A (Not So) Happy Thanksgiving

I read an article yesterday about how many teachers are beginning to tell a more accurate version of the Thanksgiving story. In other words, they are trading in the fairytale that the Pilgrims and the Indians peacefully lived together and shared the bounty of the year's harvest, instead opting for some version of the story where the European settlers came to a America and began killing American Indians and taking the land their tribes had occupied for centuries. Really, though, we can't be too hard on those poor settlers. I mean, they said that God had promised it to them, so why wouldn't he want them to go Old Testament on the Natives? That story doesn't quite have that same nice holiday feel, does it?

I don't know how far some of these teachers have taken their new-found boldness. There always seems to be a few wackos in the group... like the wonderful people at PETA who pass out pictures of mutilated chickens to kindergartners... but I applaud their efforts. I remember when I first began to realize the true story from that part of American history and it really ticked me off that I had never heard it before. In essence, that I had basically been lied to my entire life. I think it was probably in high school that I first began to realize on my own that there was more to the Thanksgiving story than what has typically been taught, but it very well might have been college before anyone actually spoke bluntly and truthfully about what happened. That seems ridiculous to me.

As the article I read points out, and as I would expect, "concerned" parents are jumping all over the teachers who are trying to tell the more realistic version of the Thanksgiving story. One woman was quoted as saying, "[the teacher who is teaching this] is teaching kids to hate their country. That is a very distorted view of history, a distorted view of Thanksgiving." Really? That's the view that's distorted? Another guy was quoted as saying, "If you're going to teach, you need to keep it positive. They can learn about the truths when they grow up." I won't even comment on the last line.

I'm not saying we need to describe the practice of scalping to 1st graders and encourage them to think about how painful and humiliating it might be if it happened to them, but I am saying we need to be a little honest and tell the real story. The story isn't pretty. I hate it that it is even a part of our history. I wish it had gone differently, but it didn't, and we can't change history. We do have the opportunity, however, to learn from it. That's the challenge before us, and I don't think we need to wait until adulthood to teach it.

So I have a challenge for each of you as you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner with the family tomorrow. After everyone has taken their seat, but before they have started to eat, tell them you have something you want to share. As they look on intently wondering what snippet of holiday cheer you are going to pass along, begin a detailed description of what it was really like when that first thanksgiving was supposed to have taken place. Spare no gory detail. Imitate the agonizing screams of the people, both Indian and Pilgrim, meeting their death in various ways. Describe the scenes in full detail. Look inquiringly at your aunt Sue or your Grandpa Pete and ask how they would feel if some stranger came and stole all they had. Go on and on until the whole story is complete. And when the last person has become angry at you, completely lost their appetite, or excused themselves to watch the Cowboys game, begin a lengthy prayer, asking God to forgive each person at the table for all the wrong they've done. Be specific. Call out sins and people by name. Then, thank God for the food, and dig in. It'll be great!

(DISCLAIMER: I am not serious. I am not encouraging anyone to take action similar to what I described in the above paragraph. Therefore, I am in no way liable or reponsible if you are ostracized, disowned, beat up, kicked out, or cursed at because you are dumb enough to try what I described above. Please act responsibly.)