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Change Columbus Day to Exploration Day

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Re: Change Columbus Day to Exploration Day

#11

Post by waterlesscloud »

archangel_one wrote: post #9
sharkweek wrote: post #2

This will never happen for a variety of reasons -- but I have always lobbied to remove Columbus Day as a holiday and replace it with Election Day, hopefully encouraging a larger number of people to vote.

Is this really a big problem in the States? It just seems a little strange that you appear to take your elections very seriously, and have these huge campaigns etc, but then voter turnout is still considered low? One solution that occurs to me, simply because this is what used to happen in New Zealand and seemed to work okay, is to hold the election on a Saturday.

We have vote-by-mail all over the place now, so there's not much excuse beyond laziness.

In my opinion, if you can't be bothered to put in the minimal effort required now, I'd prefer you didn't vote anyway. I find it difficult to believe you'd be making anything resembling an informed decision.

Re: Change Columbus Day to Exploration Day

#13

Post by [deleted] »

jsnk wrote: post #6

I don't really care about the actual issue, but the objections raised to Columbus Day are absurd to me. Why is euro-centrism bad? I am not of European descent, but historically speaking, contributions made by Europeans are undeniably tremendous. I don't think there's anything controversial about acknowledging that Europeans had a pretty remarkable run in recent centuries. Does euro-centrism have a bad name because of…

[deleted]

Re: Change Columbus Day to Exploration Day

#14

Post by [deleted] »

calibraxis wrote: post #8
frozenport wrote: post #5

Early explorers did things that wouldn't fit into our view of acceptable behavior. You are hoping to replace Columbus with multiple Columbuses each with the same track record as the one you hope to replace. Personally, I like Columbus day, I like the discussion, and the critical thinking it brings. Its important to note that many celebrated foundations of our civilization would be despicable in modern standards. For…

He was despicable by the standards of the day, too. It's not like morality is a modern invention, as apologists claim. ("Oh, thou shalt NOT kill?") Columbus was such a terrorist, he and his brothers were chained, shipped back to Spain and imprisoned for his crimes as governor. Even after the monarchy overruled the Court of Spain, he was stripped of his governorship. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus…

[deleted]

Re: Change Columbus Day to Exploration Day

#15

Post by cglee »

jsnk wrote: post #6

I don't really care about the actual issue, but the objections raised to Columbus Day are absurd to me. Why is euro-centrism bad? I am not of European descent, but historically speaking, contributions made by Europeans are undeniably tremendous. I don't think there's anything controversial about acknowledging that Europeans had a pretty remarkable run in recent centuries. Does euro-centrism have a bad name because of…

Anything-centrism is "bad" in that it clouds one's ability to be objective. It also impedes empathy.

It's sort of tied to identity. If you do not cling to a specific identity, then it frees you to empathize with a wide range of people. If you say "I am white/asian/tall/rich", then it forms an in-group vs out-group mentality, and obstructs empathy.

For example, does it strike you odd that any land should be deemed "discovered" when there are already inhabiting humans there?

Re: Change Columbus Day to Exploration Day

#16

Post by sien »

sharkweek wrote: post #2

This will never happen for a variety of reasons -- but I have always lobbied to remove Columbus Day as a holiday and replace it with Election Day, hopefully encouraging a larger number of people to vote.

Why not just hold elections on a Saturday like Australia and many other countries do?

Re: Change Columbus Day to Exploration Day

#17

Post by flexie »

Sure. If you apply our standards, though, you might want to decry many of your founding fathers as well: Washington, Madison, Jefferson ("All men are created equal"), John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin - they all held slaves at some point.

So, should you rename the capital, the state, and all the avenues and parks that are named after these people?

Re: Change Columbus Day to Exploration Day

#18

Post by KaoruAoiShiho »

jsnk wrote: post #6

I don't really care about the actual issue, but the objections raised to Columbus Day are absurd to me. Why is euro-centrism bad? I am not of European descent, but historically speaking, contributions made by Europeans are undeniably tremendous. I don't think there's anything controversial about acknowledging that Europeans had a pretty remarkable run in recent centuries. Does euro-centrism have a bad name because of…

Anything-centrism is a cognitive bias, it reduces complex issues to simple ones designed to suit your world view. It's a pretty nasty ignorance promoting concept.

Re: Change Columbus Day to Exploration Day

#19

Post by arctictony »

flexie wrote: post #17

Sure. If you apply our standards, though, you might want to decry many of your founding fathers as well: Washington, Madison, Jefferson ("All men are created equal"), John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin - they all held slaves at some point. So, should you rename the capital, the state, and all the avenues and parks that are named after these people?

Did Washington cut off the noses and ears of those natives that tried to stop him raping their wives as punishment. Did Jefferson cut off the hands of those natives who did not mine enough gold that month in forced labour camps while also creating the encomienda system? Did Franklin reduce the population of Haiti from ~3m to 12,000 in just 20 years? Does John Hancock hold the record for transporting more slaves into slavery than any other person in history?

I think Columbus set himself well apart from the founding fathers on any number of scores and even in his own time and with his own supporters (Queen Isabella of Spain for instance) they thought he had gone too far

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