Oberlin honors Indigenous People, not Columbus

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

OBERLIN, Ohio -- While the rest of the country honored Christopher Columbus, the city of Oberlin on Monday honored the people who were living here before he arrived.

The second annual Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration in Tappen Square drew fewer than 50 people who were there to learn about the plight of the Native Americans.

"My people, the Tayno Arawaks, were the first people to meet Columbus when he arrived in the islands around the Bahamas, and they were the first to be slaughtered by him," said Three Eagle Cloud, the Oberlin man who started the movement in the city to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day. "Since then, we have been screwed over from the Bahamas to Alaska."

The attempt by him and others to have the city honor its original inhabitants actually was accepted pretty quickly in the city known for its liberal leanings and for Oberlin College.

City Councilwoman Kristin Peterson, who was elected to council after the vote to change the focus of the holiday, said there was little discussion or disagreement among council members about the issue.

"Council was 100 percent behind it," she said "It was a typically Oberlin thing to do. Of course, the discussions by the public were a different story. There was a busload of Italian Americans from Cleveland that came to council meetings and argued long and hard against it."

https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2018/10/oberlin_honors_indigenous_peop.html

If you had to pick one, either Columbus Day or Indigenous People Day, which would make more sense?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Seeing that Columbus didn't discover North America until 500 years after a Viking did... and he didn't even touch the US mainland, his achievement for the US seems a bit overstated. Columbus launched a new era of exploiting the resources of the "New World", but that is it. It wasn't what he was seeking, and he didn't know how to properly use it once he found it.

Of course, snowflake warning from the right wing whining about disturbing the inertia of what people thought to be true.

 

[untermensche]

Columbus was a bloodthirsty killing machine.

A sick sick individual.

He left death and destruction in his wake.

The crazy people of the world do the kinds of things he did, the manic depressants.

That the US applauds his efforts every year shows the mentality of Americans.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Serendipity Day would be cool. I am not a fan of celebrating individuals as holidays.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Serendipity Day would be cool. I am not a fan of celebrating individuals as holidays.

Well we have President Washington, a General of the Revolution, who set the standard for willfully stepping down from power to let someone else, selected by the people*, to take over.

Abraham Lincoln oversaw the deadliest war in American history, helped provide a context that would help win it, and set forth the ideals to attempt to heal the wounds. They deserve days.

 

[dismal]

I think if we apply modern standards to Columbus -- standards that did not exist in the 15th century -- we must conclude that:

Columbus was a noble immigrant who brought much needed diversity to the new world.

 

[untermensche]

I think if we apply modern standards to Columbus -- standards that did not exist in the 15th century -- we must conclude that:

Columbus was a noble immigrant who brought much needed diversity to the new world.

He killed everyone he came in contact with.

He was an imperial monster.

A small taste of what was in store for the living people already in what is now called North America.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I think if we apply modern standards to Columbus -- standards that did not exist in the 15th century -- we must conclude that:

Columbus was a noble immigrant who brought much needed diversity to the new world.

He killed everyone he came in contact with

So, kind of like modern day Mexican immigrants then?

 

[Jarhyn]

I think if we apply modern standards to Columbus -- standards that did not exist in the 15th century -- we must conclude that:

Columbus was a noble immigrant who brought much needed diversity to the new world.

Leave it to you to celebrate a rapist. Even back then, there were plenty of people who would have thought twice about raping, torturing, and enslaving indigenous people. Columbus was not one of them.

 

[untermensche]

I think if we apply modern standards to Columbus -- standards that did not exist in the 15th century -- we must conclude that:

Columbus was a noble immigrant who brought much needed diversity to the new world.

He killed everyone he came in contact with

So, kind of like modern day Mexican immigrants then?

Yes those marauding armies of Mexicans killing every American they see are such a nuisance.

We need a wall.

 

[Toni]

Seeing that Columbus didn't discover North America until 500 years after a Viking did... and he didn't even touch the US mainland, his achievement for the US seems a bit overstated. Columbus launched a new era of exploiting the resources of the "New World", but that is it. It wasn't what he was seeking, and he didn't know how to properly use it once he found it.

Of course, snowflake warning from the right wing whining about disturbing the inertia of what people thought to be true.

I've never been as inclined to give Vikings credit as some would because a) they were clearly not the first people here and b) the Vikings did not bring news of this 'new' world back. The rest of the world didn't know for 500 years, and the Vikings did not continue to make forays into exploration.

I like Indigenous Peoples day in theory but hate the idea that for some people it is just an opportunity to put all thought and recognition into one Monday in the year and go back to ignoring the first people here and the damage done since.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Seeing that Columbus didn't discover North America until 500 years after a Viking did... and he didn't even touch the US mainland, his achievement for the US seems a bit overstated. Columbus launched a new era of exploiting the resources of the "New World", but that is it. It wasn't what he was seeking, and he didn't know how to properly use it once he found it.

Of course, snowflake warning from the right wing whining about disturbing the inertia of what people thought to be true.

I've never been as inclined to give Vikings credit as some would because a) they were clearly not the first people here and b) the Vikings did not bring news of this 'new' world back. The rest of the world didn't know for 500 years, and the Vikings did not continue to make forays into exploration.

They still found it and evidence of their landing in Newfoundland and attempted camp there exists.

I like Indigenous Peoples day in theory but hate the idea that for some people it is just an opportunity to put all thought and recognition into one Monday in the year and go back to ignoring the first people here and the damage done since.

Pretend We Give A Fuck About the First Nations Day?

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Serendipity Day would be cool. I am not a fan of celebrating individuals as holidays.

Well we have President Washington, a General of the Revolution, who set the standard for willfully stepping down from power to let someone else, selected by the people*, to take over.

Abraham Lincoln oversaw the deadliest war in American history, helped provide a context that would help win it, and set forth the ideals to attempt to heal the wounds. They deserve days.

Naw. They are dead. They don't feel honoured by having these days. I think we should instead celebrate concepts and ideals. You could have Democracy Day and Anti-Slavery Day

 

[Toni]

They still found it and evidence of their landing in Newfoundland and attempted camp there exists.

Oh I don’t question which European arrived first or that it was indeed an achievement of seamanship and discovery. But the import of that discovery to the rest of the world is greatly diminished because the discovery was not shared. It wasn’t even considered that important to the Vikings.

I like Indigenous Peoples day in theory but hate the idea that for some people it is just an opportunity to put all thought and recognition into one Monday in the year and go back to ignoring the first people here and the damage done since.

Pretend We Give A Fuck About the First Nations Day?

Exactly. Sadly.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

I am recovering from Thanksgiving btw. Happy belated Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians here.

 

[dismal]

So, kind of like modern day Mexican immigrants then?

Yes those marauding armies of Mexicans killing every American they see are such a nuisance.

We need a wall.

It's largely forgotten today but there were wise Carib leaders calling for a "wall of canoes" to keep Columbus out, but the progressive Caribs shouted "racist!" at them so much the wall never got built.

 

[untermensche]

So, kind of like modern day Mexican immigrants then?

Yes those marauding armies of Mexicans killing every American they see are such a nuisance.

We need a wall.

It's largely forgotten today but there were wise Carib leaders calling for a "wall of canoes" to keep Columbus out, but the progressive Caribs shouted "racist!" at them so much the wall never got built.

Wise?

Besides the power dynamic being completely reversed a wall of canoes to keep out huge ships is just stupidity.

A wall could keep Mexicans out.

But Mexicans coming in is a help to the nation, not a problem.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

It's largely forgotten today but there were wise Carib leaders calling for a "wall of canoes" to keep Columbus out, but the progressive Caribs shouted "racist!" at them so much the wall never got built.

Well, that's just because the Spanish government was being intransigent about paying for it. That delayed things and the Europeans were able to plant a bunch of genocidal anchor babies in North America.

It is important to note, however, that not all European immigrants were pro-genocide and some of them were, I suppose, good people.

 

[untermensche]

Well we have President Washington, a General of the Revolution, who set the standard for willfully stepping down from power to let someone else, selected by the people*, to take over.

Whether you like the US or not Washington was a rare individual in history and the nation would probably not exist without him.

He guided the nation to victory in war.

He oversaw the writing of a Constitution.

And of course he was the first president who most importantly gave Hamilton the job which gave the nation the necessary funding and economic stability to become a powerful nation.

And he stepped away to give an example of how power should be turned over in a democracy as opposed to a monarchy.

He went home to his slave plantation which lessens him.

 

[Politesse]

Don't know why the article says the "rest of the nation" celebrates Columbus Day; Oberlin did not invent this replacement holiday. Good riddance to bad imperialists.