The Lies of Holidays

     When does protection become lying? This is a question brought forth in the poem "The History Teacher" by Billy Collins, who describes how a certain teacher's ignorance, although with good intentions to "protect his students' innocence", can hinder the understanding of history for his students, therefore causing the past to repeat itself. This is shown through his use of understatements, ("the Ice Age was really just the Chilly Age") and blatant lies ("The Spanish Inquisition was nothing more than an outbreak of questions"). Not only do his teachings delegitimize these important historical events, but also change the way these children view history.
     Naturally, this discussion lead the class into a debate of the ethics of parents teaching (or lying to) their kids about Santa Clause. I wasn't heartbroken like some people when my parents had finally admitted that yes, Santa Clause was, in fact, a lie. In fact, I had figured it out myself years before- the whole idea of it just wasn't logical to me. How could a man watch millions of kids at once and always know what you are doing? How could he travel the world in a sleigh in only one night? Not to mention the flying reindeers. And wasn't it unethical to make the elves slave away making toys for children? In fact, isn't the whole idea creepy? A fat man sneaking into your house at night and eating your food? And why do the poor kids get less presents from Santa than the rich kids? Clearly I was a joy to have around during the holidays. But anyways, what seems like a white lie designed to make kids behave well around Christmas does have its repercussions. The Santa lie teaches kids to associate the holidays with material items rather than the gathering of family. It teaches kids to be good only for the promise of a beautifully wrapped gift sitting under a tree, that being good is not something that should just be expected, but should be rewarded.
     Lies also can be found in other, more historically significant holidays. Take Columbus Day for example. A fact that we all know is that "in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." As young children, we were taught to idolize this guy, being told that he was the first explorer to discover America. Actually, Leif Erikson was. Columbus merely discovered the Bahamas, where according to Femspire.com, he spread plagues, demanded food and gold from the natives, enslaved them, and raped the women. If anyone failed to appease the explorers, Columbus would have the natives' noses removed as to remind them who was really in charge.
     Thanksgiving is another example of a holiday being glossed over with lies. The Pilgrims were not all that great and peaceful after all. Around the time of the first Thanksgiving, many of the Native Americans were being killed by deadly diseases, brought by, you guessed it, the Pilgrims. According to popularresistance.org, while the Indians were celebrating their annual green corn dance ceremony, the Pilgrims were actually celebrating the massacre of the Pequots, a Native American tribe. Now, of course, it can be argued that while the holiday had stemmed from such horrible events, it has evolved to mean something else. Sure, maybe. But when you're cutting into that turkey this Thursday, be sure to think about the origins of Thanksgiving.