A Few Words About 'COLUMBUS DAY'

By Peter Rodman

I can still recall when Columbus Day always fell on the 12th, and you know what? I'm pretty happy it does today...but that doesn't mean I think Columbus correctly named "the Indians," simply because he THOUGHT he found India. 
Or that he actually parked the Mayflower in October of 1492 at all--let alone, on the 12th. But all that's academic now; he actually docked the thing on the second Monday in October, as we now know...so we all could have a bank holiday, and take advantage of Macy*s sheet sales.

I also liked it better, back when Pluto was a bona fide planet. But that doesn't mean it has to be, if science proves otherwise.

Like many folks my age, I'm used to "Mount McKinley" being the tallest peak in the Western Hemisphere...but I'm perfectly okay with going BACK to "Mount Denali," if that's what it was really called, hundreds of years before we European invaders came along.  After all, Denali is not a river in Alaska.

And yeah, I've always loved a good Redskins-Giants football game...but should our relatively recent sense of white "tradition" supersede the obvious INSULT to the 'Indians' we used to call "Redskins?"

My point is simple:

Despite what O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck keep telling you, there's definitely something GOOD to be said, for "political correctness."

Without tact, deference, or decorum, we inevitably descend

into The Land of Trump--wherein snark is king, disparaging comments pass for "intelligence," and everyone is...what's the word I'm looking for, here?  Oh yeah:  Nuts.

So, if I was "for it, before I was against it," regarding the Redskins or Pluto, or the 'Indians' or even Columbus Day...so what?

I personally have no problem changing my mind, to make other people feel better about themselves--or correcting myself if I've been wrong; or seeing things another way, given the wisdom time is supposed to bring us all. 

Maybe we should even re-name "Columbus Day."

I hereby nominate

"Stop Pretending You're Always Right" Day!  Or how about...

'CHANGE YOUR MIND' Day!  
America would be so much the better, for it. 
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This opinion column © 2015 by Peter Rodman.  All Rights Reserved.  
     Speaking of wisdom...Here are two pertinent songs you may enjoy:  
                                                    "American Tune," by Paul Simon...

                            ...and "It Sure Was Better Back Then," by Steve Forbert.

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