Myths & Mischief

Welcome back to Myths & Mischief! This is your Lovable Lord of Lore, today’s mischievous myth is about Christopher Columbus, and why he may not be the historic person we should celebrate.

(As a warning, some of the content depicts violent acts including some possibly disturbing images.)

A recent a proclamation that says “Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage,” just a few days away from the October 13th “day of celebration.

The holiday was first celebrated in 1892 on the second Monday in October, 400 years after Columbus set sail for India.

Many States no longer celebrate Columbus for a couple of reasons. The cultural impact of the term “Indians” is a devastating reminder of the plight of Indigenous People.

What is worth celebrating about Columbus?

He was a confident Italian man who was persuasive enough to persuade Spain to sponsor his trip to India.

He also had many flaws that led to the reasons why most people do not celebrate the holiday. Many of these reasons stem from debunked myths thanks to academia.

Myth: Columbus argued that the world was round.

Reality: Columbus argued that the world was smaller than most people thought, based on a Greek text that was not accurate due to a poor translation. People at that time understood that the world was round, and were correct about its size thanks to Greek mathematicians (academia).

Myth: Columbus led his crew across the Atlantic.

Reality: His crew was so dissatisfied that they “leader” had gotten lost and they were running out of supplies, most notably food. The mutinied against Columbus and were about to end his life when land was spotted. When on shore, he executed the crew that attempted the mutiny.

Myth: Columbus discovered America.

Reality: Columbus was lost, thought he was in India, and never set foot on the North American Continent.

Myth: Columbus started trade and began to collect resources for Europe.

Reality: Columbus demanded gold from the Natives he happened upon. If they failed to bring back gold, he would cut off one of their hands. Their second failure would result in the loss of their other hand, and the third would mean they would lose their life. Since there was little to no gold on the island he “discovered,” he ended up killing the island’s inhabitants.

Myth: Columbus discovered America

Reality: Multiple Europeans had been to North America including Leif Erikson of the Norse Vikings, and the remains of a man of European descent was found in Kennewick Washington about 500 years before Columbus was born. Additionally, it is difficult to land on an island with people on it, and claim that they discovered it.

America would have been rediscovered by Europeans eventually, so celebrating a man who had bad actional information, got lost, stumbled upon people without knowing where he was, and killed them for it. His only real significance was the killing of the people who lived in his “discovery.” What Columbus did start was the exploitation of American resources starting with the elimination of the people who lived there.

As an abstract notion to prove a point, imagine aliens visit the earth and behave like Columbus. People would be slaughtered a resources would be exploited. Would we celebrate these invaders, even though they did not come in peace?

More recently, in the 90s, the State of Arizona resisted adopting MLK day, until the NFL threatened to remove their team from the state. Arizona reacted by making MLK day a holiday, and dropped Columbus Day (in order to protect their 2 rodeo days).

When considering who we should honor and celebrate, perhaps looking at people from multiple perspectives is important, relying on science and academia to make better choices. What heritage are we protecting by honoring a man who committed genocide. There are loads of examples of people that committed genocide from other countries, one wonders why we would honor a man who is in the same ethical realm of Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin, Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Benjamin Netanyahu, all of which have been accused of genocide. Would we be comfortable celebrating those who committed genocide against Black citizens in America? What does that say about us as a people.

So, perhaps instead of celebrating, do something to help people, make your community stronger by supporting others, and recognize people that make the world a better place for everyone. Be better than the dregs of humanity.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

That’s it for this week’s installment, this is your Lord of the Lore signing off.

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