happy columbus day

today, the us are celebrating christopher columbus, who, that's what people say, is the guy who discovered the americas. this is not only not true (try and google amerigo vespucci), but also here are some random facts about the guy we're honoring, taken from this wonderful book: a people's history of the united states

"They (the Arawak Indians) ... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they owned.... They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features.... They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane.... They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want."

The Indians, Columbus reported, "are so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone...." He concluded his report by asking for a little help from their Majesties, and in return he would bring them from his next voyage "as much gold as they need ... and as many slaves as they ask."

also, when one of columbus' sailors saw land as the first man to do so - and the first man to see land was promised a pension of some ten thousand maravedis, apparently the currency at that time, for the rest of his life - our honorable man betrayed his sailor and got the reward for himself, claiming he had seen land before the other guy did.
columbus slaughtered, betrayed, robbed and exploited the people he found living in the "new world" which to those people probably was not new at all. yay discovery voyages and -gers of the civilized european countries. yay columbus.

so, i apoligize for any upcoming cynicism, but i just have to say: happy columbus day everybody. well, at least some people get a day off. why don't we celebrate a rosa luxemburg day instead? that would be much nicer.