Twas COLUMBUS DAY yesterday (and the day before it) and I had quite an engagement with my friend Ogidi Musso James aka OMJ - Comments https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/story.php?story_fbid=10153459686286997&id=675001996&ref=m_notif¬if_t=feed_comment, about the propriety of Americans still celebrating or marking a day in honour of someone whose actions will at best be described in the main as genocidal, and had he been striding the earth at this point in time would be a candidate for the International Criminal Court, ICC at The Hague, except maybe as an American he'd be shielded from prosecution there, as many of that countries men-in-arms are, even when they have committed gross human rights abuse while on tour of duty elsewhere in the world.
Though I doubt that my friend OMJ was entirely against my point, his point however dwelt rather with why I would single out the Americans for an act other countries like Japan and other nations (and major ethnic groups in an amalgam of a country like Nigeria) shamelessly do even without care for the sensibilities of those affected by their action of commemorating pioneers (in the case of America), or the celebration of the exploits of a forebear of a large marauding tribal leader over minor ethnic/tribal groups (in countries like Mongolia, Turkey, Nigeria etc), even of great rulers/leaders like Genghis Khan, Atatürk, Uthman Dan Fodio amongst others. I defended my action by reminding him that I raised this issue because at that moment in time it was Columbus that was being celebrated and I would gladly do so if and when the days for the commemoration of the others come too, especially if it was given the fanfare Americans give to the controversial "Columbus Day", especially when descendants of the victims remain within their country of aborigine in a position nearly second class in nature, and having to witness this annually.
It is even more unfortunate, that in the midst of all these is the campaign train for the presidential elections for next year, of which immigration continues to play a major role, howbeit divisive to hear Republican Candidates banter the way they do about immigration. Imagine a Donald Trump going at the Mexicans the way he's been doing like his forebears sprung up directly from the American soil, after hounding President Obama years back over his birth certificate. Most unfortunate is the fact that this rhetoric of his appear to have been partly responsible for his steady rise in the polls, a disgusting prospect in thinking that some section of America actually feels that way, and that he infact is speaking the mind, hopefully not of the majority.
The marking of days like Columbus' by Americans demean their stance as a nation that values Human Rights, and reduces their moral standing before the Comity of Nations especially when they fall out with nations like Turkey for refusing to acknowledge what they did against Armenians in WWI was genocide. It doesn't matter if before the landing of Columbus, the Amerindians were killing themselves (as portrayed in Mel Gibson's APOCALYPTO) with stronger tribes meting all kinds of inhuman treatments (including human sacrifices to the Gods) on weaker tribes, as the British also thought of Black Africans on the so called DARK CONTINENT, and therefore came in to bring forth to them enlightenment. Did Europe not have its DARK AGES? Sadly, unlike with Africa where the idea of bringing enlightenment in the main spared a large number of the natives, Columbus' expedition sought to annihilate America's natives, which begs the question why in the first place such a person should be honoured with a day. Even if the ancestors thought it right to so do, considering their racist tendencies, does it seem right for their offsprings to continue in the same light? Shouldn't this be a basis for such a commemoration to be struck off the calendar, besides the fact that it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of a section of the American society?
Even the notion that he discovered America cannot cut it. How about the Arawak Indians? (Asks Winston Rodney aka BURNING SPEAR in his CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS track). How long can we continue this foolishness in History of who discovered "where" on earth (like Mungo Park discovering the -source of the- Niger, when he didn't paddle himself across it in the first place) when those places were already well inhabited by indigenous people? Isn't that so very absurd? Mtcheeeeeeeew!
The British recently came close to rendering an apology for what they did to the Mau-Mau in Kenya, the Australians went further by actually apologising for their treatment of aborigines, which is good. America should rid itself of a position currently occupied by Belgium as regards its treatment of the Congolese in time past, as with Turkey to the Armenians, amongst a many inglorious others if she is going to be taken seriously as the nation that upholds and respects the rights of every one and group that forms an integral part of it. *Drops mic*
'kovich
PICTURE CREDIT:
- Comments https://m.facebook.com/home.php?refid=52&ref=m_notif¬if_t=feed_comment#!/story.php?story_fbid=10103745856036331&id=6028496&fs=4
Though I doubt that my friend OMJ was entirely against my point, his point however dwelt rather with why I would single out the Americans for an act other countries like Japan and other nations (and major ethnic groups in an amalgam of a country like Nigeria) shamelessly do even without care for the sensibilities of those affected by their action of commemorating pioneers (in the case of America), or the celebration of the exploits of a forebear of a large marauding tribal leader over minor ethnic/tribal groups (in countries like Mongolia, Turkey, Nigeria etc), even of great rulers/leaders like Genghis Khan, Atatürk, Uthman Dan Fodio amongst others. I defended my action by reminding him that I raised this issue because at that moment in time it was Columbus that was being celebrated and I would gladly do so if and when the days for the commemoration of the others come too, especially if it was given the fanfare Americans give to the controversial "Columbus Day", especially when descendants of the victims remain within their country of aborigine in a position nearly second class in nature, and having to witness this annually.
It is even more unfortunate, that in the midst of all these is the campaign train for the presidential elections for next year, of which immigration continues to play a major role, howbeit divisive to hear Republican Candidates banter the way they do about immigration. Imagine a Donald Trump going at the Mexicans the way he's been doing like his forebears sprung up directly from the American soil, after hounding President Obama years back over his birth certificate. Most unfortunate is the fact that this rhetoric of his appear to have been partly responsible for his steady rise in the polls, a disgusting prospect in thinking that some section of America actually feels that way, and that he infact is speaking the mind, hopefully not of the majority.
The marking of days like Columbus' by Americans demean their stance as a nation that values Human Rights, and reduces their moral standing before the Comity of Nations especially when they fall out with nations like Turkey for refusing to acknowledge what they did against Armenians in WWI was genocide. It doesn't matter if before the landing of Columbus, the Amerindians were killing themselves (as portrayed in Mel Gibson's APOCALYPTO) with stronger tribes meting all kinds of inhuman treatments (including human sacrifices to the Gods) on weaker tribes, as the British also thought of Black Africans on the so called DARK CONTINENT, and therefore came in to bring forth to them enlightenment. Did Europe not have its DARK AGES? Sadly, unlike with Africa where the idea of bringing enlightenment in the main spared a large number of the natives, Columbus' expedition sought to annihilate America's natives, which begs the question why in the first place such a person should be honoured with a day. Even if the ancestors thought it right to so do, considering their racist tendencies, does it seem right for their offsprings to continue in the same light? Shouldn't this be a basis for such a commemoration to be struck off the calendar, besides the fact that it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of a section of the American society?
Even the notion that he discovered America cannot cut it. How about the Arawak Indians? (Asks Winston Rodney aka BURNING SPEAR in his CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS track). How long can we continue this foolishness in History of who discovered "where" on earth (like Mungo Park discovering the -source of the- Niger, when he didn't paddle himself across it in the first place) when those places were already well inhabited by indigenous people? Isn't that so very absurd? Mtcheeeeeeeew!
The British recently came close to rendering an apology for what they did to the Mau-Mau in Kenya, the Australians went further by actually apologising for their treatment of aborigines, which is good. America should rid itself of a position currently occupied by Belgium as regards its treatment of the Congolese in time past, as with Turkey to the Armenians, amongst a many inglorious others if she is going to be taken seriously as the nation that upholds and respects the rights of every one and group that forms an integral part of it. *Drops mic*
'kovich
PICTURE CREDIT:
- Comments https://m.facebook.com/home.php?refid=52&ref=m_notif¬if_t=feed_comment#!/story.php?story_fbid=10103745856036331&id=6028496&fs=4
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