Columbus Day has become a tedious online ritual. Every year progressives rush online to signal their virtue by talking about the evils of colonialism and Western civilization while conservatives talk about the need to preserve and honor history. Media outlets write their pieces on the controversy, inevitably championing the replacement of Columbus with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and we all move on waiting to do the same dance next year. This tired and hollow display is made possible by the fact that everyone views the issue at a certain distance. Conservatives have taken on board the liberal notion that we live at the End Of History. That most questions about civilization have been answered and the only thing left to do is negotiate the last few unsettled issues before moving forward together, but nothing could be further from the truth.
I'm waiting for the Aztecs and Iroquois of that time to be held to the same moral standard as the Roman Catholics.