A darker side of Columbus emerges in US classrooms

Yahoo ^

[Chet 99]

TAMPA, Fla. – Jeffrey Kolowith's kindergarten students read a poem about Christopher Columbus, take a journey to the New World on three paper ships and place the explorer's picture on a timeline through history.

Kolowith's students learn about the explorer's significance — though they also come away with a more nuanced picture of Columbus than the noble discoverer often portrayed in pop culture and legend.

"I talk about the situation where he didn't even realize where he was," Kolowith said. "And we talked about how he was very, very mean, very bossy."

[PapaBear3625]

Imagine that-- the commander of a ship sailing to the edge of the known world, full of men who are becoming frightened and mutinous, being bossy and mean.

If Columbus had not been strong-willed, then the expedition would never have embarked, or would have turned back before reaching the Americas.

[Smokin' Joe]

I still don't understand why they don't like Columbus.

He was from elsewhere, went in the opposite direction of where he he was going, didn't get there, misnamed an entire population, opened them up to Government exploitation, and did it on Government funds.

Sounds like a democrat paradigm to me...

Yes, it took guts, and no captain at sea can be less than a tyrant when warranted or the ship is lost.

[IronJack]

This revisionist claptrap's most grievous insult to history is that it always views events through a modern-day filter. It's a little hard, in the age of the internet, to judge the actions of a group of sailors challenging the boundaries of the known world in three leaky, ill-equipped boats.

But don't let that stop you from applying today's yardsticks to the actions of men from halfway around the world 600 years ago.

[marron]

"We have a very large Alaska native population, so just the whole Columbus being the founder of the United States, doesn't sit well with a lot of people, myself included," said Paul Prussing, deputy director of Alaska's Division of Teaching and Learning Support...

The students were forced to stand in a cafeteria and not allowed to eat while other students teased and intimidated them — apparently so they could better understand the suffering indigenous populations endured because of Columbus, Korten said...

Like I say, its got to be tough being a satirist these days when you've got all these amateurs trying to get into the act. The competition from Reality has got to be tough.

[Altura Ct.]

Yes it is, from “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee”. Sure blew me away the first time I saw it. I couldn’t believe they even allowed it on TV instead of the usual anti-white, anti Western crap that Hollywood always pushes.

[colorado tanker]

All ships captains of the era were “mean” and “bossy.” It was the only way to maintain the discipline needed to survive voyages of months at sea with primitive technology, especially navigation tools.

[Chet 99]

Don’t think I’d want to be on the crew of a 15th century ship commanded by a indecisive Picard “sensitive male” type. Give me Kirk.

[Vehmgericht]

“The students were forced to stand in a cafeteria and not allowed to eat while other students teased and intimidated them — apparently so they could better understand the suffering indigenous populations endured because of Columbus.” This is a case of blatant brainwashing. You can expect an increase under Education Secretary Arne Duncan who will bring the excellence of the Chicago school system to the entire U.S. A recent study by the Goldwater Institute revealed that only 3.5 percent of Arizona public high school students could pass a U.S. citizenship test. “If you want to destroy a country, destroy its memory.” Columbus is not the only figure to be deconstructed. Every one of the Founders suffer the same fate. Yet, icons of the Left will be whitewashed.

[silverleaf]

He thinks a founder is someone who found us?

[Madame Dufarge]

I imagine he'll be teaching them about Democrats being responsible for the KKK and Jim Crow laws next, right?

Sure he will.

[Altura Ct.]

If you want to destroy a country, destroy its memory.” Columbus is not the only figure to be deconstructed. Every one of the Founders suffer the same fate.

Absolutely! The natural extension of all of this is complete and total rejection of the founders and all other American heroes. The men who stood up for and protected white Western culture along with The institutions that came as a result and our way of life. The Constitution itself must be destroyed as it was the design of evil, slave holding white men.

We will either be destroyed or we will stand up as white men and say enough. They is no in between. On our feet our on our knees.

[Le Chien Rouge]

Columbus Day will very soon be replaced by Che day!!!!

Christmas will be celebrated but in honor of the birth of Barrack Obama.

Thanksgiving will be celebrated as a day of thanks to the great provider—Barrack Obama.

[SuziQ]

These folks are kinda slow on the uptake, aren’t they? This had been going on for at least 20 years!

[Stepan12]

I wonder if the Teacher’s Union scumbags will take a “nuanced” approach to teaching about Martin Luther King Day and discuss the adultery and plagiarism as well as his Civil Rights leadership?

Not to mention the Commies who influenced him so heavily (Levinsohn; etc.).

[Frank_2001]

“Imagine that, an Admiral in charge of an exploratory fleet of 3 ships being ‘bossy’.”

Can’t damage the self-esteem of the poor seapersons, can we? And where were those wonderful nurturing wimmyn, who could have corrected the evil phallocentric shipboard hierarchy??/s;)

[Stepan12]

Columbus is a hero! He did discover America -- he discovered America for Europe and started to bring civilization to the New World.

As for diseases, they didn't know how diseases were transmitted in those days. And who says the europeans were immune from disease? Anyone hear of the Black Death? As europeans were more diseased than indians (in part because they domesticated animals), those europeans that didn't die out developed an immunity.

Incidentally, if Columbus didn't discover America, then, maybe the Muslims with their then superior maritime ability (they had the astrolobe) would've discovered it and we would have had the nightmare of centuries long primitivism over the New World. A primitivism that has not stopped even to this day.

Columbus is a hero and on his day let us celebrate!

[Chickensoup]

I love the history of Christopher Columbus and I remember the Columbus Day parades of the fifties and sixties in communities with large Italian populations. A great day to celebrate a man with courage and perservation.

[Frank_2001]

“...and of course indigenous peoples of this hemisphere were just great....despite their enthusiastic participation in torture and mutilation,incessant tribal warfare, canibalism, burning at the stake, slavery, human sacrifice and euthanasia.”

Too bad no one in academia has the cojones to tell the TRUTH, that the 15,000-year cultural advancement brought about by contact with Europeans turned out rather well compared to the alternative.

[ApplegateRanch]

And we talked about how he was very, very mean, very bossy.

ALL sea captains back then were “mean and bossy”.

Wonder if they are as diligent at accurately portraying the grocery line crashing John “DoYouKnowWhoIAm” Kerry?

Or, Al “TheDebateIsOverSoCutOffHisMic” Gore?

Or, Barak “INeverMadeACampaignPromiseIDidn'tBreak” Obama?

[ApplegateRanch]

Imagine that, an Admiral in charge of an exploratory fleet of 3 ships being 'bossy'. It's almost as if he thinks he's "in charge of everything" or something.

He was so mean, he even threw the SEIU Organizer overboard. Without a trial, or even a life jacket.