Thanksgiving

I find this holiday the most disgusting holiday of the year and I am thankful to not be a part of it.  I never really thought about it until Evy started school and they explained to her the history of Thanksgiving.  At least, the glossy version of it.

Sadly, the truth is that when the "Indians" showed the pilgrims how to live on this land, it facilitated a genocide unmatched in human history.  This was a heartless, torturous, hunting of the people who lived here.  Yet, annually, people choose this time to be thankful for what they have in the same fashion that the early Europeans did.  Thankful for the "freedom" bestowed by discovering this land.  "Freedom" that the people who originally lived here were not afforded even after being so kind.

Interestingly, as a side point, the usually savage Norwegian Vikings were exempt from this as a whole.  Part of the reason why Norwegians were granted naturalized citizenship status back in the gold rush days when they came over from Norway was because of the fact that Leif Ericcson (Eric the Red) had brought many over from there back around 1000 AD who had stayed and settled the land in harmony with the other natives.  In short, Norwegians were already native to the land when other Europeans got here.  Technically, this makes Norwegians Native American.

I find it ironic that people choose this holiday to be thankful for the blessings they've been afforded to them, though it has such a terrible and cruel past.  I also find it ironic that this holiday kicks off the season of pushing and shoving, which results in deaths every year in the wee hours of Black Friday morning as people are trampled to death because others just have to be first to get to worthless "stuff."

Every year, I am thankful to not have been an "Indian" back in the day and I am thankful to have no part of this holiday.  I am also thankful that Jehovah made turkeys so yummy and that they can be eaten anytime.