Thanksgiving Origins- Does it Matter?

One group of people has been killing another group of people for a chunk of land ever since time began. The struggles of the Native Americans is not new to this world. If you think that we as a society, will learn from our past mistakes, then you are sorely mistaken, just look at what is going on in the middle east.

Most of the holidays we celebrate (at least here in America) no longer have the same meaning as they did at their origin. Christmas is literally translated as " the feast of Christ", but on the most diligent Christian celebrates it as such. Thanksgiving is the same way. I know that I will be spending the day with my family celebrating the things that we are grateful for that have happened to us this year.

Yes, European settlers did bad things to the natives of this land, and visa-versa, but that is the nature of this world - we are a conquering species. You don't see the gazelle suing the lions for reparations.

Children, please behave. It's the holiday season for some of us, and we have to deal with enough bickering from family as it is. If you'd like to continue your conversation about personal bias and ad hominem explorations, I would politely request that you do so somewhere private, or perhaps on another thread. As I am personally biased on the original topic for multiple reasons, I'm interested in how this discussion will play out.
Thanks.

It's the holiday season for some of us, and we have to deal with enough bickering from family as it is.

That's the truth! :laugh: :woohoo:

Kaverael wrote: Yes, European settlers did bad things to the natives of this land, and visa-versa, but that is the nature of this world - we are a conquering species. You don't see the gazelle suing the lions for reparations.

As my master says "deep breath"

I have thought a lot about this exact quote the last day. I'm not going to deny that tribal groups could certainly be very viscous to each other, and yes we are a conquering species, but there is still a difference between living in harmony in a world for 10,000+ years and destroying it in less than 400.

Tribes are suing not because they hate lions it's because the USA murdered, raped, and pillaged their way through the entire US. Trails of broken treaties and lies are what the blood of millions of innocent lives were strained through as America became a country. They were given rights promised them in their treaties for the land that was stolen from them despite everything they did to prevent it. Those rights are guaranteed to them to help them as a people and the U.S. continues policies that are damaging and downright murderous to those who are left. They are not begging for scraps or anything of the like, they are asking for what has been promised them so we can all shop at Walmart.

Things that have happened have been terrible. Many people with tribal backgrounds are still trying to heal many thousands of wounds. A bit of cultural sensitivity to that is all we are asking. My grandmother went through the Assimilation Period, it was something that stayed with her her entire life. She was taken from her family in North Dakota and adopted to a white family in Missouri, forced to to go school beaten for speaking her language, etc.

That's in my family history, many of us have similar ones. It's a sharp reminder of the "conquerors". Yes let us remember what Thanksgiving was, however let us also take a day to be thankful for life around us and the blessings we do have, because some people, even gazelles are not so fortunate.

Okay breathe...