“Education is a system of imposed ignorance.” ~Noam Chomsky
Columbus Ohio is named after Christopher Columbus as a monument to him and his contributions to America. As is Columbus, Georgia; Columbus, Indiana; Columbus, Illinois; and others. There are statues around the country—including a famous one in Central Park in New York City that’s larger than life, idolizing his likeness. The cities, the statues, the story taught in government schools about Columbus are all meant to cultivate admiration and a romanticism for the “first American.” The seminal story of American exceptionalism, nationalism, and allegiance—even though it’s all fabricated revisionist bullshit.
Columbus set out looking for a westerly trade route to south and East Asia, which was known at the time by Europeans collectively as India. But his knowledge of the world was so bad, his navigational skills so poor, and his propensity to drink so strong he ended up in the fucking Bahamas. Believing he had reached the East Indies he called the newly discovered inhabitants “Indians.” A naming convention that remained for any and all inhabitants in central and North America for centuries to come. Ever wonder why Native Americans were called Indians? Now you know: because of the ignorance of a 15th century drunkard who thought he was in India. I find that funny as hell.
And for the love of god can someone explain how Columbus could discover a place that already had millions of native inhabitants? I don’t think “discover” means what they think it means. Nor did he ever once set foot on North America, but we’ll just say he did, for the sake of the story. The only truly honest part about the story of Christopher Columbus is that he was Italian and had a boat. Other than that you have to put on your boots because the shit piles up fast. It was all just made up to serve a purpose, to sell an ideology: American nationalism and exceptionalism.
The lie in and of itself wouldn’t be so bad if that’s where it ended; it’s not. Columbus enslaved, imprisoned, raped, and pillaged the locals. His actions inaugurated a period of conquest and colonization that lasted for centuries and founded the transatlantic slave trade. He tortured and oppressed the inhabitants of Hispaniola so badly that eventually the King and Queen of Spain had him arrested and imprisoned. Don’t remember that part from history class do you? That’s because they never taught it.
But regardless of all the bullshit surrounding the story of Columbus, all of the crap that was literally just made up as an advertising campaign, his legend grew and he is celebrated as a national hero. Columbus Day is one of only ten Federal holidays, all Federal workers get the day off, as well as banks and businesses, in twenty-three of the US states and Puerto Rico. A day off? For what? To get drunk, get lost, pick a fight with some people in another neighborhood and get arrested? Wikipedia writes: “President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus's landing in the New World on the 400th anniversary of the event. During the anniversary in 1892, teachers, preachers, poets, and politicians used rituals to teach ideals of patriotism. These rituals took themes such as citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation, and the celebration of social progress.” You knew there had to be a political purpose to the holiday steering society toward nationalism and “the importance of loyalty to the nation.” You see, all religions need gods to worship and icons to pray to. The religion of nationalism is no different. Rinse and repeat.
No comments:
Post a Comment