nov/dec pundit 3
Charles M. Blow "The Horrible History of Thanksgiving" The New York Times Nov. 27, 2019 Blow begins by discussing a set of events many of his readers likely experienced as kids. In an effort to get readers to relate to his story, Blow describes making paper turkeys in elementary school, gathering with family over turkey and dressing, hearing about Native Americans and the Pilgrims eating the first Thanksgiving feast together. He uses this lead up to make his main claim: that much of American history seems more pleasant than it really is because white people have hidden the less-pleasant parts. While Blow provides ample evidence that this claim is true of Thanksgiving specifically, he leaves it at that. His only other piece of evidence was the Trail of Tears, which he doesn't dive into much detail about. I feel as though Blow's broad claim could have been strengthened by mentioning other marginalized groups, not just the Natives. What about segregation and slavery?...