Talk:Columbus Day

I change the mestizo note because:

The dia de la raza was introduced in Argentina, because the govermment was trying to recognize the indians in the new country full of European imigrants in the beggining of the 20th century, Not because of a new race (besides there are not such thing as a mestizo race. Tho Mexico and many countries in the Americas have a majority of mixed people.

This article has been mentioned by a media organization:

"What's with the name, Columbus?". The Ledger-Enquirer. October 11, 2004.

While I can not disagree with any of the content or wording of any one part of this article, taken as a whole I did not think it met the NPOV guideline. The high proportion of text given to the opposition view (Columbus Day as a form of oppression) gives that viewpoint credence out of proportion to the actual usage. I'm all for discussing the controversy, but only in proportion. That said, I'm not happy yet with my own attempt to achieve balance. Please help. Rossami 17:58, 2 Dec 2003 (UTC)

I totally agree. It is still very POV, and the opposition section is longer than the main section. That is a problem.

I can't agree that Columbus Day is an american holiday. Columbus Day, or october 12 is the day every nation in the Americas celebrates the discovery of the New World (note that Columbus didn't arrive first to the US, but to other caribbean and latin american countries). The article is way too US- "American", it should be edited so that it can be used as both a page talking about columbus day and the discovery of America (read the Americas..etc..)

User:Cjrs 79

I reinserted the quote from Ward Churchill because it adds important content. I appreciate Rossami's concern about balance. I believe that the sollution to the problem of imbalance is to add more content, not delete useful content. Perhaps someone else can add more imormation about the history of Columbus day or its role in celebrating Italian-American culture in the USA, for example. We must have faith that balance will come with time, as long as NPOV and useful content are respected. Slrubenstein

Italian-American Pride??

I live near a heavily populated Italian-American neighborhood and know many Americans of Italian descent (I myself am 1/2 Italian). None of them/us care about Columbus! The article almost sounds like some strange stereotype, as if every American with Italian blood feels some great pride for Columbus. It's very strange.

Many?

In Hispanic America this day is widely ignored, and there are no specific of special celebrations of this day. Also, I never heard the term "Dia de la Raza" in the spanish speaking countries, and there is no such thing in portuguese as well (Im from Brazil). Also, the dates the article cites are almost 100 years old and do not represent the peoples attitudes toward this day. At least in Brazil, there is no holiday to honor the day Columbus discovered America.LtDoc 02:33, 29 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

According to Spanish Wikipedia, this date is official at least in 4 Hispanic American countries:

Uruguay,as "Día de las Américas", since 1915.

Venezuela, as "Día de la Raza" from 1921 to 2002, when President Hugo Chávez change the name to "Día de la Resistencia Indígena".

Chile, as "Dia de la Raza" from 1923 to 2000. President Ricardo Lagos renamed it as "Día del Descubrimiento de Dos Mundos".

Mexico, since 1928 as "Día de la Raza".

--Menah the Great 20:33, 6 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Brazil is not South America. There are many other places in S. America and Central America. They speak Spanish. Maybe you've heard of it. A Google search shows 280,000 for Dia de la Raza, along with happenings in many places.

Not taking sides but a question would be, are they celebrating Columbus day or something else on that day? "Día de la Resistencia Indígena" I am I right to interpret this as Day of the Indigenous Resistance? Wouldnt think not be celebrating Columbus landing but the fighting of the Indigenous people against him? --Nuclear Zer0 18:51, 9 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Day off in Public Schools?

I removed the sentence about most public schools not having Columbus day off. I couldn't find any definitive proof of this online and a casual survey of a number of people I know around the country showed that all of them always had Columbus day off from public (and private) schools. clintecker@alumni.purdue.edu 10:09, 10 Oct 2005 (EST)

== When was Columbus Day first celebrated in USA?== The article gives the impression that the first celebrations were in several states, and that FDR first instituted the national holiday. The Library of Congress does not agree with this.

From http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/oct12.html

The 400th anniversary of the event, however, inspired the first official Columbus Day holiday in the United States. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation urging Americans to mark the day. The public responded enthusiastically, organizing school programs, plays, and community festivities across the country.

School's should enjoy the holdiday, not at school

Unless this is wrong, I think it should be mentioned in the article. I would think the LOC is a good source for such things. What, exactly, did FDR do?

Opposition section

The opposition section takes a very apologetic tone, and sounds also dismissive of critics of the holiday. Peyna 15:40, 27 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Huh? The opposition section is longer than the rest of the article. Classic Wikipedia -- promoting the "dark side" of everything. But it is really too bad that we try to take a NPOV and can't accomodate all of your political views as you'd like. Perhaps you could start a blog if you want to opinionate.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.255.236.173 (talk • contribs) .

The section also seems to give undue weight to the 134 word quotation from the Ward Churchill. The quote is also uncited as to where it came from or even if it actually came from Churchill. I think it would be adequate to say:

Ward Churchill (an associate professor of Native American Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a leader of the American Indian Movement), has argued that certain myths about Columbus, and celebrations of Columbus, make it easier for people today to avoid taking responsibility for their own actions, or the actions of their governments.

I think that adequately summarizes his position without the 134 word quote. --Dual Freq 18:42, 7 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ward Churchill is unemployed.

Before citing Mr. Churchill, you might want to note he has been fired for lying on his resume about having Indian blood (among other lies.)

It's been delt with--RCT 19:20, 9 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]