Columbus Day 2014 Becomes Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Critics Call Idea ‘Stupid’ Political Correctness

Columbus Day 2014 has jump-started a political debate over whether or not it is more appropriate to celebrate Native Americans or the European explorer Christopher Columbus. While two cities have already answered that question by creating the so-called “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” critics are already labeling the decision as “stupid” political correctness in action.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, if you want to see what businesses are open or closed on Columbus Day 2014, check out this article. But as you celebrate Columbus Day 2014, you might want to consider the discovery that Chinese explorer Zeng. He may have beaten Christopher Columbus to the punch.

City officials in both Seattle and Minneapolis decided that Indigenous Peoples’ Day would be a better idea than Columbus Day 2014. This decision had Italian-Americans like Ralph Fascitelli upset at the Seattle decision.

“We don’t argue with the idea of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We do have a big problem of it coming at the expense of what essentially is Italian Heritage Day,” said Fascitelli. “This is a big insult to those of us of Italian heritage. We feel disrespected. America wouldn’t be America without Christopher Columbus.”

According to CBS, the idea that Native Americans should not be recognized at the expense of Italian-Americans was also voiced by Biagio Genovisi, an organizer for the Columbus Day 2014 parades in Philadelphia.

“We have a very large Italian American community in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. And, no disrespect to any type of groups that exist in America, but on this particular day we’re celebrating Italian American culture and history,” said Genovisi, who also expressed support for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on a different calendar day. “I personally believe we should have a holiday for Native American Indians – a national holiday. I’ll support that 1,000-percent. They deserve it.”

The U.S. Federal government considers Columbus Day 2014 to be an official federal holiday. Only 23 states still recognize it as an official holiday with a paid day off for state workers.

Unfortunately, the initiative to replace Christopher Columbus Day 2014 reported has political correctness at its root, not a desire to promote Native Americans. For example, an Op-Ed by TownHall by Derek Hunter claims that “progressives always have hated Christopher Columbus, viewing him as nothing more than a white, genocidal monster who enslaved natives and spread disease to wipe them out.” As evidence for this claim, the article cites a resolution passed by the Seattle school board which describes Columbus Day 2014 as “institutionalized racism.”

“WHEREAS, the School Board seeks to combat prejudice and eliminate discrimination and institutionalized racism, and to promote awareness, understanding, and good relations among indigenous peoples and all other segments of our District…”

Seattle Councilman Bruce Harrell is also quoted as referring to the history of Christopher Columbus as being painful.

“We are celebrating the triumph of the indigenous people. We are not reveling in the pain of our past, but indeed rejoicing in the triumph… In honoring Indigenous People’s Day we are honoring the best of our self, the best of the city.”

The reason that some believe Christopher Columbus Day to represent a painful history is because Columbus’ journal notes that when he initiated trade with the Tainos people, he decided “they would make fine servants… With 50 men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” The indigenous people also died in great numbers when exposed to the diseases carried by the Europeans.

But TownHall claims “idiotic progressive revisionism,” since “in 1492 no one knew how disease was transmitted, or if they were a carrier,” so the natives died because they had no natural immunity to the viruses and bacterial infections being brought from afar. TownHall also claims the indigenous people “were not a Utopic people; they had wars just like the rest of the world.” If the Native Americans had the same technological advantage, and traveled to Europe, it’s claimed the same history would have been repeated, except in reverse.

What do you think about the idea to replace Columbus Day 2014 with Indigenous Peoples’ Day? Do you think a separate holiday date is a better idea?