With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I can only find myself to be a bit pessimistic about the upcoming holiday. The supporting morals are to come together and give thanks to celebrate the remembrance of the pilgrims who feasted with the natives on our very land. Uhh, okay. Well first off, I'm sure the Native Americans weren't too happy to be eating a meal with the people who slaughtered and conquered their civilization, and secondly do Native Americans even celebrate Thanksgiving?America is the fattest nation in the world, so why are we promoting a holiday encouraging people to eat more? The common household joke during Thanksgiving is "I've got to go get on my turkey-eatin' pants." Why do we feel (as a society) that this holiday is about engulfing as much food as possible in one single sitting? Not to mention the week of leftovers! This is one of the main problems with our society; we take for granted our privileges, like food, and disregard the amount of waste it causes. I would like to see how much Thanksgiving food ends up in the landfill after one week. The main purpose of this holiday, to come together and appreciate good company, turns into another corporate aspect of American culture.
I agree completely.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Faulkner once said,'The past isn't dead. It isn't even past.'
It's upsetting that 'we' celebrate this holiday and forget the history behind it.
Not to mention 'we' feel the need to center the holiday around a dead bird...
but if food brings people together, doesn't that count for something? and in the end isn't that what matters most?
ReplyDeletejust saying....
but nice rant anyhow.
haha, thanks alexis. i do agree with you, the meaning behind thanksgiving is good, and that's what i love about it. i understand the pilgrims/natives metaphore and support what it represents, but i just don't think everyone else sees that. i feel like nowadays a lot of holidays become excuses for people to buy into certain status quos and the meaning behind the holiday is lost.
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