October 11,1995
2
Campus Opinion
Editorial: Columbus Day holds
different meaning for many
By; Dina Di Maio
Columbus Day means something
different to different people. To many
Native and Latin Americans, it’s a
source of hostility. To many Italian
and Latin Americans, it’s a reason to
celebrate. And to others, it’s just an
other day when the post office is
closed.
As an Italian American, I have been
bothered by attacks on Christopher
Columbus, attacks that view him as
an enemy of indigenous peoples. I
can certainly understand the resent
ment that the Native Americans have
toward Columbus because he is a
symbol of their downfall. However,
what happened to their ancestors
should not rest on the shoulders of
one man. (Columbus’ own exploits
ended in the Caribbean. I find it unfair
to blame Columbus for something
that he did not do alone. To me, what
upsets Native or Latin Americ'ans most
about Columbus Day is not Columbus
but just the fact that his anniversary
marks the beginning of the end of their
freedom, and that would bother any
one.
At the time Columbus set sail in
1492, much had already happened and
was happening in Europe. That same
year, Spain had just conquered the
Moors. Spain also had issued an ultima
tum to the Spanish Jews, forcing them
to convert to Christianity. This era was
the beginning of exploration. Explor
ers and others took their Christian re
ligion seriously. In essence, what they
did, they did for God and country.
Columbus was a product of this era,
exploring for God and country.
Columbus was a devout and dedi
cated explorer and countryman. Co
lumbus’ log starts off with a list prais
ing Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.
These praises showthat Columbus was,
essentially, a man doing his job. He
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wa.sanexplorer,aseaman, indebted
to the people who had enough faith
in him to hire him. At this time in
Europe, many countries were com
peting to find fast trade routes to the
Orient. Because of competition and
the fact that he was a hired gun,
Columbus had to claim the new
lands in the name of Spain.
Columbus was also a devoted
Christian who took his religion seri
ously. 'When Columbus arrived in
the Caribbean, he praised its inhab
itants. He wrote “that in all the world
there cannot be betteror more gentle
people.” Throughout his log, he
made reference to the fact that the
“Indians” did not appear to have
religion. Because he thought they
had no religion, he felt they would
be easily converted to Christianity,
“for there cannot be a better people
or country'.’’ He said that “they be
lieve that there is a God in Heaven.
. . . They learn very quickly any
prayer we tell them to .say, and they
make the sign of the cross. There
fore, Your Highnesses must resolve
to make them Christians. ” The Chris
tian religion was the dominant reli
gion of Europe, converting many
people. The Crusades, similarto the
Islamic invasions centuries before,
worked to convert people.
Conversion was seen as some
thing that one was obligated to do
in order to save people of another
religion. Because of this belief,
Columbus thought that convert
ing the “Indians” was saving them.
After claiming their land for Spain,
he wrote to Ferdinand and
Isabella, “Your Highnesses possess
this land as your own and espe
cially as an emblem of Jesus
(dirist. Our Lord, and in honor of
Cliri.stianity ” This statement and
other prayers (T)Iumlnis wrote in
his log show that he was a dedi-
c.atcd Christian, a product of his
times.
Many Native and Latin Americans
See Editorial Page 6
Letter to the
Editor: eating
healthy is not
always easy
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the
article published on September 27,
1995, “Eating Healthy is Not Always
Easy”.
I agree totally with the fact that
eating healthfully on Meredith’s cam
pus is nearly impossible, and there are
steps you may be able to take in order
to reduce your fat intake however, low
ering the amount of bread you con
sume is NOT the idea.
Being a nutrition major, I feel this
advice should be ignored completely.
Bread, rice, pasta and cereal should be
the basis in your diet, therefore, eat
every'thing else around these essential
foods. Continue to eat three to four
servings of fruit and vegetables, limit
your intake of sugar, salt, fat, and alco
hol, and continue to eat protein, but in
small quantities (hamburgers will make
you fat, the hamburger bun will not).
The starches ARE NOT BAD, they
give you substance to make you feel
full. They will not “latch to your thighs,
stomach or butt”. Do not be afraid to
eat that bowl of cereal for dinner, even
though you had one for breakfast; and
if you already ate three b,igels one day,
but found nothing worth eating in the
cafeteria line, go ahead and have a
fourth, it will not hurt you.
The bread and cereal group is com
pletely nutritious, do not he intimi
dated by what you may have read.
Sincerely,
Deborah Zimmerman
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Classes offered by the
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