# Columbus Day v Indigenous People's Day v Leif Erikson Day

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-day-v-indigenous-peoples-day-v-leif-erikson-day/952323>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [October 11, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-day-v-indigenous-peoples-day-v-leif-erikson-day/952323 "2021-10-11T21:56:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 38

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**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-day-v-indigenous-peoples-day-v-leif-erikson-day/952323/38 "2021-10-12T21:47:16Z")

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> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#):
>
> Do you really identify with the Spanish Conquistadors? What aspect of the Spanish Conquistadors forms which part of your identity? Is it like a team-jersey thing, or do you really fancy yourself some sort of conqueror?
> 
> I’m not mocking, I think you’d see this as a pretty flimsy rationalization if you interrogated it thoroughly.

Okay, if you aren’t mocking me… it’s not like a team jersey thing. But when they went over the Columbus, the conquistadores, the Pilgrims in Thanksgiving that later fought King Philip’s War, Andrew Jackson, the Indian Wars, &etc. in school, we were the conquerors, we were the oppressors. We were _not_ the Native Americans, the Native Americans suffered at _our_ hands and _we_ built _our_ country off of _their_ misfortune. (ETA:) Columbus Day is a reminder of that heritage, of exploration and conquering, it celebrates the meeting of peoples from each hemisphere and reminds us of the consequences.

And I say this as someone whose family, on both sides, immigrated to the U.S. in (I think) the twentieth century.

> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#):
>
> Fear of a bank holiday getting a different name? What change scares you here?

Admittedly there are other much more important things to be worried about than Columbus Day. But that’s the topic _du jour_ (or at least it was yesterday), and just because there are other more important things to be worried about does not mean I am totally indifferent to scrapping Columbus Day.

~Max

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