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Title: Why I hate Thanksgiving
Source:
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URL Source: http://www.counterpunch.org/2003/11/27/why-i-hate-thanksgiving/
Published: Nov 22, 2012
Author: MITCHEL COHEN
Post Date: 2012-11-22 19:08:23 by christine
Keywords: None
Views: 470
Comments: 35
Excerpt:
"When the Pilgrims came to New England they too were coming not to vacant land but to territory inhabited by tribes of Indians. The story goes that the Pilgrims, who were Christians of the Puritan sect, were fleeing religious persecution in Europe. They had fled England and went to Holland, and from there sailed aboard the Mayflower, where they landed at Plymouth Rock in what is now Massachusetts.
Religious persecution or not, they immediately turned to their religion to rationalize their persecution of others. They appealed to the Bible, Psalms 2:8: "Ask of me, and I shall give thee, the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." To justify their use of force to take the land, they cited Romans 13:2: "Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation."
The Puritans lived in uneasy truce with the Pequot Indians, who occupied what is now southern Connecticut and Rhode Island. But they wanted them out of the way; they wanted their land. And they seemed to want to establish their rule firmly over Connecticut settlers in that area.
In 1636 an armed expedition left Boston to attack the Narragansett Indians on Block Island. The English landed and killed some Indians, but the rest hid in the thick forests of the island and the English went from one deserted village to the next, destroying crops. Then they sailed back to the mainland and raided Pequot villages along the coast, destroying crops again.
The English went on setting fire to wigwams of the village. They burned village after village to the ground. As one of the leading theologians of his day, Dr. Cotton Mather put it: "It was supposed that no less than 600 Pequot souls were brought down to hell that day." And Cotton Mather, clutching his bible, spurred the English to slaughter more Indians in the name of Christianity.
Three hundred thousand Indians were murdered in New England over the next few years. It is important to note: The ordinary Englishmen did not want this war and often, very often, refused to fight. Some European intellectuals like Roger Williams spoke out against it. And some erstwhile colonists joined the Indians and even took up arms against the invaders from England. It was the Puritan elite who wanted the war, a war for land, for gold, for power. And, in the end, the Indian population of 10 million that was in North America when Columbus came was reduced to less than one million.
The way the different Indian peoples lived — communally, consensually, making decisions through tribal councils, each tribe having different sexual/marriage relationships, where many different sexualities were practiced as the norm — contrasted dramatically with the Puritan’s Christian fundamentalist values. For the Puritans, men decided everything, whereas in the Iroquois federation of what is now New York state women chose the men who represented the clans at village and tribal councils; it was the women who were responsible for deciding on whether or not to go to war. The Christian idea of male dominance and female subordination was conspicuously absent in Iroquois society.
There were many other cultural differences: The Iroquois did not use harsh punishment on children. They did not insist on early weaning or early toilet training, but gradually allowed the child to learn to care for themselves. And, they did not believe in ownership of land; they utilized the land, lived on it. The idea of ownership was ridiculous, absurd. The European Christians, on the other hand, in the spirit of the emerging capitalism, wanted to own and control everything — even children and other human beings. The pastor of the Pilgrim colony, John Robinson, thus advised his parishioners: "And surely there is in all children a stubbornness, and stoutness of mind arising from natural pride, which must, in the first place, be broken and beaten down; that so the foundation of their education being laid in humility and tractableness, other virtues may, in their time, be built thereon." That idea sunk in.
One colonist said that the plague that had destroyed the Patuxet people — a combination of slavery, murder by the colonists and disease — was "the Wonderful Preparation of the Lord Jesus Christ by His Providence for His People’s Abode in the Western World." The Pilgrims robbed Wampanoag graves for the food that had been buried with the dead for religious reasons. Whenever the Pilgrims realized they were being watched, they shot at the Wampanoags, and scalped them. Scalping had been unknown among Native Americans in New England prior to its introduction by the English, who began the practice by offering the heads of their enemies and later accepted scalps.
"What do you think of Western Civilization?" Mahatma Gandhi was asked in the 1940s. To which Gandhi replied: "Western Civilization? I think it would be a good idea." And so enters "Civilization," the civilization of Christian Europe, a "civilizing force" that couldn’t have been more threatened by the beautiful anarchy of the Indians they encountered, and so slaughtered them.
These are the Puritans that the Indians "saved", and whom we celebrate in the holiday, Thanksgiving. Tisquantum, also known as Squanto, a member of the Patuxet Indian nation. Samoset, of the Wabonake Indian nation, which lived in Maine. They went to Puritan villages and, having learned to speak English, brought deer meat and beaver skins for the hungry, cold Pilgrims. Tisquantum stayed with them and helped them survive their first years in their New World. He taught them how to navigate the waters, fish and cultivate corn and other vegetables. He pointed out poisonous plants and showed how other plants could be used as medicines. He also negotiated a peace treaty between the Pilgrims and Massasoit, head chief of the Wampanoags, a treaty that gave the Pilgrims everything and the Indians nothing. And even that treaty was soon broken. All this is celebrated as the First Thanksgiving."
"What do Indian people find to be Thankful for in this America? What does anyone have to be Thankful for in the genocide of the Indians, that this "holyday" commemorates? As we sit with our families on Thanksgiving, taking any opportunity we can to get out of work or off the streets and be in a warm place with people we love, we realize that all the things we have to be thankful for have nothing at all to do with the Pilgrims, nothing at all to do with Amerikan history, and everything to do with the alternative, anarcho-communist lives the Indian peoples led, before they were massacred by the colonists, in the name of privatization of property and the lust for gold and labor."
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#1. To: christine (#0)
Not exactly the garbage that we were fed in gov-school...
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken recurring theme since the beginning of time.... why is it that the ordinary men continue to be powerless against the few elites?
Evidently because we don't simply band together, rise up, and smite them. Gandhi was able to peacefully (mostly) throw off the Brits, but India today has its own ruling elite. Whot hoppened? Must we all have our ruler-gods? “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken Because it's easier than standing opposed. Since this was on Counterpunch and written by someone with the name of Cohen, I don't believe a word of it.
There are actually govt agents who spread conspiracy theories among the gullible to help promote the illusion that the govt is all powerful.
At least it's funny Bolshie drivel. "I am not one of those weak-spirited, sappy Americans who want to be liked by all the people around them. I don’t care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do. The important question is whether they are in a position to do anything about it." - William S Burroughs
The European Christians, on the other hand, in the spirit of the emerging capitalism, wanted to own and control everything — even children and other human beings. The pastor of the Pilgrim colony, John Robinson, thus advised his parishioners: "And surely there is in all children a stubbornness, and stoutness of mind arising from natural pride, which must, in the first place, be broken and beaten down; that so the foundation of their education being laid in humility and tractableness, other virtues may, in their time, be built thereon." That idea sunk in. This is very true. Very true indeed. The Pilgrims robbed Wampanoag graves for the food that had been buried with the dead for religious reasons. Whenever the Pilgrims realized they were being watched, they shot at the Wampanoags, and scalped them. Scalping had been unknown among Native Americans in New England prior to its introduction by the English, who began the practice by offering the heads of their enemies and later accepted scalps. Also very true. The indians were a peaceful tribe of people who tried to teach the Pilgrims how to survive and live amongst their fellow neighbors. The Pilgrims did not want this. They invaded the New World, and after settling, took over, robbed and scalped the Indians. Scalping came from the Pilgrims and it has always been a satanic ritual used on innocent victims. The Indians were not territorial people nor were they a violent people. They were the opposite of what our so-called history text books have brainwashed into our minds. The indians were very spiritual people who tried to teach the Pilgrims the way to proper civilization; something that the Pilgrims never learned themselves from Europe. I'm a quarter Indian and whenever I hear of people lashing out at my tribe, I just have to ask them where they get the notion that indians are violent and scalp people. I would rather have Indian blood in me that any Pilgrim blood in my veins.
What is your tribe, Human Being?
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken Cherokee BTW, human being means monster. www.hisholychurch.net/sermon/human.htm
Same here (though much less less %age than you), from back in the Indian Territory on my grandfather's side.
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken It was the Indians who taught the white man about medicine and how to harvest the crops. The Pilgrims who came over to the New World were unable to care for themselves and therefore relied on the Indians to aid them. Were it not for the Indians gracious assistance, the Pilgrims would have not have survived the extreme cold temperatures. It was the Indians who taught the Pilgrims how to build a fire and build homes. And how to fish too. And how were the Indians given thanks? They're homes were burned down and they were murdered. The Pilgrims had no respect for their neighbors nor for the dead. The Indians did have respect for the dead enough to know that you do NOT build homes over graves because to build homes over graves is descration and disrespect of the body. If you also read about the Sioux Indians, they suffered similar attacks by the white settlers too. Their land was taken from them even though they tired to teach the white man the language and also of medicine.
Indians? I though we were supposed to say "native americans"? Which is pretty funny itself, insisting on being called after an Italian explorer. "I am not one of those weak-spirited, sappy Americans who want to be liked by all the people around them. I don’t care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do. The important question is whether they are in a position to do anything about it." - William S Burroughs
The Indians were murderous savages who would torture their enemies until they died and bash out the brains of babies on rocks. There are no Noble Savages. There are actually govt agents who spread conspiracy theories among the gullible to help promote the illusion that the govt is all powerful.
All true. How many massacres were there where Indians invited white-eyes to smoke the peace-pipe and talk? Who really knows how many. “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken yep, that's the simple answer.
can you show some documentation of that?
I think he stole it out of Shoonra's playbook. Black Elk, the late leader of the Sioux Indian tribe had invited a poet named John G. Neighhardt in the mid 50's, whom I met when I was five in '72, to a peace pipe talk where Black Elk taught the then young poet the Sioux language and about his people and culture. (I have a photo of myself and my brother sitting on the poet's lap). He must have been around in his 80's in the pic. I remember reading about the story of the Sioux Indians in a book entitled Black Elk Speaks, from the poet's daughter who had taken notes in shorthand and transcribed into longhand form. I was asked to type her transformed manuscript of her father's experiences. The Sioux Indians had their share of troubles with the white men taking their land and trying to force the tribes to relocate. They would not do this and nor would they take federal bribe money to give up their land.
Let's see....I'll start with the Declaration of Independence: "He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction, of all ages, sexes and conditions." There are actually govt agents who spread conspiracy theories among the gullible to help promote the illusion that the govt is all powerful.
Does anyone honestly believe that the global elites whose wealth and power depend on manipulation of the global chess board would leave something like the Presidency up to chance?
Hannah Duston (Dustin, Dustan, and Durstan) (born Hannah Emerson, December 23, 1657 - c. 1736) was a colonial Massachusetts Puritan woman who escaped Native American captivity by leading her fellow captives in scalping their captors at night. Duston is the first woman honored in the United States with a statue. She has been referred to as "a folk hero" and the "mother of the American tradition of scalp hunting". During King William's War, Hannah, her husband Thomas Duston, and their nine children were residents of Haverhill, Massachusetts in March 1697 when the town was attacked by a group of Abenaki American Indians from Quebec. (In this attack, 27 colonists were killed and 13 were taken captive to be either adopted or held as hostages for the French.) When their farm was attacked, Thomas fled with eight children, but Hannah, her newborn daughter Martha, and her nurse Mary Neff were captured and forced to march into the wilderness. Along the way, the Indians killed the six-day-old Martha by smashing her against a tree. Hannah and Mary were assigned to an Indian family group of 13 persons and taken north. The group included Samuel Lennardson, a 14-year-old captured in Worcester the year before. Six weeks later, at an island[2] in the Merrimack River at the mouth of the Contoocook River near what is now Penacook, New Hampshire, Hannah led Mary and Samuel in a revolt. She used a tomahawk to attack the sleeping Indians, killing one of the two grown men (the second was killed by Lennardson), two adult women and six children. One severely wounded Indian woman and a young boy managed to escape the attack. The former captives immediately left in a canoe, but not before taking scalps from the dead as proof of the incident and to collect a bounty.[3] They traveled down the river only during the night, and after several days reached Haverhill. The Massachusetts General Court later gave them a reward for killing Indians; Hannah Duston received 25 pounds, and Neff and Lennardson split another 25 pounds (various accounts say 50 or 25 pounds, and some accounts mention only Duston receiving an award). Hannah lived for nearly forty more years. The event became well known, due in part to the account of Cotton Mather in his Magnalia Christi Americana.[4] Duston became more famous in the 19th century as her story was retold by Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Greenleaf Whittier and Henry David Thoreau. In 1879, a bronze statue of Hannah Duston grasping a tomahawk was placed in Haverhill town square (now GAR Park), where it still stands. A statue of Duston with tomahawk and scalps was also installed on the island in Boscawen, New Hampshire and another in Concord, New Hampshire. Some of Duston's artifacts are displayed at the Haverhill Historical Society. Today, Hannah Duston's actions in freeing herself, Mary and a child from captivity are controversial, with some (in particular her descendants) calling her a hero, but others calling her a villain, and some Abenaki leaders saying her legend is racist and glorifies violence. There are actually govt agents who spread conspiracy theories among the gullible to help promote the illusion that the govt is all powerful.
Back then, you dealt with any situation as expeditiously as possible; scalping, smashing heads, whatever it took to insure your (and your groups') survival. No 911, no CPS, no nothing except you to deal with it. “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken from the second article you linked
we can all cite stories and anecdotes depicting the cruelty and brutality of any group of people against another. what i take issue with is your blanket statement that all indians are monstrous (or whatever adjective you used) and there's not a noble one to be found ever.
Great stuff, thanks for sharing. One month ago, Russell Means went to be with the Great Spirit. I try to honor him, the Lakotas, and all the other Human Beings by trading for Lakota coins, one of the most beautiful silver rounds ever produced. Peace. “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken Humble christians and jews and Muslims believers of the Book. Evidently the New York banksters as well, believers of the Book. Might we enter into modernity? Guess not. well you know how evil those white folks be. I think human cultures have similar characteristics. I find the idolization of the native american cultures a bit disingenuous at best. Does anyone honestly believe that the global elites whose wealth and power depend on manipulation of the global chess board would leave something like the Presidency up to chance?
i agree with you.
I want a part of your casino.
#2. To: Lod (#1)
The ordinary Englishmen did not want this war and often, very often, refused to fight. Some European intellectuals like Roger Williams spoke out against it. And some erstwhile colonists joined the Indians and even took up arms against the invaders from England. It was the Puritan elite who wanted the war, a war for land, for gold, for power.
#3. To: christine (#2)
#4. To: christine (#2)
why is it that the ordinary men continue to be powerless against the few elites?
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#5. To: christine (#0)
#6. To: Turtle (#5)
(Edited)
There were many other cultural differences: The Iroquois did not use harsh punishment on children. They did not insist on early weaning or early toilet training, but gradually allowed the child to learn to care for themselves. And, they did not believe in ownership of land; they utilized the land, lived on it. The idea of ownership was ridiculous, absurd. The European Christians, on the other hand, in the spirit of the emerging capitalism, wanted to own and control everything — even children and other human beings.
#7. To: christine (#0)
#8. To: purplerose (#7)
#9. To: Lod (#8)
(Edited)
#10. To: purplerose (#9)
#11. To: Lod (#10)
(Edited)
#12. To: purplerose (#11)
#13. To: purplerose (#7)
The indians were a peaceful tribe of people
#14. To: purplerose (#11)
#15. To: Esso (#4)
#16. To: Turtle (#13)
#17. To: christine, Turtle (#16)
can you show some documentation of that?
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#18. To: Lod (#14)
(Edited)
How many massacres were there where Indians invited white-eyes to smoke the peace-pipe and talk?
#19. To: christine (#16)
can you show some documentation of that?
#20. To: christine (#16)
can you show some documentation of that?
#21. To: christine (#16)
can you show some documentation of that?
#22. To: Turtle (#21)
#23. To: farmfriend (#20)
Of course the E:uropeans who came to this continent were also cruel — and especially so to the Native Americans.
#24. To: Turtle (#21)
#25. To: purplerose (#18)
#26. To: christine (#0)
2:8: "Ask of me, and I shall give thee, the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." To justify their use of force to take the land, they cited Romans 13:2: "Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation."
"Satan / Cheney in "08" 
#27. To: christine (#23)
Of course the E:uropeans who came to this continent were also cruel — and especially so to the Native Americans
#28. To: farmfriend (#27)
#29. To: Lod, purplerose (#10)
Calling Ron Paul an isolationist is like calling your neighbor a hermit, because he doesn't come over your property and break your windows. - Dave Hebel Ford Mustang Forums
#30. To: christine (#0)
Like I'm gonna take Cohen's word for it.
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
#31. To: christine (#0)
http://anthropologist.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/coronado-to-the-indians-prior-to-commencing-destruction/ Coronado to the Indians, Prior to Commencing Destruction September 18, 2012 at 8:18 am (Books) Tags: history, nonfiction Self is currently reading Tony Horwitz’s A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World. She’s reached the part about Coronado’s trek through present-day Arizona, and how, upon encountering an Indian settlement, he orders the reading of a document called the Requerimiento, copies of which were carried “all over the Americas” by conquistadors, so that they could be read to “Indians before commencing battle.” The proclamation opened with an abridged history of the world: God’s creation of heaven and earth; Adam and Eve; St. Peter and the papacy. It also explained that the pontiff in Rome had authorized Spain’s claim to the New World, a grant recorded in various documents. “These you may view, if you wish,” the Requerimiento assured its Indian audience. Then came the summons. Natives who peacefully accepted the Spanish Crown as “king and lord” would be welcomed “with complete affection and charity,” and extended many privileges. Indians should pause to consider this generous offer, taking as much time as “is reasonable.” However, if they delayed, or refused to submit, the consequences would be immediate and awful. “I assure you that, with the help of God, I will attack you mightily. I will make war against you everywhere and in every way . . . “ Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.
#32. To: Turtle (#19)
Hmm. Upper class honkies using the dark folk as a weapon against other white folk. Sounds familiar. "He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction, of all ages, sexes and conditions."
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
#33. To: christine (#0)
Ask the Huron what they thought of the Iroquois...
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
#34. To: christine (#0)
Squanto showed the pilgrims how to fertilize the poor soil with fish. He learned how to do this as a slave in Spain.
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
#35. To: christine (#0)
What I wanna know is how Thanksgiving came to be all about the pilgrims. Five of the first six presidents came from Virginia, but it's the stupid commies on the Mayflower we're supposed to be thankful for, not the folks at Jamestown, who got here first.
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
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