Western Courier

Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Opinion

Skylar Patridge/cartoonist

Thanksgiving is upon us once again, and students in grade schools across the country will be learning about the "original Thanksgiving," where the Pilgrims and Native Americans came together for a great feast.

Schoolchildren will don paper hats and feathered headbands and consume a mock "feast." They'll go home to tell their parents about the wonderful things they have learned in school, none-the-wiser about the historical truth of the matter.

They will be led to assume the story had a happy ending, which is nothing close to the truth. The Pilgrims, who were oppressed in their native country, became the oppressors. They became power hungry and self-righteous, pushing the Native Americans off their land, giving them diseases and committing a long list of other crimes against them, such as raping, murdering and pillaging their settlements.

And though we learn the truth later in life, we still "celebrate" the "original feast" between the Pilgrims and Native Americans. We connect with family and friends, and we gorge ourselves on food, forgetting the past.

It's easy to forget the horrid history of our nation since these events occurred so long ago, but that was only the first of many injustices on our country's track record.

Even as one of the youngest nations in the world, the United States has had a considerably large amount of social injustice plaguing us from sea to shining sea. We like to come together for key holidays to pretend we all get along, but in reality we know that isn't true. After the meal, many of us will resume the trash-talking ways we are accustomed to.

Our country started out sorely, and from then until now, the situation has not improved much.

When you gather with your family and recall the first Thanksgiving, remember what you're really feasting for: the slow destruction of a culture. The forcible movement of people from their homes to makeshift spots of land across the country. A silent holocaust. Remember those who suffered. And make sure your children know the true story - it's never too early to tell your kids the truth.

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