america + racism??
The holiday right around the corner: Thanksgiving. Once a year, we go around in a circle at the dinner table saying what we're thankful for, as we celebrate the birth of our country. The debate around Thanksgiving has continued for decades, as many disagree over whether the fact that the birth of our country should even BE celebrated. The origins of the holiday take place centuries ago when the pilgrims and Native Americans had the "first meal" together. But less than a century later, these friendly relations were destroyed when the Native Americans were incessantly persecuted for the many years to come.
Throwback to my childhood, Thanksgiving meant a time when my second-grade classroom and I would split up and dress up as pilgrims and Native Americans (notice how I don't use the word Indians due to the many questions I got as a child of whether I was Native American or "INDIAN" Indian). Looking back, this is a blatant example of how ignorant people can be, but as children, we performed the play for our parents about the beginning of America with enthusiasm, dressed up with feathers and costumes.
The debate surrounding this holiday all relates back to the value of life. We all value lives differently. Is the death of many Native Americans worth the prosperous country we live in today? Or should we value the millions of died over current society?
Kismine from The Diamond as Big as the Ritz says we should just enjoy life, regardless of the many who died in stating that "We can't let such an inevitable thing as death stand in the way of enjoying life while we have it." But many nowadays disagree with this fact. As people grow to be more aware of the history and the oppressed, the attitude towards Thanksgiving has shifted.
What is there to be grateful about on a day which celebrates the many who died?
Again, if you see this, please leave your opinion below, I'm curious :)
first of all, I'm completely with you on the fact that the origins of thanksgiving (and basically the fact that America's history is rooted in the genocide of Native Americans) is pretty horrible. I think that as we become more aware, we definitely need to take the time to intentionally acknowledge the violence and suppression that the Native Americans faced. However, I don't think that we should abolish or "cancel" thanksgiving as a holiday. Nowadays, I feel as if thanksgiving is more of a day to get together with family and be grateful for family rather than a celebration of our country's past. But with that, I do feel that how we "teach" thanksgiving in schools should definitely be reformed to address the problematicness surrounding the holiday.
ReplyDeleteOver time, the meaning of Thanksgiving has shifted to a day where we give thanks to the components of our life. And although it previously celebrated the coming together of the Pilgrims and Native Americans and their survival, it didn't necessarily celebrate America's birth. Rather it appreciated what they were able to achieve, though along the way Native Americans were unjustly persecuted.
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