Have They Successfully Canceled Columbus Day?

For those who celebrate it, today is Columbus Day.

The "Columbus Day sale" used to be a longtime ritual for car dealers and department stores. But not anymore. According to Axios, retailers are now eager to distance themselves from Columbus Day. The report adds that retailers do not want to get caught in the middle of the culture wars, so they've decided to take a stance against Columbus Day. That's how this works.

Department stores are not alone in their disdain toward the holiday. Colleges hate the day even more. Nationwide, colleges are celebrating "Indigenous Peoples Day" in place of Columbus Day. On Friday, President Joe Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples Day.

The controversy surrounding Columbus Day has fumed for decades. Columbus, an Italian, made landfall in what is now the Bahamas in Oct. 1492. He was also the first of a wave of European explorers who decimated Native populations. Still, as Ben Shapiro correctly points out, celebrating Columbus' achievement does not downplay the mistreatment of Native Americans:

An often-cited op-ed in The American Scholar explains how the celebration of Columbus Day has always been about achievement, not the man. That's why we don't celebrate Columbus' birthday. The piece is worth reading.

Columbus Day represents one of the most significant dates in the history of western civilization. That's why miserable propagandists like Howard Zinn want to end the holiday. Zinn and NBC News vilify Columbus Day not to support Indigenous People but to tear down history and create a reliance on a faux progressive worldview. They'll never admit their true motives.

If you want to argue against Columbus Day on social media, fine. But how many of you would do so at the breakfast table across from this guy?

End of story.