Clifton: Columbus Day, an ironic national disgrace

It's like commemorating the beginning of American slavery with a ticker tape parade. A twist of minds with a manipulation of faith. It's like killing the ER doctors that helped you to survive. It's like going to a stranger's house and saying, "Yeah, this place is  mine."

And isn't it ironic, don't you think?

At least I really do think that Columbus Day is one ironic little holiday.

Then again, this was the norm during Christopher  Columbus's  time. One group conquers, kills off and/or enslaves another for economic or political gain without considering the humanity of the people they encounter. Partnerships and peaceful coexistence certainly were the exception rather than the norm.

That's not to give Columbus or others a free pass. Knowing what we know now, it is completely ignorant for us to acknowledge Columbus as a pioneer who "discovered" America.

Common sense at least should tell us one thing: he didn't really "discover" anything. More like, he "encountered" America. There were people here first and he met them on October 12, 1492.

This whole discovery nonsense is simply crushed into our skulls via elementary school history books that encourage an overly idealistic sense of patriotism. Such teaching is highly Eurocentric in nature and only glamorizes those who conquered the very land where we reside.

Even though most history is told from the perspective of the winners, when we know other perspectives we should acknowledge and attempt to understand them instead of dumbing the situation down. Unfortunately, Columbus Day is a holiday guilty of oversimplification for patriotism's sake (arguably, this column simplifies the issue too, but I must respect word limits).

But I would posit that patriotism not only means loving and respecting one's country, but also loving it enough to recognize and remedy injustices and missteps.

With that in mind, it makes much more sense to teach children all sides of the Columbus story, not only the Eurocentric "discovery" fairy tale. While Northwestern students attend classes on Columbus Day, many school systems still allow students a day off to "celebrate"  the so-called holiday, Chicago included.

We should seek to teach children and others the truth about Christopher Columbus and the holiday they blindly observe, including the exploitation, oppression and genocide that are part of the story.

Either that or we get rid of the holiday altogether – at least as we know it.

An even more plausible remedy is to institute a day – perhaps October 12 itself –  that celebrates the people who Columbus "discovered" so we can pause to hear their stories instead of confining them to obscurity on reservations and other areas where Native Americans are visible.

Derrick Clifton is a Communication senior.

He can be reached derrickclifton2012@u.northwestern.edu