Thanksgiving Day is a very important holyday in United States. For the common people it is a special date to be grateful for good things and spend good moment in family. For them it doesn’t commemorate anything specific or doesn’t have a shameful and bloody meaning. Thanksgiving Day is family, food, and the beginning of the Christmas. People don’t care about the history behind this day.
The historical truth is not only muddled, but also altered to make it a great moment. May be the history about Pilgrims and the Native American people is not totally true. Probably they never were friends and natives didn’t help the new people. The most likely could be that Pilgrims since the beginning attack the inhabitants of this land, and considered them as they enemies. History has the tendency of create creational myths around some events, yet always these events have a real history that society prefers to keep hidden. Even if the real history is known for the public, people are continuing celebrating because it is a tradition. Try to change this cultural event could take much effort and time. Thanksgiving is deep-seated in the society.
In my opinion people should continuous celebrating Thanksgiving Day even is the history behind is shameful and bloody. The nation doesn’t celebrate the death of many native people, they celebrate or thank in family and eating a special food.
For example, Christmas for many people has lost its real significance. Many years ago it was an exclusively Christian holiday, yet nowadays it is almost a global holiday spread by the capitalistic system. I know this topic has a different history, but I wanted to illustrate to show how the real meaning of the things has changed by the time.
In Colombia all the time the truth is hidden or suppressed to keep the confidence in the government. In some cases some groups know the real true but they don’t have enough power to change the official history.
Also in United States are some cases where the historical truth has been muddled or suppressed. Kennedy’s homicide is a good example. The real true about this significant topic is unknown for the common people and the official version is not convincing. Similarly, the Marilyn Monroe’ case is still very dark and confuse, nobody know the real history about her murder. It can help to keep the mythic intact. Always are different interests behind history to keep the status quo.
Wow ! it is a great post. Actually i strongly agree with you that people should continue to celebrating Thanksgiving even though some parts of thanksgiving history. But people should remember the history and ensure that it doesn't happen again. What's more, many governments would hidden much truths about history, including America, a free speech country. Nevertheless, I think it is good for citizens realize the truths of history.
ReplyDeleteNice post, nice turkey~
ReplyDeleteI agree with you~
People can't give up celebrate Thanksgiving Day, it has already become trandition in the US.
Governments are always hide truth to make our society stable, it's unfair, but I think it's necessary.
Juan Felipe:
ReplyDeleteI think that you have expressed a really feeling about how power people try to hide the truth giving alternative realities in order to avoid scandals. It is not only in Colombia or in the USA, but it is also in the wholw world!!
As you state, I think thanksgiving holiday means be grateful for everything : good and not good thins, as from every event that happen in our life we always can get a valuable lesson!!
Nice job!!
Hi Juan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eva--nice turkey. Anyway, another great blog. Perhaps next semester I should do a unit on conspiracy theories--we could look at JFK, Marilyn, 911, and more. I am sure people would have a lot of different opinions about what the "truth" is. Certainly, I don't think people should stop celebrating Thanksgiving, but I wonder about how to make it a day that doesn't limit our understanding of history or eventually eradicate smaller or different voices.
Thanks for a thoughtful perspective!
Jessica