Should Columbus Day be celebrated?

[patrick1]

Ehhh, it gives those greasy wops something to be proud of,  God knows they could use it;)

[patrick1]

And interestingly enough Columbus wasn't even Italian.
[/quote]

So you don't buy that Columbus was from Genoa or that Genoa was not Italy back then? I know there are several varying theories floating out there.

[patrick1]

I hate people who mass murder and enslave indigenous populations.

Your reasoning is fine, just so long as you remember that the people that were on this land (as well as South America) were killing each other en masse long before Columbus arrived.  A lot of leftists who hate on Columbus seem to forget about that, and when reminded of it, they only respond, "well it was part of their culture."  It was part of Columbus' peoples' "culture" to conquer and enslave and pillage.  They did what came naturally to them.

Very few in history are innocent.  The Indian people that inhabited North America before the Europeans arrived had brutal wars with each other and hunted various species of animals to extinction.  Doesn't sound like your typical "at one with nature"-types, does it?

Good points J-Mann.  There always seems to be a tendency to make the victims virtuous. Being steeped in Irish history and culture, I am quite familiar with this situation.  It is a historical transference- you blame all the shortcomings and failures of your own culture on the other or oppresor nation.  Conversely there is another phenomenon among the "oppresor" nations to view the oppressed as mysterious and holders of arcane wisdom.   I am reminded of the South Park cherokee hair tampon episode.    People will buy into the ancient cures and listen to some dreadful "world"music  just because it is different.