It's an annual tradition here, when I, a Ligurian-American on my dad's dad's side, contemplate Columbus Day, and the implications of honoring a man who was a horrible person. Why hold a slave-taker who's actions precipitated a genocide which engulfed an entire hemisphere, as the best representative of your culture? There are plenty of other worthy candidates for the honor. Hell, why not celebrate this character, known for peering down Tura Satana's blouse?
Thankfully, there's a lot of traction for celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day, when the cultures of the autochthonous inhabitants of the Americas are celebrated. Discrimination and violence against Native American women remain a national disgrace, but these issues are finally receiving attention in the broader culture. The current administration's hostility toward Native American rights is a worrisome trend, though.
Speaking of thankfulness, here's also wishing that my Canadian readers had a joyous Canadian Thanksgiving, which I am pretty sure celebrates the adoption of the metric system by the Canadian government. As is my custom, on Canadian Thanksgiving, I blast the Canadian national anthem, which I am pretty sure is Aldo Nova's Fantasy:
Come to think of it, Aldo Nova is a paisan', so why not rename Columbus Day to Aldo Nova day?
Oh, man, I frickin' loved that song when it came out. As I was only 12 or so at the time, I naively thought that Aldo Nova was the name of a band and not the name of a man. As for the CA national anthem, t's either this song or Free Will by Rush.
ReplyDeleteApparently, he went on to write and produce a bunch of Celine Dion songs... I'll forgive him for that.
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