Thanksgiving-a different perspective

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I used to love Thanksgiving more than any other holiday. A short work week or school week, a day of hanging out with family, time to breath, relax and prepare for the craziness of December.

But then last year happened. I started to learn about history from a different perspective. A non-European perspective. A perspective from oppressed people, from those whose land was effectively stolen and from a continent of people that experienced genocide. We balk at genocide in other countries, thinking "how could that happen?" and yet most people go through school in the U.S. unaware of the genocide that this nation is founded on. But the truth is, the land you and I live on right now was stolen at one point.

When someone breaks into a car and drives off with it, we don't say, "Oh, he just discovered that car. It's okay." Hell no. It's called stealing. Columbus and other Europeans, including the pilgrims and early settlers did not "discover" America. There were people living here. Whole nations, in fact. Nations that were destroyed as more Europeans came across the ocean and took over. Europeans gained a lot. So much that you and I still benefit from the wealth accumulated over time. But with gain, someone loses. The native people of North America lost. Lost a lot.

But history is written by the oppressors, and generally leave out the oppressed. So the story you and I are told in school is that Thanksgiving is about celebrating the first harvest of the pilgrims. We make pilgrim hats and Indian hats and pretend that this was the start of something great.

I was reminded of all of this today as I read a post by Eugene Cho on God's Politics, Jim Wallis' blog. I don't think it's wrong to be thankful. But let's be aware that many of the things we can be thankful for were bought at the price of human beings who were treated like dirt.

Eugene Cho posted this on his blog, which I think is worth watching this Thanksgiving. It's not too late to learn a different version of American history.