Thankstaking Day, USA

[ensho]

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_5298.shtml


As most Americans are sitting down to eat that once noble native bird, the turkey, a growing number are observing a No Thanksgiving/Day of Sorrow to reflect on the genocide committed against the American Indians.

Eating the once noble turkey, nominated by that one intellectual giant amongst the founders of the USA, Benjamin Franklin, to be the national bird, has come to symbolize much of what is wrong about celebrating this bogus holiday.

The original turkey was a wily, respected bird, the successful stalking of which marked one as a skilled hunter. The fowl that most Americans will be stuffing themselves with this Thursday is raised in cages, being fed increasing amounts of genetically engineered grain, laced with antibiotics. It is so hyper-inbred, the male’s breast is so large females must be artificially inseminated. It would seem being too fat to have sex has now become another addition to the American tradition.

While the historical myth of American Indians peaceably sharing their turkey dinner with the white settlers on Thanksgiving is still taught as fact to our children, a review of the historical record shows no reference to this event ever happening.

Benjamin Franklin and the Founding Fathers of America didn’t celebrate this holiday. In fact, the Thanksgiving holiday was a public relations gimmick dreamed up by that corporate lawyer turned politician, Abraham Lincoln, during the darkest days of the Civil War in an attempt to win support for an increasingly unpopular war.

No, during Benjamin Franklin’s time, the white settlers were busy actually dealing with a militant, armed, united, well led and organized League of the Iroquois to be bothered pretending they were friends. One needs to look no further than the so called “Prince Phillips War” in the middle of the 18th century to find some of the most horrendous massacres, nay, genocide, committed against the “savage” Indian by the “god fearing Christians,” hardly the environment for celebrating holidays about friendly get-togethers.

-long snip of actual facts-

With this in mind and with “Thanksgiving” once again upon us, it behooves all Americans of good will to take the time to reflect on your real history, to teach this to your children, and to stop “celebrating” this mythical holiday that represents so dark a period in the history of this country. Leave that poor turkey in peace, and join in observing a “No Thanksgiving/Day of Sorrow.”
-----------------------


I haven't done Thanksgiving in many decades. and before that I only did it to keep peace with two families but at the table I always bought up the 'Indians'. and everyone ignored me.

[GMA]

1. Jeez...

STILL GRATEFUL!

[cali]

2. oh for pity's sake.

have a miserable unthanksgiving day dear, filled with angst, bitterness and self-righteous crap. who on earth would want to spend it with the likes of you?

I'll have a wonderful thanksgiving day at my friend's farm with 20 or so others. We'll laugh a lot and play charades. There will be several generations present. The food will be wonderful. I'm bringing dilly beans made from my garden beans and chipotle maple sweet potatoes.

[ensho]

3. an american Indian?

nt

[cali]

4. yeah, all Native Americans feel the same way about everything.

fuck that bigotry.

[arcadian]

8. When you've been to Pine Ridge, you get back to me.

[uppityperson]

39. I have. Lived on Standing Rock for a bit also. Fall Harvest Festival predates pilgrim/indian myth

[Xicano]

12. As a native (chichimec/apache) I don't see how you define the op's point as bigotry.

I know I don't celebrate thanksgiving by eating genetically modified turkeys to celebrate the genocide and holocaust of my deceased relatives. I still spend the day with my family and have a good time, BUT, its not in the context of celebrating genocide and culturalcide.

I fail to see how not celebrating something that symbolizes a false truth as being something bigoted. Rather I see it as being faithful to the truth, and if you're native as being faithful to your family instead of forsaking them.


Peace,
Xicano

[cali]

13. proclaiming that all members of a given group think the same

or act the same, or hold the same beliefs is a bigoted generalization.

[Xicano]

15. So you're saying?

Liberals are bigoted? Or pro-choice folks are bigoted? Or code-pink are bigoted? Etc, etc.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with the premise that if all members of a group think the same way that, that constitutes bigotry. What about anti-bigoted groups? Does a group of people who all think the same way against bigotry make them bigoted?

:shrug:



Peace,
Xicano

[JonQ]

18. Difference being those groups are voluntary and based on beliefs

race is not voluntary, and not based on a certain set of beliefs. None of the groups you mentioned is mandatory for an entire group of people.

A better analogy would be: all black people, or all homosexuals think alike. That wouldn't be too popular here, so neither should "all indians think alike".

[arcadian]

7. Why do you use terms like "dear" and "dearie"?

[Javaman]

22. I see those terms as the "non-insult", insult.

much like, "bless your heart".

[Echo In Light]

25. Like people who make hateful, back-handed insults, but then insist they're "just kidding"

... when called on their assholery.

[Javaman]

28. I know, and then saying "I said I was just kidding" gives them a free ride

Like that makes it all better and instantly cures hurt feelings.

Yes, very much the assholery.

[TwilightGardener]

5. If you want to go out of your way to find stuff to feel bad about, go right ahead.

The rest of us will enjoy a day to be with family and friends, have a nice meal, and count our blessings.

[treestar]

6. I dunno

that's too gloomy and negative for me. I was always taught the Native Americans helped the settlers survive and it was a positive thing - that was a single settlement and shouldn't take the blame for all the negatives. It was about the people in question getting along and accepting each other. Columbus Day is OK to put down but IMO Thanksgiving is a positive.

[pipoman]

9. Family gatherings wouldn't be the same without

the gloomy, argumentative uncle whom everyone knows only comes to attempt to wreck the gathering...then everyone secretly adds on a little extra at the end of the grace that uncle asshole finally has to go to the nursing home where he can easily be forgotten before the next family gathering. Amen, and Amen.

[proteus_lives]

10. Guess what?

"I haven't done Thanksgiving in many decades. and before that I only did it to keep peace with two families but at the table I always bought up the 'Indians'. and everyone ignored me."

Everyone is still ignoring you. Turkey-day is almost here! Yum!Yum!Yum!

[JonQ]

19. He could have a tofu-apology-day turkey

Cover all the bases.

[Lucian]

11. My mother's side of the family is Native American...

and I'm still going to enjoy the holiday on Thursday.

[dysfunctional press]

14. war is hell, but we won. deal with it.

:nopity:

[beyond cynical]

16. Yes, Thanksgiving is for winners, not losers.

[dysfunctional press]

32. exactly.

the losers don't generally have a lot to be thankful for.

and the winners get to write the history books. :woohoo:

[lightningandsnow]

43. Celebrating the colonization and genocide of indigenous people?

:puke:

[dysfunctional press]

46. celebrating our lives and our current way of living them.

winning wars all throughout history is what got us and our genes here.

if you want to dwell on all of histories numerous negatives and be all depressed about it- that's certainly your prerogative.

i plan to eat until i'm ready to puke, wait a little while, maybe take a walk, maybe watch some tv- and then eat some more.

yum-YUM :bounce:

[lightningandsnow]

23. What the hell?

[dysfunctional press]

33. ???

:shrug:

[dana_b]

27. wow

what a cold, asanine comment. You sound just like the * supporters back in 2000 and 2004.

[dysfunctional press]

31. asanine?

:rofl: :rofl:

spell much?

[JonQ]

17. I know that's what we are thinking about over thanksgiving

killing them injuns and defaming the "nobel turkey". :eyes:

[Xicano]

20. Given what has happened, Thanks Giving really equals "god bless our thievery and genocide"

I am sorry to be so blunt, but, given that facts of history, that is an accurate description. I am not saying that folks here celebrate it with that in mind. Nevertheless, it is an accurate description.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA8_tFNy-XE#t=1m57s

[dysfunctional press]

34. it was a war of conquest and our side won.

you wouldn't have the life you have now if we hadn't.

[Seeking Serenity]

21. I'm beginning to wonder if the definitions of "progressive"

and "puritan" are the same:

One that lives in fear that someone, somewhere, is having a good time.

(Since, if you're having fun, you are obviously not sufficiently penitent about some historical injustice or other.)

[lightningandsnow]

24. Thank you for posting this.

I'm not First Nations, Metis, or Inuit (I live in Canada), but I am taking a course in Atlantic history at the moment. I am pretty horrified that so many people can just dismiss the atrocities of the past.

I don't hold it against anyone who wants to have dinner with their friends and family, but I do wish that people could be more conscious of the history involved.

[dana_b]

29. +1

I am all for getting together and enjoying the day, the company, the food, etc. We do it every year but it seems that few give a rats ass about what happened and the misinformation that is still taught about this day schools everywhere.

Those who forget, are destined to repeat.

[uppityperson]

40. So, did fall harvest festival predate pilgrim/indian myth? If so, then wtf does

thanksgiving have to do with "atrocities of the past" except give a time to perhaps think about the pilgrim/indian myth and the crap NA's have taken?

[Echo In Light]

26. We always celebrate put on a spread as we've much to be thankful for. However...

I never lose sight of the fact that, as George Carlin put it, ours is a country founded by slave owners who wanted equality for all.

[Libertas1776]

30. Well,

Yes, damn that corporate lawyer turned politician Lincoln, who was, after all, waging the Afghanistan version of the 1860s :sarcasm: Yes, it's easier to make your argument sound more credible when you debase as many historical figures and events as you can come across with totally made up bullshit.

[ieoeja]

35. You do know that Thanksgiving is just a fucking harvest festival?

And that every culture that ever existed has/had one?

[uppityperson]

41. Thank you, glad to see someone else here gets it.

[Shagbark Hickory]

36. Nevermind the native Americans. 122 folks died today because of no insurance.

It's every man for himself in this land of ours.

[uppityperson]

37. Pilgrim/Indian myth is taught some places, most of us celebrate family fall harvest festival

Good grief, fall harvest festivals have been celebrated for centuries. Just because someone tried to co-opt it as pilgrim/indian stuff doesn't mean we have to go along with that.

If you don't want to celebrate a centuries old Fall Harvest Festival with family and friends, don't. But don't try to shove guilt down my throat about a myth.

[Odin2005]

38. -1

[Throd]

42. You must be a hoot at the 4th of July barbecue.

[4lbs]

44. Why wouldn't you celebrate Thanksgiving? It's a day of giving thanks to the American Indian

for saving the asses of a bunch of stupid settlers who weren't smart enough to plan for a 3 month winter away from home.


If you can, go to an Indian casino, and make a hundred dollar "donation" this weekend. :D

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.