None of them changed the direction of the history of the planet.
And, again, that doesn’t mean Columbus was heroic or a genius or should have a holiday. Honestly, it’s more serendipitous than anything, but it is the moment that everything changed.
I was listening to an interesting show recently and the guest had an interesting take — sure, despise his disgusting actions, but Columbus ushering in the era of bringing people to the New World (ha) reunited two threads of the human family tree, which had been separated for some tens of thousands of years. It was an interesting take, and very much backs up your notion that Columbus very radically changed the course of history.
For better or worse… eeeeeh… 
1 Like
Yeah, instead of celebrating a single person with a “legacy of slaughtering (…) indigenous peoples” we opt for celebrating a group with a “legacy of slaughtering (…) indigenous peoples”. Makes sense … more inclusive 'n stuff.
I appreciate the post, but what I"m saying is not a notion. It’s established fact that should be obvious to anyone living in the entire Western Hemisphere, for starters. It’s also consensus history.
What’s interesting in this whole discussion is it drives home that people do not like to live w/ ambiguity. They want black or white, good or bad. Columbus will not give you satisfaction on either account.
There are tons of great books on this subject. One of the best, most definitive, though now a bit overshadowed, is Crosby’s “The Columbian Exchange”.
1 Like
Consensus history? These days?! Is there such a thing? Was there ever? 
1 Like
In decline? Abandonment of massified society can only look like decline in the eyes of an ever-expanding Progress. I’m not sure where you got the idea that I’m interested in the “noble savage” mythology - I’m actively opposed to fetishization, tokenization, or ally politics. I’ve worked with indigenous people but only on the basis of an accomplice acting in self-desire.
I know Columbus was not remarkable, only a human expression of the unstoppable logic of domination, but I still like to think it would have been nice to kill him.
2 Likes
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
