Imagine having a day dedicated to stress and wasted money with the product of what can be defined as, at best, mediocre food. Surprise, we do: it’s known as Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was a day in 1621 when the Pilgrims of Plymouth and the Wampanoag Native Americans shared a feast that saved the Pilgrims from starvation, marking this day as a day to give thanks. But after this feast, the Pilgrims began to grow in numbers. So what better way to show their gratitude to the Wampanoag Native Americans than to wipe them out? This holiday is just another instance of Americans idolizing themselves as heroes by covering the blood they have spilled and villainizing even those who helped them. This turn of events was disgusting, much like the current holiday.
America has a history of squashing others’ voices and Thanksgiving is no different
America has a history of squashing others’ voices and Thanksgiving is no different. It celebrates Pilgrims with no mind to the sacrifices made by Native Americans. We supposedly gathered around to give thanks to the Pilgrims who allowed our modern lifestyle to be possible. But should we really be thanking those who started us off on the foot of bloodshed and backstabbing?
Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day when we gather with our loved ones and eat the same foods as the Pilgrims once did, but even this is inaccurate. The foods are not the same and the main staple of Thanksgiving is the turkey, which the Pilgrims likely didn’t even eat. It has evolved from a harvest festival, to a religious gathering, to nothing more than a holiday that has lost its true meaning.
Imagine going to crowded and chaotic stores to spend ridiculous amounts of money on one meal, only to then have to go home to cook said meal, spending hours in the kitchen so that by the time it’s done and you are ready to sit and eat you’re exhausted.
Solely based on one meal that celebrates “unity” for those who have a big enough bank account to spend a ridiculous amount of money and time that will all be over within a matter of a couple hours
A month later is Christmas, and other winter religious holidays, so why not wait for these far superior holidays to come around? Unlike Thanksgiving, winter holidays are not solely based on one meal that celebrates “unity” for those, but only for those who have a big enough bank account to spend a ridiculous amount of money and time on a feast that will be over within a matter of a couple hours, filled with overeating to the point of discomfort.
Some obsess over this fall holiday- social media has run with it, turning it into something that is meant to be seen as “aesthetic.” It has diverted from its main purpose of giving thanks and being grateful. Now it’s only important how visually pleasing each of the dishes looks so they can be added to a Pinterest board and posted online. The core of Thanksgiving has just turned into angles, likes and views. And that’s no holiday I will give thanks to.
![SUNNY CALIFORNIA: Principal Nicole Griffith poses with her wife Brenda and son Langston at the golden gate bridge in San Francisco.
For Griffith, Thanksgiving break is perfectly timed. “Thanksgiving comes at just the right time every year when we all really need a mental break from school, and this year I was able to completely forget that I was a high school principal and just be on vacation with my family. I didn’t check my email which I needed to do. It was a nice refresher. In their time in California, the group, along with Griffith’s mother, saw sights such as Alcatraz, took a cable car ride, rode a train and visited the science museum. “San Francisco is a fun place to be but it is also a place that is special to our family,” Griffith said. “My wife lived there and really loves it. I always joke that she left her heart there and we have to go pick it up every once and a while.”
Most excited for the trip was Langston. “[My son] loves travel. He gets so excited. He is a definite travel bug, which I don’t know where he gets that. But he loves travel, loves being around his grandparents. It was really great.” The young adventurer got to lean his head out the window on the train, learn cards with his grandmother and explore all of the sea creatures at the aquarium. Griffith was also thankful to miss the rainy weather in Austin. “The weather was beautiful [in San Francisco],” Griffith said. “We missed all the rain in Texas. By the time we got back on Saturday it had passed. But it was sunny in San Francisco and super clear. We never didn’t have these beautiful expanses of light.”
Photo courtesy of Nicole Griffith. Reporting by Morgan Eye.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/FullSizeRender-475x356.jpeg)
Anonymous • Dec 4, 2023 at 7:47 pm
I like the idea of this article but I would prefer to look at this issue with reminding people to look at both sides of history. Celebrating Thanksgiving reminds us that we have a responsibility to look at both sides of our history. We celebrate being thankful for family, coming together, our privilege in the free world, and that the Native people saved the Pilgrims lives. There is pride in our American history that should be celebrated, but there is also another side to the story that should be acknowledged and remembered. As we celebrate with a modern feast, we should remember that history has realities and blemishes. The Native people suffered greatly at the hands of many Pilgrims, but not all. We should remember the sacrifices of the native people but not diminish the American customs and celebrations.
Anonymous • Nov 23, 2023 at 10:21 pm
It was celebrated to bring peace and unity during the Civil War and thank God for the many blessings He has given us all, not the “squandering of Native Americans”. Surrender and come to Christ and then see what true Thanksgiving looks like. That’s where you will truly find something to be thankful for, the blood of our Lord, and start living like a true American that doesn’t hate America.