually celebrates it as an actual celebration or is even in a "Rah rah Columbus is awesome" sort of mood.
 
Well, everybody's reaction seems to reinforce the comic's main point: Columbus does not really deserve a federal holiday of his own.
 
:lol:

But seriously, no. Not as an officially sanctioned Federal holiday. I'd be kinda ticked if Missouri made it an official State one as well, but as I embrace federalism, I couldn't care less if stupid Kansas did so.
 
Cutlass said:
Columbus wasn't a good person. But what he did did change the world.
Click to expand...

Same with Hitler though.

My apologies for godwinning the thread, but the point wouldn't have worked as well with Gengis Khan.
 
warpus said:
Same with Hitler though.

My apologies for godwinning the thread, but the point wouldn't have worked as well with Gengis Khan.
Click to expand...



It's a fair point. But, unfortunately, unlike Hitler, the common perception of Columbus doesn't really include what he did other than prove that people could sail to this new land called America. And so the heroic impression of him got very deeply rooted long before much of anyone started thinking critically about what else the man did. It's not just the holiday.

Washington, District of Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia Records
Columbia towns in about 40 states
Columbia multiple geographic features
Columbia dozens of businesses

:dunno: It's awfully deeply rooted. Maybe there's some way to disassociate the name from the man. I just don't know what the answer is.
 
Columbus Day is actually celebrating my glorious old home town...COLUMBUS OHIO

<3 u cbus

MainStBridge_ColumbusOH.jpg
 
Well you can't just rename every place name but you could stop having a holiday named after him. Obama made a comment this week about how he'd change the name of the Redskins. Timing is everything. He is a clever dude because wanting to change the name of Columbus day would be un-American.

"I don't know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real legitimate concerns that people have about these things."

Second term, legacy...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

TerrisH
Out of the Portals, a Never Ending Story.
2 3 4
Replies
62
Views
12K
J.A.M.
J.A.M.
The_J
30 years Civ - all the little things you didn't know
2
Replies
32
Views
12K
Horizons
Horizons
Birdjaguar
Boomers: The Evil Generation!
41 42 43
Replies
840
Views
37K
Aiken_Drumn
Aiken_Drumn
civman110
  • Locked
The Nazis were considered "left wing" by the people of that time
8 9 10
Replies
181
Views
12K
ori
ori
Cheetah
The Hitler Store! Hitler t-shirts! Also Che Guevara?
8 9 10
Replies
190
Views
25K
Old Hippy
Old Hippy
Back
Top Bottom