Comments on: The “myth of thanksgiving” linkspam

By: narcopuppy

narcopuppy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:29:37 +0000

I love the video. I saw that movie in theaters as a kid and when that scene got to the blond chick tied to the pole I shouted “BURN HER! BURN HER!” really loudly. I got some dirty looks but you just can’t worry about that sort of thing much.

By: Napalmnacey

Napalmnacey — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:30:01 +0000

Here in Australia, we eat Turkey and are thankful on Christmas. Especially since most people aren’t religious and don’t actually spend the holiday thinking about Jesus.

I think our “Thanksgiving” day of horror would be Australia Day. All sorts of nationalistic bullshit goes on. I don’t celebrate Australia Day. I can’t bring myself to, it’s a sickening thought. If I had the mobility, I’d go to one of the remembrance ceremonies run by Indigenous Australians around the country.

Anyway, great post. I didn’t know the details of the source of Thanksgiving, and now I do it’s certainly eye-opening.

By: Rose Fox

Rose Fox — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:42:20 +0000

What an excellent post. Thank you so much. I’ve forwarded it to my family to explain why I’m glad we already agreed to skip the usual Thanksgiving bash on Thursday and instead get together for a small, quiet dinner on Friday. I also suggested they donate to the Native American Rights Fund, since we’re all really interested in social justice and the law.

I am surprised that almost no mention is made here (though it may be in the links, I haven’t followed all of them) of the Christian nature of the holiday. Not only are there issues with what we’re supposed to be thankful for but whom–or Whom–we’re supposed to be thankful to, which of course goes back to the Pilgrims’ religious motivations for massacring the natives and claiming the land. I wish more Christians would pay attention to this history and all the ways it contradicts the teachings of the Prince of Peace.

By: Polenth

Polenth — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:52:03 +0000

As someone outside the US, I admit I’ve never understood thanksgiving. Colonial domination isn’t something to celebrate. The Addams family sums up my idea of it…

Harvest I understand though. My family usually has a harvest meal in October. It’s a different kind of idea though. Harvest celebrations give thanks for the past year. They don’t focus on the good or bad of the years before that. It’s more about taking one year at a time.