Europeans like Columbus were not the only violent people.

[Willie Pep]

In light of the present controversy over Columbus Day, I think it is important to note that Europeans weren't the only violent people in the world during the period. On Aztec human sacrifices:

https://qz.com/374994/aztec-sacrifice-was-real-and-its-not-fetishistic-to-be-fascinated

There is an unfortunate tendency among some liberals to concentrate solely on atrocities committed by Europeans while ignoring the sometimes unpleasant historical evidence about non-European societies. The tendency sometimes goes so far as to paint non-Europeans as living in Edenic harmony with each other and nature until the evil Europeans showed up and made a mess of things. This itself can be seen as a racist trope, that of the "noble savage" untouched by the evils of modern Western civilization. It denies the reality and complexity of non-European societies.

Please note that I am NOT making excuses for the many atrocities and injustices committed by European colonialists, just that there is a very strong tendency on the part of some people on the left to have a biased and selective view of history.

[dawg]

1. Geez!

Now you've gone and ruined Montezuma Day for me!

[demmiblue]

2. Wow... You're shitting me! Who knew?!

[murielm99]

3. Oh, give it a rest.

It is time to argue about Halloween and the sinfulness connected with it.

And it is never too early to gear up for the War on Christmas.

[dawg]

5. It's darksided!!!

[Codeine]

23. Only way to deal with darksided things;

[Kingofalldems]

4. Is Montezuma Day celebrated anywhere?

[dawg]

6. Well, I always celebrated it.

At least until the party pooper OP ruined it for me.

[fleur-de-lisa]

8. LOL!

[gratuitous]

7. And the full story of the Aztecs has been sanitized to an equal extent?

What are you trying to say? Could you provide examples of "some liberals" who ignore historical evidence of non-European societies, or who deny the reality and complexity of non-European societies?

[Blues Heron]

9. Concern trollish post

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. When Aztec Day comes around as a federal holiday, let me know.

[ExciteBike66]

11. Why is this information relevant to the controversy wrt Columbus Day?

We do not have an "Aztec Day" in this country, so their atrocities really don't matter.

[brooklynite]

16. Some have called for Columbus Day to be renames "Indigenous People" Day...

Indigenous People do not have clean hands either.

[ExciteBike66]

21. Then rename it something else,

my problem is that Columbus took people as slaves, and that we should not honor this man with a national holiday.

[stonecutter357]

13. you seem very concerned !

[delisen]

14. I agree. Slavery was practiced by

cultures around the world .

England got a comparative advantage of technology at one point and ushered in the period of European colonialism.

Other cultures could well have gotten that comparative advantage and done the same thing.

The Scandinavians behaved badly for a couple of centuries and then seemed to have settled down to tend their own gardens (ala Voltaire). Maybe there is hope for all of us.

There are so many fascinating things we could all be doing and learning. When will we get beyond this era and onto the interesting and useful stuff?

[TheFrenchRazor]

15. agreed; yes columbus was bad, but the native americans weren't exactly pacifists; it doesn't do any

anybody any favors to pretend that only the misdeeds of columbus (europeans) matter. we shouldn't turn EITHER ONE of them into heroes. they both had their good sides and their bad sides.

[tenderfoot]

17. Both sides were wrong...

but the Europeans were finer people.

[MyNameGoesHere]

18. Stop watching Mel Gibson movies

You'll never get a proper history lesson that way.

[linuxman]

19. I don't get your meaning. Can you clarify?

[ProudLib72]

20. I've watched that three times

I always remember it's not accurate chronologically. Still, I wonder if the sacrifices really looked like that.

[HAB911]

22. All Satan's work

can't you all see?

[Nonhlanhla]

24. There is a difference, though

Europeans committed genocide on a massive scale in the Americas. The Aztecs did not.