Tis the season for turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, the mass commercialization of colonial genocide and the erasure of indigenous American history.
Gobble gobble.
Now, before I get all sorts of political, let me say that I love the idea of Thanksgiving.
I love the concept of an entire day dedicated to honoring the positives in life and a much-needed break from school and work that comes with it. I love the narrative of old-timey Pilgrims and Native Americans coming together at a communal table to break bread and bridge cultures as part of a larger human experience.
And sometimes, having a unified idea of the human experience can be more than necessary. By bringing gratitude and humanity back into the forefront of the public consciousness, Thanksgiving provides a welcome refuge for those worn down by the hard news of the day and a beacon of happiness in the midst of the dark.
It gets people excited about fall, nostalgic about childhood memories and favorite foods, and it streamlines holiday passion right through Black Friday and the start of the Christmas season.
We live in a world that gets so chaotic, it can be almost impossible to keep the good things highlighted, so what harm could come from a day of gratitude, family, food and warmth? Why do we have to analyze the history of Thanksgiving and not just take it for what it’s worth at face value?
We do because we have an obligation to acknowledge every bit of historical truth and cultural wrongdoing.
Once meant to pay homage to a bastardized history of British colonization, Thanksgiving is now little more than a Hallmark holiday playing into mass marketing.
No matter how many cheery, family-based commercials come at us courtesy of grocery stores and bakeries, we as a collective population cannot forget what Thanksgiving was actually founded upon.
Nor can we forget the people who are reminded on every third Thursday of November that their families were slaughtered by the founders of a nation now promoting historical goodwill amongst citizens.
We cannot let ourselves get swept away in the allure of Thanksgiving and disregard the reality of what happened when the Pilgrims crossed the ocean to colonize soil that wasn’t theirs to take.
We cannot present a tale of Native Americans and Pilgrims working together to create new camps and settlements when the British were murdering, infecting and cleansing the land of whatever indigenous tribe happened to be living upon it.
We can let ourselves enjoy a day with loved ones, buffet style dinners and expressions of gratitude, but we must do so with respect for the past…and for the poor turkeys at the center of the table.
Ms. Vermeeren,
Your soapbox and constant whiney rhetoric is common among this generation. You’re indoctrinated with self loathing and a hate for this country and choose to harp on something that occurred hundreds of years ago and liken yourself to some “social justice warrior of change.” In reality, you’re just another white girl crying and trying to pander to your politically correct peers. There is not a single group of people alive who doesn’t have a black eye in history or didn’t suffer some dark period. NOT A SINGLE ONE.
For your information, the Native American population is higher than it ever has been throughout history. The American Indians have a plethora of issues right now like poverty, diabetes, alcoholism and suicide. Getting on your soapbox to talk about pilgrims is not the slightest bit beneficial to anyone but yourself because somehow it makes you feel like you’re a “good person” but in reality, you’re just a whiney kid.