When this blog was started, I spoke on the issue of cancel culture and how many individuals go out of their way to deem someone worth ‘cancellable’. I have decided to go full circle on this issue and end my RCL blog with a debate that I am sure will arise as we are entering our Fall break here at Penn State.
Thanksgiving. The holiday where we all get together and shove our faces with delicious turkey and warm pumpkin pie, enjoying our family’s company while enjoying time off from work, school, or any other responsibilities hanging over our head on the daily. Hearing such a description, it seems impossible that someone would want to cancel such a delicious holiday!
Many individuals believe that this American tradition should change in the way it is celebrated. This is a result of the fairytale-like storytelling that generations have passed down regarding this holiday. For anyone who does not know more than this Thursday in November being a huge family dinner, here is some of the fabricated backstory.
In 1621, the Pilgrims, otherwise known as the Colonists, sailed across the deep ocean blue and hit land in “The New World”. This land turned out to be America, where Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe resided and previously claimed this land. This is when the story gets fuzzy. Schools often teach a peaceful interaction , where the Native Americans and the Pilgrims join together for the Autumn feast, marking the celebration of Thanksgiving. To see examples of this storytelling, see here.
This was far from the truth, and was mainly due to the unheard of King Phillip’s war. This battle was between the two groups found in America, as a result of the Colonists pushing for more land to be claimed as their own. Historians describe this war as both “bloody and devastating” This was just one of the many brutal fights between the Colonists and the Wampanoag tribe to claim the most land, causing many native lives to be lost. This is a devastating story that very few families associate with Thanksgiving, so it makes sense why this has sparked such a debate whether to end the holiday or not.
It may help to shift the way we celebrate the holiday, honoring the lives lost and still struggling Native Americans today, while still spending time with family and friends.
ars6920
November 29, 2021 — 7:19 pm
Very well spoken, Luca. Understanding the true history of Thanksgiving is really important, because, while we were taught in school that this is a peaceful holiday, many Native Americans lost their lives, as you explain in your blog. I think it is perfectly okay for us to enjoy the holiday, but we should at least be aware of the suffering Native’s endured.
jjm7603
December 3, 2021 — 12:46 pm
I agree with what you are saying. It is really important to always understand the history behind tragic events because if we ignore them for what they truly are then we are disregarding history and harm that has been brought to other people. I think that there needs to be a reshaping of how well tell the story of Thanksgiving and then in turn how we celebrate it.
prh5154
December 5, 2021 — 10:21 pm
The fact that schools don’t teach the real history of Thanksgiving and actually make it seem like a fairytale with a happy ending is quite disturbing because the suffering from a group of people has just been erased. This is somewhat similar to the Chinese government and its essentially erasal of the Tianenmen square massacre in 1989.