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Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the island’s beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts. Columbus later wrote of this in his log:

They .. brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells. They willingly traded everything they owned … They were well built, with good bodies and handsome features … They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane. … They would make fine servants…. With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.

Yea what a great guy im glad he gets a holiday.

It's what people did back then, I shed no tears.

Just because such behavior was widespread back then doesn't make it any more right, and doesn't mean we need to celebrate it. The Inquisition was once endemic throughout the civilized world. Does that mean we need to have an "Inquisition Day" where we celebrate shoving red hot spikes into the genitals of anyone who disagrees with the Pope?

-Arlos

Arlos as long as it doesnt involve guns you are allways right on the money.

I couldn't possibly care any less about what people did hundreds of years ago in relation to today.

I consider myself a history buff, but that doesn't mean I really give a shit about any of it beyond how it interests me.

Well it's because of him that I got the day off work today!

"Those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them"


In all seriousness, unless you understand the history, and what shaped events today, you will never be able to make proper judgements about modern situations. Historical events shape the wants, desires and prejudices of people today. Without knowing the basis for those attitudes, you will never understand their motivations, and will always be at a disadvantage in dealing with them. And yes, events hundreds of years ago still impact the attitudes of people today, very deeply.

-Arlos

There's understanding and not repeating it and then there's wallowing in how wrong it was.

Wallowing accomplishes nothing. Accept that it was wrong and move on.

Yes, wallowing doesn't do any good, but what good does it do to celebrate people who ultimately had evil intentions? Do we celebrate the passage of the first triangle trade slaveship that arrived here from africa loaded with human cargo?

Why then celebrate someone who came here and repaid kindness with intended slavery and destruction?

If we need to celebrate Europe finding the US, celebrate Leif Errikson day.

-Arlos

I'm all for adding another day off to my work schedule.

GOGO LEIF ERRIKSON DAY!!

To bad he wasn't the first to discover America.

This discussion comes up every fucking year. If Brinstar was here, he would have started this bullshit.

Seriously, no one cares.

says the self proclaimed history buff... haha

Quiet little boy, no one cares about your opinion either.

oh, sorry bout that.

To correct Finawin: He, and other ignorant types, don't care about history.

Intelligent people, however, do.

-Arlos

I'm not going to cry about a fucking day named after someone.

Holidays are meant to celebrate the life and deeds of someone. Washington's day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King day, etc. I cannot support Columbus day, based on his actions and what followed, any more than I could support having a national holiday to celebrate the life of Nathan Bedford Forrest. (the founder of the KKK, among other things)

-Arlos

Harri are you this cool in real life too ?

spazz wrote:Harri are you this cool in real life too ?

I'd rather hang out with Harrison than you ANY day of the year.

spazz wrote:Harri are you this cool in real life too ?

This is only the tip of the iceberg of cool.

We're celebrating the discovery of America and the adventurous spirit that led to it not the man himself. Calling it Columbus Day was just the easiest way to embody that.

Start a drive to change the name of the day....I'll sign a petition.

i would like to kick it with harri for a day too.

I say change it to "Mindia Day." Why? Because I believe in, fight for, and uphold what our forefathers had planned for us. Plus, I'm hella cool. I am the quintessential backbone of America.