Turkey Time Troubles

Turkey time has come for most Americans. Most people are satisfied with the overview (fantastical at best) of the historical event. I am not. Maybe if their weren't reservations and obesity/alcohol issues, maybe if the Bureau of Indian Affairs didn't exist, and maybe if Casinos and making dream catchers for roadside stands weren't their only sources of income. Maybe if their oppression was overcome and heralded like some other race that were unfairly treated was a modern reality. BUT it is not.

The one thing I find interesting is how offended people get by my refusal to celebrate Thanksgiving day. I don't judge others for choosing to mask over the reality of the day and abide by the commercialized version of football and family time.  I do it with Xmas. I do not have a religious belief attached to that day, but I do for all intents and purposes enjoy the magic that the commercialized version brings. The farther it gets from the fact that it doesn't actually celebrate the actual birthday of an important figure in history, the happier I am. The more people realize that Xmas was the repositioning of a pagan Yule Solstice celebration so that people can be indoctrinated under one religion, the happier I am. Xmas for me is about a magic in the coldest part of the year.

But Thanksgiving, despite its lovely intention of name is not celebrated anywhere but America. It is not a religious or a pagan holiday. It is the National Day of Mourning for most Native tribes in the Northeast and some tribes celebrate it, some do not.  However, I ask those to  respect my decision, without a quirky look or trying to convince me that I should view it from their universally accepted interpretation.

 I get it. You like the modern day ritual that it has become. But for me, just like most holidays, I don't buy into it. One, I prefer to pay homage to my Native American and my daughter's two fold tribe Native roots. Two, I have no love for the particular food that is traditionally served, and three, I sincerely love to go to the theater and spend all day free from a schedule and watch movies.

 But the anxiety that comes over me when someone kindly offers an invitation, knowing that I am going to have to carefully explain why I don't celebrate it, and then listen to their reasoning in an attempt to make me realize the error of my ways, and just come hang out =  the reality of discrimination. Because I actively chose not to conform to others ideals, they become offended and form some sort of opinion about me as a disagreeable person.

I take pride in not following the flock, not pandering to mainstream ideals, and at the same time I do not infringe on anyone else's right to enjoy what they enjoy. It would be lovely if one day, I received the same indifference.