Welcome to a discussion about the upcoming 5th Revolution in the US, which I’ve titled the “Revenge Revolution.” For more about the Revenge Revolution and the author, Entry #1. Periodically I write a “sense check” to assess whether a revolution in the US is possible or whether the entire exercise is based on a statistical aberration — i.e., a roughly 50-year cycle between major upheavals in the US. Entry #430 was the most recent “sense check.”
BEGIN ENTRY #468: Recently, there was an article about a court in Philadelphia that ordered removal of a plywood box covering a 10 foot statue of Christopher Columbus. The statue was a gift to the city of Philadelphia in 1876.
The statue was covered with plywood following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Protesters in Philadelphia demanded the statue be taken down, or at least covered, because somehow Christopher Columbus was linked to the forced removal of the indigenous people from their native areas, and was somehow further linked to suppression of blacks, which led to the death of George Floyd by a rogue cop. Whew!
How do people end up making these links? Start with Christopher Columbus. He was sponsored by Queen Isabella of Spain in a quest to find a western passage to India and, in the process “discovered” America. (If you ever wondered why Native Americans are called Indians now you know.)
Columbus, an Italian explorer, reported back to the Queen about discovering this new land. As a result of his efforts, Columbus got funded for a total of four (4) trips to North America.
What did Columbus do on those trips? Did Columbus lead any invasion? No. Did Columbus directly cause any significant harm to Native Americans? No. Was Columbus involved in the slave trade? No.
Columbus was an explorer sponsored by the queen of Spain. Upon returning to Spain in 1493, Columbus was a “messenger” informing the queen there was a new land west of Europe.
What did Columbus do that was so bad a statue needed to be covered in plywood? Maybe the ire and frustration of the people who demanded the statue of Columbus be removed (the court order was to cover in plywood) should direct their ire at the true culprits – the Spanish, who invaded much of North America; the English, who established the colonies; and the Dutch (among others), who transported blacks from Africa. And while we’re pointing fingers, let’s not forget the chiefs of various African tribes, who sold members of other tribes to the Dutch.
Where were Columbus and the Italians during this activity? Columbus died about 1506, more than 100 years before the Mayflower. And other Italians? They remained in the Mediterranean.
Please tell me again, then, why Columbus should be linked to the death of George Floyd? Applying the “Columbus-logic” to other situations can lead to some bizarre conclusions.
For example, using the “Columbus-is-the-cause” logic would justify prohibiting blacks from driving a German car – Mercedes, BMW or VW. Why? Because early on in the civil rights movement in the US, Jews were the first white group to support more freedom for blacks, often marching with blacks in protest and often suffering the same mistreatment from police in southern cities. During the period Jews also provided logistics and financial support to the effort.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Jews were persecuted and killed en masse by the Germans. The auto companies making Mercedes, BMW and VW were all part of the German war machine in WWII.
Therefore, by driving a Mercedes, BMW, or VW, blacks are demonstrating support for the actions of the Third Reich and the extermination of 6 million Jews. Now, you see what I mean by convoluted logic?
Folks, time to step back and view issues from a rational, less ideological perspective. Columbus was an explorer who was looking for a different passage to India. Along the way he “discovered” North America. He returned three more times. In any of those trips did Columbus make an effort to invade America? No.
This entry is not intended to diminish the plight of Native Americans or blacks. But, if you feel compelled to blame someone for the plight of blacks or Native Americans, blame one or more of the groups responsible. Just don’t blame Columbus. He wasn’t even looking for America. He was looking for another way to India. END ENTRY #468
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