miércoles, 11 de octubre de 2017

Columbus Day

As often happens to me here in Spain, I forgot an American holiday that just passed recently.  Columbus Day was on the 9th of this month.  I would hate to miss an opportunity to talk about this holiday just because it has passed.  This year it has drawn a lot of controversy about whether we should celebrate this Columbus´ achievements or not.


Imagen relacionada

It brings to the forefront the larger question of whether we should look at our history factually or celebrate our successes without tainting them with some of the unsavory consequences. What do you think?  Should we keep the statues and memorials and honor his achievements?  Or should we take them down and admit the often overlooked darker aspects?  Should we face history or erase it?

This debate has gotten especially pointed this year and has stemmed from a debate about Confederate statues being taken down around the country. 


What do you know about this situation?  Should the statues be taken down?  I won´t pretend to be impartial on this issue, but I would like to hear what everybody thinks about this situation.

Here´s a video depicting some of the protests in the U.S: 


Here is a 2 minute video of the mayor of New Orleans explaining his point of view on the issue.  The video is produced by The Atlantic which is a monthly magazine "which covers news and analysis on politics, business, culture, technology, national, international and life"



Do you have any memorials that are objectionable or controversial here in Spain?  What have other countries done to commemorate their history?

I look forward to our conversation.

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