8 times liberal media tried to ruin Thanksgiving, from ditching turkey to declaring ‘genocide’ remains on menu
Far-left pundits, columnists and news organizations have set their sights on Thanksgiving
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As Americans prepare to gather with relatives and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast on Thursday, far-left pundits, columnists and news organizations have set their sights on the holiday.
Woke critics have labeled Thanksgiving "a celebration of racist genocide," frowned upon eating turkey when "many vegan turkey alternatives" are available and even credited White supremacy for the holiday’s popularity.
NBC SUGGESTS NOT HAVING THANKSGIVING TURKEY THIS YEAR TO DEAL WITH INFLATION COSTS
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"You there, fellow American! Were you under the impression that Thanksgiving is the uniquely American holiday that celebrates how English settlers and Native Americans peacefully crossed linguistic, cultural and racial barriers to share a meal together and create a model for gratitude and tolerance that would be the envy of the world? Wrong! Says Woke America," New York Post columnist Kyle Smith recently observed.
"Thanksgiving is about murder, plunder and hate. Invite your relatives over to spread love and gravy? No, if you really want to honor the spirit of Thanksgiving, you should whip yourself with barbed wire all day," Smith continued.
A liberal website urged Americans to eat vegan turkey alternatives on Thanksgiving. (iStock)
Here are some of the most egregious examples:
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MSNBC segment declares genocide is "still on the menu" in America
An MSNBC segment aired on Saturday that accused White people of not accurately telling the story of Thanksgiving and blaming the pilgrims for the "White supremacy" affecting the nation today.
"Instead of bringing stuffing and biscuits, those settlers brought genocide and violence. That genocide and violence is still on the menu," guest essayist Gyasi Ross said on "The Cross Connection."
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"State-sponsored violence against Native and Black Americans is still commonplace and violent, private White supremacy is celebrated and subsidized," Ross continued. "Indigenous and Black people are still being murdered by those paid to protect us."
Americans scolded for consuming turkey with "so many vegan turkey alternatives on the market"
Green Matters, a website dedicated to fighting climate change and environmental justice, published an article looking at the history of Thanksgiving. It details a variety of reasons why the holiday is "bad" and eventually lands on the tradition of eating turkey as the centerpiece of the annual feast. The article notes "there is actually no written evidence that turkeys were eaten at the 1621 Thanksgiving" and scolds Americans for sticking with the tradition modern despite vegan options.
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"Every year, Americans breed, kill, and eat around 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving — and there's really no reason for this cruel and unsustainable tradition. These days, there are so many vegan turkey alternatives on the market, which are all more compassionate and environmentally-friendly choices," Green Matters writer Sophie Hirsch wrote.
"If you are hosting or attending a Thanksgiving dinner this year, remember the true origins of the holiday — and consider sharing the true story with your friends and family," Hirsch continued in the piece headlined, "Thanksgiving Glorifies the Abhorrent Colonization of Indigenous Peoples."
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As Americans prepare to gather with relatives and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast on Thursday, far-left pundits, columnists and news organizations have set their sights on the holiday. (iStock)
NBC suggests not having Thanksgiving turkey this year to deal with inflation costs
A segment on NBC's "Today" on Saturday suggested American families could drop the traditional Thanksgiving turkey from their tables this year to deal with inflation.
"With inflation on the rise, prices are going up on everything from your Thanksgiving meal to your gifts for the holidays," anchor Kristen Welker said to introduce the segment.
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NBC News correspondent Vicky Nguyen noted the 6.2% rise in prices in October from a year ago – a three-decade high – calling it "real money." Nguyen then said something she admitted may be controversial.
"Perhaps forgo the turkey," she said. "Bear with me. I know that is the staple of the Thanksgiving meal. However, some people think turkey is overrated. It tends to be the most expensive thing on the table. Maybe you do an Italian feast instead."
Nguyen added that if you tell people you're ditching the turkey, "some guests may drop off the list, and that's a way to cut costs too."
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While the segment was light-hearted, it was swiftly mocked on social media
USA Today reports holiday is "a day of mourning" for Indigenous people
USA Today published a story Tuesday headlined, "What is Thanksgiving to Indigenous people? 'A day of mourning,’" which focuses on what certain Native Americans feel about the holiday. The story is reported, not an opinion piece, so it comes across as more serious and thoughtful than bold hot takes by American pundits, but it remains an example of liberal media pooh-poohing Thanksgiving nonetheless.
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"For many, rather than a celebration of peace and shared prosperity between Native Americans and Pilgrims, Thanksgiving represents the dark shadow of genocide and the resilience of Native people," reporter Michelle Shen wrote.
Shen spoke with tribal citizens Dennis W. Zotigh and Julie Garreau, who both explained the holiday isn’t a happy time for them and they consider it a day of mourning.
"This year, Julie is not celebrating Thanksgiving and is instead organizing an event on Native American Heritage Day called ‘Thanks for Kids,’ which celebrates Native children," Shen wrote.
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Many liberals don’t think Thanksgiving is a reason to celebrate. (iStock)
Critics of Wall Street Journal want to cancel Thanksgiving editorials
The Wall Street Journal editorial board was forced to announce that the paper will continue with the publishing of its annual Thanksgiving editorials despite efforts by the left to cancel them.
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In a Monday op-ed, the board declared that efforts by progressives to stop the publishing of the "racist" 1620 account of the first Thanksgiving, as well as a mid-20th century "contemporary contrast" of American progress, would not succeed and that The Journal wouldn't "bend to political demands for censorship."
"No doubt it was only a matter of time. The progressives have come for our annual Thanksgiving editorials. They won’t succeed, but we thought we’d share the tale with readers for an insight into the politicization of everything, even Thanksgiving," the board wrote.
It noted that the pair of editorials had been run every year since 1961 without complaint.
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"But we live in a new era when the left sees nearly everything through the reductive lens of identity politics. It sees much of American history as a racist project that should be erased," the board wrote, before noting that the motivation to censor the Pilgrim editorial was being driven by a petition on left-wing site Change.org.
The author of the petition, which has garnered around 50,000 signatures, claims that "it's time to stop publishing 17th century racism" in 2021. It also complains that the editorial refers to Native Americans as "wilde men" and says that the Pilgrims were separate from "all the civil parts of the world."
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New York Times suggests kids "eat quickly" to avoid infecting vaccinated Americans with coronavirus
The New York Times published a guest essay last week in which a Virginia Tech professor suggested semi-vaccinated children "eat quickly" on Thanksgiving to avoid spreading COVID to vaccinated adults.
"If our child, 9, and a cousin, 10, have each received one dose of the vaccine two weeks prior to Thanksgiving, is it safe for us to eat indoors? There will be about 20 guests, all vaccinated, and the 65 and older crowd have all received boosters," one reader from San Francisco asked in the essay.
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"I’m glad to hear that the children and all guests are vaccinated. As the kids will not be fully vaccinated until two weeks after their second shot, I think some care is warranted, especially because some attendees are 65 and older and thus at greater risk of more serious breakthrough infections. You could have the kids wear masks, eat quickly and stay away from the older adults when eating," Virginia Tech engineering professor Linsey Marr wrote in response.
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Philadelphia Tribune declares Thanksgiving to be a celebration of racist genocide, mass land robbery
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The Philadelphia Tribune published a column Saturday by correspondent Michael Coard headlined, "Celebrating Thanksgiving is celebrating racist genocide."
"When the Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower in 1620, they didn’t bring thanks. They didn’t even give thanks. Instead, they brought racist genocide and gave nothing," Coard wrote.
"And they eventually succeeded in mass killing and mass land robbery not because they were smarter or stronger but because they were sadistically evil racists who initiated the use of a weapon of mass destruction that previously had been unheard of on this land," Coard continued. "Thanksgiving, as an American holiday, is a celebration of that racist genocide and massive land robber."
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Coard then listed "five indisputable facts you must know about Thanksgiving so you won’t make the mistake of celebrating racist genocide" on Thursday.
Washington Post examines why Native Americans regret helping Pilgrims
The Washington Post started early, publishing a Nov. 4 piece headlined, "This tribe helped the Pilgrims survive for their first Thanksgiving. They still regret it 400 years later," which examines how members of the Wampanoag Nation wish their relatives didn’t participate.
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"Just as Native American activists have demanded the removal of Christopher Columbus statues and pushed to transform the Columbus holiday into an acknowledgment of his brutality toward Indigenous people, they have long objected to the popular portrayal of Thanksgiving," Post reporter Dana Hedgpeth wrote.
Hedgpeth dove into a lengthy explanation of why the Mashpee Wampanoag doesn’t celebrate the holiday, noting that American children are often taught "fiction" in school pertaining to Thanksgiving.
"This year some Wampanoags will go to Plymouth for the National Day of Mourning. Others will gather at the old Indian Meeting House, built in 1684 and one of the oldest American Indian churches in the eastern United States, to pay their respects to their ancestors, many of whom are buried in the surrounding cemetery," Hedgpeth wrote. "Plenty of Wampanoags will gather with their families for a meal to give thanks — not for the survival of the Pilgrims but for the survival of their tribe."
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Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller, David Rutz and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.