Thinking about Columbus

Yeah I am a day late... look at my blog, I am a month late since my last post so this being late thing is a trend. At least I am being consistent.

Well yesterday got me thinking, and I wanted to do my own reply to all the blogger and FB rants about how evil and villainous Columbus was...

Yesterday I spent a great day off with Novali, she didn't have school so I took a vacation day and we had a great time enjoying some good one on one time. So I have to thank Columbus for helping provide me some great one on one time.

It got me thinking about blame, history, and perceptions of actions before, during and after the fact.

I am not here to write the traditional "Re-Thinking Columbus" post to bash him over what happened after his fabled "discovery" of a new world.

My thoughts have surrounded everyone's blame pointed at him over what happened after he landed. So I started thinking about the blame game. Can we give him all the blame? I mean why isn't anyone mad at the Queen of Spain who funded his trip? I mean didn't she have more to do with it? And isn't royal greed probably more responsible for the actions of the "Conquistadors"? Wouldn't the Catholic Church and Pope Alexander be responsible for much of the genocide?

It is interesting how we like to focus on individuals, in both blame and credit. I mean Christopher Columbus didn't discover America... I mean yes people were already here, but in the Euro-Centric view what about the Norseman Leif Erikson who came years before, and Amerigo Vespucci for whom America is actually named? Then extrapolate it to all the "great explorers" like Lewis and Clark... I mean weren't they just paving a trial for people to exploit Native American Tribes?

So how about this... maybe instead of blaming Columbus for what happened, how about we remove both credit and blame. I mean he didn't cause all the bad things that happened in the America's upon its "discovery" by the Europeans, but he also didn't "discover" the place. He wasn't a perfect man of course, and you are though right?

I mean Neil Armstrong didn't discover the moon. He did have the courage to make the trip, an unknown trip. However, if it ends up that the Moon was irreparably damaged because of his footprints, will we blame Armstrong and curse his name for ruining the moon? No, you'd have to blame NASA, the President for making it a priority, and of course Russia for egging us on (you know we have to toss Russia blame whenever we can).

I am not defending what happened post the Columbus "discovery" of the new world, nor his or others motivation in the trip. I am saying that remember credit is earned by groups, and blame should be taken in the same. We just celebrated Olympics in a country that profited countless riches from the "new world" and no one seemed to flinch at that... so why write some rant on FB about how Columbus was a villain and not at least cite his sources of motivation and wherewithal for the trip. 

A quote I have always liked states:

"Show me the man you honor, and I will know what kind of man you are." ~ Thomas Carlyl

Here maybe in reverse... yeah we don't need to honor him, but does how much hate you point towards one man show the type of person you are?