For most people I know, Thanksgiving has nothing to do with the fake history grafted onto it in the late 1800s. It's just about eating a big traditional meal with family, and being thankful for what we've got. Pilgrims and Indians have nothing to do with it. And I think that's a valid approach, though it feels kind of ... thin? to me. Like there isn't a lot of substance.
But I think it is good to use holidays as opportunities to focus on particular things--If I were a more competent parent, I'd go get a big stack of library books and teach a lesson each day about one of the cultures which went into the founding of America. 30 days is ample room for lessons about many different cultures and how they got here and shaped America, from the different Indian groups to Pilgrims and Spaniards and Africans. For children as young as mine, I wouldn't bring up much about the genocide and all (Link is a rather... sensitive child), just that we are all here now, and all Americans, and should all work together and value each other's contributions, and be thankful for the blessings of a rich heritage.
Older kids, or adults, can handle the more nuanced subject matter. It's important not to gloss over the negatives, but it's also important not to make them an exclusive focus. It is very easy to start to see other groups solely through the lens of "problems". This is something we westerners do a lot of when looking at the third world. We see problems, we feel guilt about the problems, we want to fix the problems, but in the process we can lose sight of the people. People got more than just problems.
Most people, I suspect, while they want their problems acknowledged and for people to try to be helpful, also would like to celebrate all of the interesting, positive, and creative things they have done and accomplished.
If I ever do manage to live in a different country, I think it will be just as important to learn about the peoples and history which shaped that country. But I am here, among these people, so there is value to learning about here.
no subject
For most people I know, Thanksgiving has nothing to do with the fake history grafted onto it in the late 1800s. It's just about eating a big traditional meal with family, and being thankful for what we've got. Pilgrims and Indians have nothing to do with it. And I think that's a valid approach, though it feels kind of ... thin? to me. Like there isn't a lot of substance.
But I think it is good to use holidays as opportunities to focus on particular things--If I were a more competent parent, I'd go get a big stack of library books and teach a lesson each day about one of the cultures which went into the founding of America. 30 days is ample room for lessons about many different cultures and how they got here and shaped America, from the different Indian groups to Pilgrims and Spaniards and Africans. For children as young as mine, I wouldn't bring up much about the genocide and all (Link is a rather... sensitive child), just that we are all here now, and all Americans, and should all work together and value each other's contributions, and be thankful for the blessings of a rich heritage.
Older kids, or adults, can handle the more nuanced subject matter. It's important not to gloss over the negatives, but it's also important not to make them an exclusive focus. It is very easy to start to see other groups solely through the lens of "problems". This is something we westerners do a lot of when looking at the third world. We see problems, we feel guilt about the problems, we want to fix the problems, but in the process we can lose sight of the people. People got more than just problems.
Most people, I suspect, while they want their problems acknowledged and for people to try to be helpful, also would like to celebrate all of the interesting, positive, and creative things they have done and accomplished.
If I ever do manage to live in a different country, I think it will be just as important to learn about the peoples and history which shaped that country. But I am here, among these people, so there is value to learning about here.