Fun_People Archive
5 Nov
Happy er ... Whatever ... Day!

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Tue,  5 Nov 96 21:14:51 -0800
To: Fun_People
Subject: Happy er ... Whatever ... Day!

Forwarded-by: Lani Herrmann <lanih@info.sims.berkeley.edu>
Forwarded-by: pvanderb@library.berkeley.edu
Forwarded-by: Mitch Turitz <turitz@sfsu.edu>
Forwarded-by: kay mary <kaym@laurel.humboldt.edu>
Forwarded-by: Alfred I. Maleson
From: Mark


   Happy Indigenous Peoples-Columbus Day!

   In 1990, the Berkeley City Council passed a law changing the name of
Columbus Day to Native American Day because Columbus wasn't nice to the
Indians. Of course, no Indians were asked if they wanted the holiday's
name changed or if they wanted to be called Native Americans.

   In 1991, the Berkeley City Council changed the name again, to
Indigenous People Day. A group of P.C.ers argued that Indians are not
native to America but to Asia, so calling them Native Americans might be
insulting to Asians. Of course, neither the Indian or Asian communities
were consulted about this.

   In 1992, the Italian American Anti-Defamation League gave the City of
Berkeley their Insensitivity Award. The Italian-American group said that
they agreed that Indians haven't been treated well, but that the Italians
weren't the ones who did it, so why take away their holiday? Nobody asked
Italian-American how they felt about renaming Columbus day.

   In 1994, the Berkeley City Council changed the holiday back to Columbus
Day.

   In 1995, representitives of the Winnamucca Indians protested City
Council meetings. They argued that Indians had never asked that Columbus
day be renamed to honor Indians, since it had, the City Council couldn't
take it back, less they become "indigenous peoples givers."

   In 1996, the City Council changed the name to Indigenous Peoples -
Columbus Day, but of course, that could change after the election in
November.

   One candidate for mayor wants to rename the holiday Animal Rights Day.
More to follow.

© 1996 Peter Langston