A couple thoughts (the good, the bad, the ugly) about Thanksgiving and what Im thankful for. Disclaimer: If this day is very warm and fuzzy for you, and you dont want to think about anything other than warm and fuzzy thoughts, keep on scrolling. Lets start with the bad: A search for stories of the real thanksgiving (or any similar query) will bring about a lot of stories that take us back to the 1600s - 1800s. Many of these stories are selective in the facts they employ toward the end of telling a story with a particular underpinning (economics, Christianity, etc.). A common thread in these stories though, at least the ones that pass muster, is that Native Americans were mistreated, pushed from their land, and savagely murdered by pilgrims during this time period. The story you learned in elementary schools of pilgrims and Native Americans coming together for a big annual feast called Thanksgiving is patently false. All of it. The pilgrims couldnt cook anyway (no seriously). For many, this is rightfully a day of mourning. And if we gave two shits about what happened in the 1600s, we would at least give the blood-stained history of the folks who occupied the land youre standing and feasting on many years before you a passing thought today. Since I know many folks wont do that of their own volition, this is my attempt to force feed a bit of that history to you. Here is a version of events that I find to be particularly honest and devoid of non-germane arguments (huffingtonpost/richard-greener/the-true-story-of-thanksg_b_788436.html). The good: If we could somehow revise this terrible history of murdering hundreds/thousands of people who lived in a home entirely theirs because you wanted it, the modern day concepts of the holiday arent too bad. The idea of coming together with the folks you love, and maybe even some you dont, to express gratitude and feast is pretty awesome. Doing so without any acknowledgement whatsoever of the sordid history behind this holiday is, in my humble opinion, irresponsible at best and a tacit approval of what happened at worst. I personally wish this occasion happened on a different day, in a different month, and under different pretenses. But inasmuch as we can re-appropriate the meaning of holidays, Im pretty cool with having a day dedicated to gratitude. I personally have a great many things that Im thankful for: the people in my life, the successes Ive enjoyed, and the opportunities that lie ahead. What Im most thankful for this year though is my Uncle Shelby. Shelby was the person who almost single-handedly taught me to read everything and question everything as a child. When I was 5 and told him that when I grew up I wanted to be the most powerfulest and smartest man in the world, I remember his very serious lesson about how powerfulest wasnt a word and his very spirited advice that I needed to read double the amount of book I was reading if I wanted the title of smartest/most powerful. I certainly no longer aspire to either of those goals, but I am much better off for having doubled my reading load. He taught me that freedom of thought is one of the most important freedoms a man could have. He taught me not to necessarily believe what I was taught in textbooks, and he was the first person to teach me that a lie repeated and believed by millions is still a lie. Im fully aware that I wouldnt be as intelligent, inquisitive, thorough, and many other things without Shelbys teachings of the importance of reading and the necessity of finding truth. Im quite sure I wouldnt be sharing these thoughts with you all now if not for him, and I certainly wouldnt have taken the time to seek the truth about the history of the holiday, much less understood it to be true. The ugly: For so many folks, today isnt about recognizing the history behind this holiday. Its not about expressing gratitude for the many things we have to be thankful for. Its not even about gathering with loved ones to share a moment. Its about wanton consumerism. Or worse, its about being thankful for material things obtained through wanton consumerism. On a day that we already misunderstand and miscelebrate (did I just make that up? I quite like it lol), millions are going to spend the day gearing up to go shopping, for personal gain and so we can use the things we buy to misunderstand and miscelebrate another holiday in a little under a month. As if the gross consumerism we traditionally display on Black Friday wasnt enough, many stores are opening today at 6pm. Think about that. Folks rushing from their dinner tables of misremembered history and misappropriated thanks to go stand in ridiculously long lines and spend their money on all the deals that arent really deals, bur rather clever marketing campaigns designed to get you to spend the most money possible. *deep sigh*. Anyway, if youve read this far, thanks for reading. Wasnt my intention to ruin the holiday for anyone, just wanted to shed a little light on a forgotten/whitewashed history. For what its worth, Im also thankful for people who even read these things, despite how long-winded they are lol.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 17:39:09 +0000