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Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: RecycleMichael on October 13, 2008, 12:08:34 pm I have briefly written about this before...but it still bothers me.
Why do we celebrate this guy? He didn't really do anything and was a screw-up. What did he discover? He was looking for India and he landed in the Bahamas. He severely under-estimated the circumference of the earth. Plus add in that THERE WERE ALREADY PEOPLE HERE!. How is that discovering? Can I break into your living room and "discover" it. I hereby proclaim this sofa and television in the name of the Queen! He landed in the Bahamas. Not America. At least the Vikings landed in Newfoundland and it was connected by land to America. Why would the U.S. Post office get the second Monday of October off for this guy? I know some Italians consider this day important. Why? Columbus was of Italian descent but he was being paid and floating in boats from Spain. His "discovery" was in the name of the country who paid him. He was looking for a cheaper way to import spices...think of him as a drug mule by boat. If we really need a day off for bank and postal employees, let's just make one and call it "Discoverer's Day". That way, Columbus, the 6th century Irish Monks, the 10th century Vikings, the early 15th century Chinese all can claim they were discoverers. Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: cannon_fodder on October 13, 2008, 01:15:46 pm Excellent rant my good man.
I appreciate the balls it took to sail West when many thought it was sure death. I appreciate the skill it took to undertake the longest open ocean voyage to date. I appreciate that he was able to open up America to Western Europe, clearly I have benefited from the result. BUT... holding him out as some sort of hero doesn't bother me too much. People are held out for whatever we want them to be. So it's not worth any effort on my part to get rid of Columbus day. Unless it was for a day I got off of work... Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: sauerkraut on October 13, 2008, 04:25:33 pm Indeed, actually I don't think Columbus was really a "white" man as the term is normally used. I think we have too many such holidays. I favor dumping "Columbus day" and "Presidents Day" and other such holidays, or just combine them into one hoilday. ML-King will have to stay as it's own because it's become too hot a potato, and too hot to tamper with.. "Flag-Day" is another holiday I don't understand is that a day to honor our flag? The people who fought for the flag are celebrated in Vet's day. Many holidays are just bank & goverment office hoildays- Only banks and goverment offices close on Presidents Day I don't know any factorys that give the workers that day off.
Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: Ed W on October 13, 2008, 05:25:08 pm On one hand, celebrating Columbus Day reflects our Euro-centric history. And as RecycleMichael points out, we're celebrating a colossal screw up. The ancient Egyptians figured out the Earth was round and even calculated its diameter. So the C-man was way out in left field.
But I don't agree that we should combine all the other 'trivial' holidays into one. Sure, get rid of President's Day, but bring back Lincoln's Birthday and Washington's Birthday. Dump the modern Veteran's Day and call it by its original name - Armistice Day. We're modernizing our history and making it more convenient for our way of life, and in doing so we lose our knowledge of history. Ask someone what the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" really means, and you'll get a blank stare. At best, they'll know that Sears is having a sale that day. Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: naenae42day on October 13, 2008, 06:30:48 pm The build on RM's comment of there were already people here...a friend of mine said something that caused me to pause. In regards to the popular TV show Survivor...
Only in America would we put people on an already populated island...and say...NOW SURVIVE!! Ahh to be so arrogant - lol Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: cannon_fodder on October 14, 2008, 07:20:19 am quote: Barbara Tuchman would be so proud. Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: tulsacyclist on October 14, 2008, 11:32:06 am I appreciate the day off, so I will not argue it's significance.
Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: Nik on October 14, 2008, 12:50:45 pm He was kinda an donkey too.
Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: Hawkins on October 14, 2008, 05:24:32 pm I tried to go to the bank yesterday morning! It happens to me every Columbass Day.
And I do mean Columb"donkey" day. Dumbest holiday EVER. Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: sauerkraut on October 15, 2008, 01:47:19 pm quote:Once they make a hoilday they never get rid of them. Many in the P.C. crowd don't like Columbus because they believe Columbus did bad things so they favor dumping his holiday and I for once agree with them -we have too many nonsense holidays. I'd favor getting rid of "President's Day" and other such "bank/post-office" only hoildays,- either that, or combine all the "bank" hoildays into one big hoilday and celebrate everything at once in that one big day. Title: Columbus Day Rant Post by: Rex on October 15, 2008, 06:30:19 pm This post would piss off a lot of Italians....
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