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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIs Thanksgiving a racist holiday?
Technically speaking, people are racist, as opposed to a calendar day, but you know what I mean, right?
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Yes, Thanksgiving is a racist holiday. | |
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No, Thanksgiving is not a racist holiday. | |
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Well...kind of, but for me it's about family. | |
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I never post on DU when I'm sober. | |
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0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided. | |
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WillowTree
(5,325 posts)KMOD
(7,906 posts)ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)because of the atrocities some white people committed against the native population after they greeted and helped the white immigrants.
KMOD
(7,906 posts)Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Some of the bullshit mythology around it is, though.
world wide wally
(21,743 posts)actually helped each other out.
The racism came later, so let's feel free to celebrate a time of cooperation and good will. And it won't hurt to just think about what you are thankful for as well.
Journeyman
(15,031 posts)Thanksgiving is the only holiday annually proclaimed by the President. It does not commemorate any specific event, nor is it a recognition of any set traits or beliefs. It is specifically what the President proclaims it to be each year.
I am unable to find the 2014 Proclamation (it usually goes out the beginning of the week traditionally set for it, the fourth week of November*), but you should be able to find it in the next few days. For example, however, last year's proclamation is below.
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION[/center]
Thanksgiving offers each of us the chance to count our many blessings -- the freedoms we enjoy, the time we spend with loved ones, the brave men and women who defend our Nation at home and abroad. This tradition reminds us that no matter what our background or beliefs, no matter who we are or who we love, at our core we are first and foremost Americans.
Our annual celebration has roots in centuries-old colonial customs. When we gather around the table, we follow the example of the Pilgrims and Wampanoags, who shared the fruits of a successful harvest nearly 400 years ago. When we offer our thanks, we mirror those who set aside a day of prayer. And when we join with friends and neighbors to alleviate suffering and make our communities whole, we honor the spirit of President Abraham Lincoln, who called on his fellow citizens to "fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union."
Our country has always been home to Americans who recognize the importance of giving back. Today, we honor all those serving our Nation far from home. We also thank the first responders and medical professionals who work through the holiday to keep us safe, and we acknowledge the volunteers who dedicate this day to those less fortunate.
This Thanksgiving Day, let us forge deeper connections with our loved ones. Let us extend our gratitude and our compassion. And let us lift each other up and recognize, in the oldest spirit of this tradition, that we rise or fall as one Nation, under God.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 28, 2013, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the people of the United States to join together -- whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors -- and give thanks for all we have received in the past year, express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own, and share our bounty with others.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
BARACK OBAMA
*President Franklin Roosevelt tried to change the holiday observance, to move it back a week to permit a longer shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but was over-ruled by Congress.
gordianot
(15,238 posts)Pillgrins and Native Americans alike put away food they should have preserved,
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Back in those earliest days, was when the Pilgrims and the Natives actually largely got along, and even shared ideas together. It wasn't until colonial rule began to make itself obvious that the racism and other bigotries became a huge problem.....
pipoman
(16,038 posts)ladyVet
(1,587 posts)I look at it in the historical aspect, and really just consider it a very late harvest festival.
But don't get me started on Columbus Day! I told someone once that I had no use for that holiday, and said it should be renamed Cultural Annihilation Day. I've set my family straight on the origins of "Christ's birthday", too. And that whole resurrection celebration? Not happening in my house.
Now, bring on those holiday sales!
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)Besides, I really like turkey with stuffing along with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and gravy and candied yams. Life would hardly be worth living without that. Some roasted brussels sprouts would be nice too.
ileus
(15,396 posts)I feel better about myself now.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)The mythology surrounding "the first Thanksgiving" and the colonization of America is racist. Having turkey with your family isn't. So aspects of Thanksgiving that focus on the mythology are, but the family meal isn't.
badtoworse
(5,957 posts)LWolf
(46,179 posts)is the "uniquely American" version of harvest festivals held around the world since people started harvesting things.
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,182 posts)Well, actually, it could be. But only if your family that you eat with at Thanksgiving are a bunch of racists.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)if you can present the case in such a way.
el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)In that it celebrates the coming together of the Native American and Colonial settlers (yes the reality is different than the myth) - and we know that that relationship wasn't so great in the long run. One can look at it like the celebration of Native Americans submitting to the White Colonists, which would be racist.
Of course it could also be seen as a dream that didn't pan out - a dream where the settlers and the Native Americans worked together rather than having the Native Americans be trampled underfoot.
Bryant