I ate sofa king much this weekend I think I'm detoxing with salad all this week. Oh, the gluttony. But Thanksgiving is not just about seeing your family and friends and eating way too much delicious sweet potato casserole. It's about history, and some metalheads wanted to remind you that history isn't as peachy as you remember it.
First up, Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe wanted to remind everybody that while you are enjoying your family and food you should remember that the holiday is built on the genocide of an entire race of Native American:
Blythe posted the following on his Instagram page:
Lies. ALL LIES. Sorry, but look up King Phillip's War- that's the end result of "The First Thanksgiving", within one generation of the event this picture is supposed to portray- it's not up for debate, it's a fact, & even the white man's history books confirm it. Enjoy your day with your family, be grateful (we all should be grateful everyday), but learn your history. Ugh. I had a good day with my family & friends, & I hope you all did too, but know that this holiday is rooted in a lie. Saw little white kids running around in construction paper Indian headdresses- I can't believe they still allow this in our schools. How offensive. The Wapamnoag barely exist today- guess what- they NEVER dressed this way. That's plains Indians style. Sorry if I get grumpy that we have a national holiday based on a genocidal LIE. Call me a kook, but I can't get behind such things. That is all.Following
I commend Randy for bringing awareness to this topic, and you really can't argue with his point.
Meanwhile, Mastodon raised some eyebrows with the above t-shirt design depicting a pilgrim holding a female Native American at gunpoint for her Thanksgiving dinner. It stirred up a lot of controversy, including this very interesting open letter by a Native American girl. Things got so bad, Mastodon had to issue an official statement:
Regarding our Thanksgiving shirt, whether you choose to believe or not, the American Indians were massacred by the white settlers who became the Americans we are today. This shirt represents this atrocity and celebrating in the face of this atrocity is chilling. We may have a sick sense of humor, but we are far from being “racist” as some of you who might not get it are calling us.
I never saw the shirt as racist, but it is quite a confrontational shirt. I don't see myself ever wearing such a conversation-starter, but kudos to both bands for bringing attention to demystifying the myth of Thanksgiving. You can still buy the 'don shirt here. What do you think?
