War on Thanksgiving: Native American Students Protest Holiday, Conservatives Freak Out

Impact

The American Indian Student Union (AISU) at the University of Virginia organized a potluck dinner over which to discuss the disparities between the happy-go-lucky myth of Thanksgiving and the reality of what went down between the pilgrims and the Native Americans. 

But, apparently, some people are greatly offended that a group of students would take time to remember the ugly history surrounding the beginning of this country, rather than pretending their ancestors were thrilled to welcome Europeans who stole from, raped, and murdered them.

“They think that doing events that put down what people understand to be modern Americans' realization of the American dream and American story is a way to raise awareness about the less glamorous parts of America’s history,” said Nicole Bailey, Executive-in-Chief of the conservative newspaper, The Virginia Advocate, in an interview with Campus Reform. “That’s frankly not true.” 

The Campus Reform article about the controversy surrounding the potluck garnered an alarming number of outraged comments, as if a potluck dinner might destroy the very fabric of America by offering an alternative to the traditional way to mark the holiday. 

Comments range from the ignorant acceptance of the whitewashed, nobody-got-hurt version of the Thanksgiving story:

 

To reverse-persecution, feeling attacked by people pointing out that they were attacked:

 

To accepting that Native Americans got totally screwed, but basically saying “so what?”:

 

To the outright racist, not to mention off topic:

With that much ignorance floating around on the Internet, it's no wonder that the student group felt the need to call attention to the rest of the story.

According to their website, the AISU strives to "increase awareness of the American Indian community on Grounds, holds cultural events relating to American Indians, and provides an organization where all students and community members can gather to explore Native American heritage and identity."

It doesn't seem to me that they're trying to destroy America or attack wholesome values, but then, what do I know, I'm just a crazy liberal.