Columbus Day: Do you observe it?

[Secad MS]

Hello, 'Charmsians. I have come to ask on a somewhat controversial topic.

Do you observe Columbus Day? I mean, 50% of the US acknowledge it through letting kids have the day off, while others don't. The reasoning behind the anti-Columbus day stance boils down to the facts that a) it wasn't 'discovered' if people were already there, b) he introduced slavery, smallpox, and cash crops to the 'New World', and c) he really didn't care about those natives.

I am rather anti-Columbus Day, but unfortunately, my area acknowledges it.

 

[Hunting Rifle]

The point is that it comes from two sides. Without Columbus, America would be discovered much later or even not yet. And without America, the world would be so different from like it is now. No potatoes, no computers, we would be so more primitive. We would still sail in sailships, and the cart would be the only thing with wheels. On the other hand, maybe that's not so bad. There would be no rockets or tanks or other hightech weaponry. Maybe we would be more like humans, in my eyes, should be: balanced. We're omnivores, after all. Maybe we would more philosophic.

...Sorry for wasting 1.5 minutes with my mysterious words.

To answer your question, Secad, No, i don't observe Columbus day, and neither does anyone here in the Netherlands. But it was a good idea for a topic.

 

[Tatile]

Hunting, you appear to be under the mistaken impression that just because one country wouldn't 'exist' there wouldn't be any need for progress. I assure you that Europe would still have been fighting itself and that we'd be making bigger, better ways to kill each other without the need for some omnipresent colony of Christians across the water. Progress of technology and medicine stem, for the most part, from conflict.

More Philosophic? Only if were educated to it, which, here in the UK, we are not. Critical thinking doesn't work well in a population you want apathetic enough to leave you in charge.

No, Seacad, England does not have a Columbus day, we have Bonfire Night and The 11th of November instead

 

[Doctor Oak]

And without America, the world would be so different from like it is now. No potatoes, no computers, we would be so more primitive. We would still sail in sailships, and the cart would be the only thing with wheels. On the other hand, maybe that's not so bad. There would be no rockets or tanks or other hightech weaponry. Maybe we would be more like humans, in my eyes, should be: balanced. We're omnivores, after all. Maybe we would more philosophic.

Oh dear Christ. You don't seriously think that America's mere existence could POSSIBLY have any relation to the development of technologies or culture, SURELY?

Most of the crap you listed as big inventions began life in the UK, for one thing - computers, cars, tanks. Rockets are 100% a chinese invention and their beginnings date back to the 13th century (and everything that continues to bare the name is pretty much the exact same idea). Stuff like potatoes, while - yes, not native to Europe - has bugger all to do with America as a nation.

And as for "not yet finding America" - if a guy can find it by accident in the fucking fifteenth century - I think, by today, someone would have noticed the bloody huge land mass taking up a quarter of the planet.

Your post is just such... nonsense.

Related to 'Columbus Day': I never even knew there was such a thing. I guess it's kinda worth celebrating in a way. Mistake or not, it was an achievement and had a huge impact on the world in that day. I don't really see how anyone could be 'anti-Columbus day' unless you actually WERE a native American. It's so fucking hypocritical to say "White man come and make mess of country! Not worth celebrate!" when you are the fucking white man that came and made a mess of the country anyway.

If you've got white guilt over the issue, that's something you need to get sorted out on your own. But if your people are celebrating a day that's a huge part of your culture, you may as well at least respect it rather than getting whiny about how your ancestors fucked people over so you could have the nice life you're having right now.

 

[Carmen Lopez]

It's a bit of a conundrum here XD The state of Georgia apparently celebrates Columbus Day...at the federal level. Because government workers were the only ones that got the day off. Students all over the state still have classes. Honestly, Columbus Day isn't important to me nor is it important to a lot of people I know. Sometimes I even forget it even exists.

 

[POH!KEMON]

To me, it's not a big deal worth celebrating for. What good does that do? All he did was wanting to sail to the edge of the earth, which people said there was monsters, set sailed, and where didi he land? United States! A big fail, to me, personally; but, he's better than Dora. XD

 

[Carmen Lopez]

To me, it's not a big deal worth celebrating for. What good does that do? All he did was wanting to sail to the edge of the earth, which people said there was monsters, set sailed, and where didi he land? United States! A big fail, to me, personally; but, he's better than Dora. XD

Well, technically he landed in the Bahamas and the Caribbean, but that's the history geek in me. He never touched the the area where the United States is today. Unless you count Puerto Rico.

*Stops rambling and being a geek now >.>

 

[POH!KEMON]

Well, I'm kinda 50/50 for the Peuto Rico thing, and thanks for correcting me there.

 

[Spix]

Every once in a while I remember it exists....

I'm actually not sure if we recognize it here in MI. We don't nowadays, but I have a vague memory of getting that day off as a child.

 

[Xatu]

I noticed a bunch of people not showing up to Calc yesterday, but other than that it tends to be a Holiday I forget about, since no one around here celebrates it.

 

[Secad MS]

[quote author=Hunting Rifle link=topic=6833.msg121360#msg121360 date=1255365623]
And without America, the world would be so different from like it is now. No potatoes, no computers, we would be so more primitive. We would still sail in sailships, and the cart would be the only thing with wheels. On the other hand, maybe that's not so bad. There would be no rockets or tanks or other hightech weaponry. Maybe we would be more like humans, in my eyes, should be: balanced. We're omnivores, after all. Maybe we would more philosophic.

Oh dear Christ. You don't seriously think that America's mere existence could POSSIBLY have any relation to the development of technologies or culture, SURELY?

Most of the crap you listed as big inventions began life in the UK, for one thing - computers, cars, tanks. Rockets are 100% a chinese invention and their beginnings date back to the 13th century (and everything that continues to bare the name is pretty much the exact same idea). Stuff like potatoes, while - yes, not native to Europe - has bugger all to do with America as a nation.

And as for "not yet finding America" - if a guy can find it by accident in the fucking fifteenth century - I think, by today, someone would have noticed the bloody huge land mass taking up a quarter of the planet.

Your post is just such... nonsense.

Related to 'Columbus Day': I never even knew there was such a thing. I guess it's kinda worth celebrating in a way. Mistake or not, it was an achievement and had a huge impact on the world in that day. I don't really see how anyone could be 'anti-Columbus day' unless you actually WERE a native American. It's so fucking hypocritical to say "White man come and make mess of country! Not worth celebrate!" when you are the fucking white man that came and made a mess of the country anyway.

If you've got white guilt over the issue, that's something you need to get sorted out on your own. But if your people are celebrating a day that's a huge part of your culture, you may as well at least respect it rather than getting whiny about how your ancestors fucked people over so you could have the nice life you're having right now.
[/quote]

I apologize greatly for my transgression. Next time I will keep my thoughts to myself.

 

[Tatile]

I apologize greatly for my transgression. Next time I will keep my thoughts to myself.

Oh Sea, Alex is just being Alex. The point of putting your ideas out there is to see what other people think, no? Other people can tend to be quite blunt. Don't lock away what you think just because someone else got a bit wordy with you, that's how life is.

'White people' can be blamed for a lot of the world's ills, but so equally can 'black people' and 'eastern people', that's how it goes; it's just that at the moment, some 'white people', particularly the middle-classes, seem to be taking up a crusade to abolish the bad history 'tween them and non-whites and also crush anything they assume will cause racial or religious tensions (such as hot cross buns being banned in schools during Easter because they might insult students of non-Christian denomination). Knee-jerk reactionary kerfuffles hardly do any good.

It's not like Columbus deliberatly set out to bring the common cold and small pox to the New World, for all he knew, they were already there.

 

[RoxasLovesCookies]

i just wanted the day off, period.

 

[toucheiruka]

no, I do not observe it, the only thing I care about it is the day off and the extra sleep.

 

[Corakis]

never thought of that. only thought of having the day off just like the other dude

 

[Xatu]

I just found out that the reason that I couldn't get my Kosher sandwiches last Monday and Tuesday, is apparently because the guy who supplies the school with them closes shop for Columbus day. This is the first I've ever heard of someone doing that in my area. Unfortunately this meant my lunches those days mostly consisted of cracker jacks.

 

[charmander91]

Hmmm... last Columbus Day I sleep off a hangover I didn't deserve but I never cared about it. It is like
Casimir Pulaski day here in Chicago I know who he was and what he did, but I care as much as a diglett is tall

 

[Laizden]

I tend not to celebrate days named for people who basically killed, exploited and deceived any native people he ran across for personal gain.

 

[jameszone208]

my school didnt give us a day off, but i tend to celebrate it myself. not because of him, but the whole exploring aspect of it. exploring interests me very much and i wish there was something left in this world to discover . exploring back then was very important, and helped modernize the world. plus, explorers of sky came out the same day here in america .