Trump issues a Columbus Day proclamation to 'reclaim' the explorer's legacy

https://laist.com/news/president-trump-columbus-day-proclamation

President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation declaring Monday to be Columbus Day, in an effort to "reclaim" what he called the famed explorer's "extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance and virtue."...

Critics and advocates like Kerri Malloy, a professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at San José State University, have challenged Columbus Day and Christopher Columbus' legacy. He says Columbus' arrival to the Americas "triggered a mass genocide of Indigenous people throughout the Western hemisphere," which included deadly diseases being spread among them, their land being stolen and being forced into Christianity...

"The proclamation reiterates the American fantasy of Columbus' voyage as solely a story of discovery and exploration, versus what it really was about — commerce and the exploitation of resources," said Malloy, the San José State professor. "You can't tell a story without telling both sides of it."

Still, the president is encouraging Americans to celebrate Columbus in some way on the holiday and display the U.S. flag on all public buildings.

"This is the president trolling people of color, underrepresented minorities that tend not to vote for his party or candidacy," said Matthew Fletcher, director of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State University. "My sense is there's not a massive groundswell in favor of Columbus Day anymore, except, possibly, the Italian Americans."

175 points · 40 comments · view on lemmy.world

40 Comments

iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works · 66 pts · 297d (8 replies)

It's actually kinda remarkable how he continues to find new depths to sink to. Like, it truly has no end.

comrade_twisty@feddit.org · 29 pts · 297d (3 replies)

He’ll probably find a way to declare April 20th a national holiday somehow.

waterSticksToMyBalls@lemmy.world · 53 pts · 297d (2 replies)

For weed right?

swab148@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 26 pts · 297d

snooggums@piefed.world · 22 pts · 297d

blank stare

ininewcrow@lemmy.ca · 21 pts · 297d (3 replies)

The goal is to keep pushing to extremes ..... then when they backpedal ... everyone feels like they stopped him from going too far ... while at the same time, he's moved the conversation to even more extremes and no one noticed

Eventually, the conversation and actions will be so extreme that we'll all wonder how we got that far

muffedtrims@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 296d (1 reply)

Ratcheting that Overton window

ininewcrow@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 296d

... more like a sliding window they pushed so far and so fast it flew off its railing and the glass is flying through the air from the second story window.

Inaminate_Carbon_Rod@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 296d

I think it’s more a “yay, reporters have finally stopped asking me about the Epstein files” deal.

Gates9@sh.itjust.works · 38 pts · 297d (4 replies)

Fuck Columbus I’m celebrating Columbo Day

NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 296d (1 reply)

You know something's bothering me...

Y’know, my wife — she’s got this saying. She says when something doesn’t sit right, it’s like a stone in your shoe. You can keep walking, sure, but sooner or later… you gotta stop and take a look.

Jerb322@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 296d

"Need a lite?"

"No, no. I...I just carry it around. I don't smoke it."

IamSparticles@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 296d

Columbo Day is even better because it carries over into Tuesday.

It's just one more day.

GiuseppeAndTheYeti@midwest.social · 1 pts · 296d

For what it's worth, his native Italian name is Cristoforo Colombo. Kinda. In the 15th century when he was born it was Cristoffa Corombo

gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world · 33 pts · 297d

"Fascist weaklings do a performative racism to make themselves feel better about how much they suck"

adespoton@lemmy.ca · 27 pts · 297d (1 reply)

"The proclamation reiterates the American fantasy of Columbus' voyage as solely a story of discovery and exploration, versus what it really was about — commerce and the exploitation of resources," said Malloy….

I don’t know… I think it tells Columbus’ story as one of taking a risk to get ahead of the competition and claim personal wealth no matter the consequences to others.

Which is why people like Trump resonate so much with the story.

adespoton@lemmy.ca · 18 pts · 297d

Oh, and the bit about claiming to have found India despite knowing he hadn’t, and claiming it so vehemently that the area is called the West Indies to this day. Trump LOVES that bit.

WanderWisley@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 296d

As a Native American I will loudly say. “FUCK COLUMBUS AND FUCK TRUMP!”

MyOpinion@lemmy.today · 16 pts · 297d (3 replies)

The Orange Turd would enjoy slaughtering native people as much as Columbus.

JasonDJ@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 297d

They should go back where they came from!

Formfiller@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 297d

That is what he is doing

FenrirIII@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 296d

And raping children, which he's good at

NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 296d

Columbus day is a great day... To listen to the behind the bastards episode about Columbus.

BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 296d

“Rapist murderers gotta look out for each other.” - Trump

Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 11 pts · 296d

The legacy of getting so fucking lost?

mhague@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 296d

Who is Christopher Columbus? Is he friends with Epstein and Trump?

resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 297d

Proud tradition of racism and slavery.

Zagam@piefed.social · 8 pts · 297d (3 replies)

Cool. So we all wave Leif Erikson flags and shit on that day instead of 10/9.

shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 296d (1 reply)

Not sure who Leif Erikson is (Columbus' arch nemesis?) but it is Indigineous Peoples day so doing something positive for any of the many tribes that were stewards of this land for the 30,000 years is also worth considering!

Zagam@piefed.social · 0 pts · 296d

He was actually the first non-native explored to find us. But your idea is way better.

Tower@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 297d

Hinga dinga durgin!

lolcatnip@reddthat.com · 8 pts · 296d

Let the assholes call it what they want. As long as fascists are terrorizing our cities, we have bigger things to worry about.

nixfreak@sopuli.xyz · 8 pts · 297d

So gross

sauerkrautsaul@lemmus.org · 5 pts · 297d

Formfiller@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 296d

So we can just go discover maga people’s houses and take whatever we want?

CubitOom@infosec.pub · 4 pts · 297d
CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 295d
aarRJaay@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 297d

Sadly I feel the reason Kerri Malloy doesn't want Columbus Day is the exact same reason Trump WANTS it.

bagsy@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 296d

fuck his proclamations. This is a free country and i'll call it whatever i damn well please.

eurisko@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 296d

Having good moral positions is so easy in this day and age. All you have to do and say is the exact opposite of that guy.

So thank you for that flawless anti-compass I guess.