Brown students protest renaming of Columbus Day

[Ebusitanus]

Are people really this bored?

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A decision to strip Columbus Day from the Brown University calendar because of the explorer’s violence against Native Americans sparks a protest at the Ivy League school.

A group of student Republicans are planning a protest Friday afternoon to object to the university’s decision to rename the holiday "Fall Weekend."

Keith Dellagrotta, a Brown senior who leads the school’s College Republicans club, described the decision as political correctness gone too far. He said Columbus should be celebrated for bringing the European political tradition to the New World, which led to the foundation of the United States.

Hundreds of Brown students asked the Providence school to stop observing Columbus Day because of atrocities committed against American Indians.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/nat...osition=recent

[IvanTheTerrible]

Wow... just shoot a gun in the air they are quite afraid of gunpowder lol.

Anyway the term "Brown students" is confusing in the title.

[DekuTrash]

Anyway the term "Brown students" is confusing in the title.

It most certainly could be taken the wrong way.
Do people really even care about this holiday? I sure as hell don't
Let's celebrate Leif Erikson Day!

[Phier]

It most certainly could be taken the wrong way.
Do people really even care about this holiday? I sure as hell don't
Let's celebrate Leif Erikson Day!

Italians do.

Calling it 'fall holiday' is hilariously bad.
Though another one I saw 'indigenous peoples day' was quite amusing too.

[DekuTrash]

Before Columbus landed, didn't the Native Americans have warriors and weapons for fighting and killing each other at times? Or were they living in utopian paradise?

Columbus discovered America, that's what he did, and in 1492 it was quite an accomplishment. Like to see if these bozos could do something like that, instead of just taking up space.

As if there's masses of undiscovered land to find.

[Tecumseh]

lol thread name.

[Thanatos]

I sure as heck don't celebrate Columbus Day. Guy was a horrible person who propagated the coming enslavement of hundreds of thousands.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

I sure as heck don't celebrate Columbus Day. Guy was a horrible person who propagated the coming enslavement of hundreds of thousands.

I guess we should all pack up and go back to Europe then.

[Erik]

I sure as heck don't celebrate Columbus Day. Guy was a horrible person who propagated the coming enslavement of hundreds of thousands.

He didn't aim to propagate slavery, did he?
So how exactly was he a horrible person?

[Claudius Gothicus]

I sure as heck don't celebrate Columbus Day. Guy was a horrible person who propagated the coming enslavement of hundreds of thousands.

Pffft hahaha

Columbus made 3 trips to America of exploratory nature, he didn't go around killing indigenous habitants for the sake of it, of course some massacres occurred but the truth is Indians were quite good at killing each other all by themselves.

And I celebrate it, not because of Columbus or the subsequent killings but because my country and I exist due to the discovery of the Americas.

[Last Roman]

I sure as heck don't celebrate Columbus Day. Guy was a horrible person who propagated the coming enslavement of hundreds of thousands.

History is amoral, no matter how much we may like or dislike it. The fact remains that what he did was a historic event. So don't celebrate the man, celebrate what his discovery lead to.

Columbus didn't even realise it was America. To the end of his days he was convinced it was Asia. He doesn't deserve much credit, imo.

a myth. He realized that he had found something new. Read "Lies my Teacher Told Me" or "A People's History of the US"

[ivan_the_terrible]

a myth. He realized that he had found something new. Read "Lies my Teacher Told Me" or "A People's History of the US"

Interesting... will do!

[Last Roman]

Interesting... will do!

Neither are exactly kind to Columbus, but they do a good job extracting the BS that surrounds him and his discovery, if you can stand the somewhat preachy text.

[Poach]

There's already an ongoing discussion about Columbus Day kicking about somewhere in the VV. It started off as US schools being weird about it but it has expanded into a general discussion on Columbus and his actions in general.

One thing I do wish to point out here, specifically to Thanatos, is that with European naval technology advancing and the general desire to find a quicker route to Asia across the Atlantic amongst traders and explorers meant that had Columbus not found America, it would have been discovered anyway in short order. Columbus certainly wasn't a visionary with the idea to sail into the Atlantic to find Asia.

[Thanatos]

Oh, I don't contest that, I agree with that fully. I just dislike him for what he's done, even though if it wasn't him, another person would have taken his place.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

"I cannot wake up for the realities of history", "I would rather erase my entire history... Because, you know... there were people who killed other people!", "It's perfectly fine for others to celebrate the death or defeat of the white man, but when the contrary happens, then we must beat ourselves with sticks, cut our hairs and beg for forgiveness!!!!"

So much for Columbus Day. Western nations have lost their balls; without Columbus and the like who dedicated themselves to expand their civilization at the expense of the locals, none of them would ever have a comfortable Uni to sit around and voice their stupid protesting, their distortions and their whining.

[Wilder]

"I cannot wake up for the realities of history", "I would rather erase my entire history... Because, you know... there were people who killed other people!", "It's perfectly fine for others to celebrate the death or defeat of the white man, but when the contrary happens, then we must beat ourselves with sticks, cut our hairs and beg for forgiveness!!!!"

So much for Columbus Day. Western nations have lost their balls; without Columbus and the like who dedicated themselves to expand their civilization at the expense of the locals, none of them would ever have a comfortable Uni to sit around and voice their stupid protesting, their distortions and their whining.

Oh, please, that is such a cop out. Hitler is part of the history of Germany, should they have a Hitler day? An extreme comparison, for sure, but not an inaccurate one. Just because someone had a role in history doesn't not mean they should be celebrated.

Conservatives harp on the PC line so much I think they are blind to the fact that they are the ones who are far more indentured to politically correct taboos. Here's one for ya: Columbus was a Murderer and a slave trader, he did what he did accidentally, and has absolutely nothing to do with the founding values of the US, ie, the only thing that really separates us from the world. We should remember him like he was, despicable.

I guess we should all pack up and go back to Europe then.

Yes, because that is exactly what we are arguing for.

[Simon Cashmere]

Oh, please, that is such a cop out. Hitler is part of the history of Germany, should they have a Hitler day? An extreme comparison, for sure, but not an inaccurate one. Just because someone had a role in history doesn't not mean they should be celebrated.

I think comparing Columbus to Hitler kind of cheapens Europe's experience with Hitler. Columbus was a terrific explorer who sailed a long way in very trying conditions, a number of times to discover the Americas. He kept his people on mission despite the extreme grumbling and dissent, and eventually colonised the Americas.

While whatever he did would not be done today, we cannot really apply the neo-liberal post-Marxist post modernist cafe guy with a goatee version of morality to what he did or what he had to do. Would any of us, given this task by the Spanish crown have done anything differently? And if we had done it in a touchy feely new age kind of way, probably Columbus would be a mere footnote in history instead of someone who achieved what he did.

Applying retrospective morality to historical situations is a game the whole ill informed left wing family can play, and loves to. But there are far nastier people in history that are venerated a whole lot more than Columbus.

[Wilder]

I think comparing Columbus to Hitler kind of cheapens Europe's experience with Hitler. Columbus was a terrific explorer who sailed a long way in very trying conditions, a number of times to discover the Americas. He kept his people on mission despite the extreme grumbling and dissent, and eventually colonised the Americas.

While whatever he did would not be done today, we cannot really apply the neo-liberal post-Marxist post modernist cafe guy with a goatee version of morality to what he did or what he had to do. Would any of us, given this task by the Spanish crown have done anything differently? And if we had done it in a touchy feely new age kind of way, probably Columbus would be a mere footnote in history instead of someone who achieved what he did.

Applying retrospective morality to historical situations is a game the whole ill informed left wing family can play, and loves to. But there are far nastier people in history that are venerated a whole lot more than Columbus.

Yes, well, as little as I appreciate your pigeon holing my political standing, and poorly at that, you are right, Hitler was worse that Columbus, I think we can agree on that. But if not being as bad as Hitler qualifies you as a national hero, than I want every August 26th off from work, and school children singing my praises.

All the same, a bit of a double standard, isn't it? and what date does any given historical action no longer qualify to be deemed significant for moral comparison? Hitler was historical too, just a few centuries more recent. and I doubt this is the tune you would be singing about, oh, say, Aisha...

[Boyar Son]

Oh, please, that is such a cop out. Hitler is part of the history of Germany, should they have a Hitler day? An extreme comparison, for sure, but not an inaccurate one. Just because someone had a role in history doesn't not mean they should be celebrated.

Conservatives harp on the PC line so much I think they are blind to the fact that they are the ones who are far more indentured to politically correct taboos. Here's one for ya: Columbus was a Murderer and a slave trader, he did what he did accidentally, and has absolutely nothing to do with the founding values of the US, ie, the only thing that really separates us from the world. We should remember him like he was, despicable.




Yes, because that is exactly what we are arguing for.

Way to re write and judge a man by today's morals. But it's not like the opinion matters because in 50 years time we'd prob'ly have a whole different opinion of him than now.

happy Columbus day.