LogFAQs > #959086865

*Sigh*

One side is stuck defending a man who didn't even reach the Americas (He hit one of the Caribbean islands) and did some outright horrible things and is remembered only because Italian American's needed a hero so that there'd be less discrimination against them in America.

And the other side has no diplomacy, tact, or real understanding at all.

To the people defending Columbus. Even if what he did was 'normal' for the time should we really honor him? Columbus day wasn't even a thing until relatively recently, exists only as a political measure to try and stop discrimination, and to most people is only relevant because it's a day off. He wasn't even the first person to discover America (if you discount the natives I mean); Leafy boy was. Do you honestly think most people understand the conflict? Do you honestly think they care? They just want their day off in October. That it's because it's because of Columbus is almost trivial. Yet you're acting massively defensive and refusing to acknowledge that he DID do horrible things in favor of an idealized, untrue, version of him. His voyage didn't even happen 'to discover America', it was because a nation got it's trade route cut off and figured it was worth it to waste three ships maybe finding a route across what they believed was empty ocean. You're fighting a battle for the sake of fighting a battle. Not even a hill to die on; a conflict that exists only because you want to fight it.

To those attacking Columbus: Have you considered that he means a lot at least to some people? That people look upon his accomplishment and see it not only as important but as a cultural touchstone? And you want to rip that away from them and have a completely horrible and disrespectful attitude while doing so? Even if you won what would you have accomplished? The day would be exactly the same except for the name. People wouldn't care about indigenous people one bit more as they only attach the value of a day off from work to it. You're offering nothing more than an empty gesture while acting like complete ***holes to the few people whom actually care about the day. Do you seriously think you're going to get any sort of meaningful victory out of that? It's a fight that's not even pyrrhic; it flat out doesn't even need to happen. You'd get far better mileage if you tried to point out Leaf was the first one and, in general, not being such jerks to those defending him. To many people he's the person who pulled off a huge accomplishment and you're basically stripping that away from them for a reason they don't even understand.