UNpopular public holidays?

[AnthonyO'Brien]

We had Australia day the other week. In recent years the holiday has come under fire from local city halls and taxpayer funded media over issues relating to colonisation and first nations people. Some not planning any festivities, displaying the flag or even calling it "Australia day". The local multicultural parade that day has been axed with "Invasion day" rallies held each year. These rallies feature bad student protest theatre, flag-burning, anti police sentiment and radical speakers who hope those holding BBQ's that day "choke on their lamb chops" and "hope that "Australia burns to the ground". Polls reveal that most Aussies support Australia day. With many pointing out there are a number of events during the year that celebrate Aboriginal culture.

Funny enough I was at a Australian-Vietnamese lunar festival yesterday featuring dozens of large Aussie flags blowing in the wind and the South Vietnamese anti-communist flag. They sound GRATEFUL to be here!

Do you get ANTI 4th of July rallies (or similar events) in your city?

[Kirby101]

Columbus Day here in America, it is fine to have a holiday honoring Italian Americans, but Columbus was a throughly noxious person, who didn't really discover America and did horrendous things to the native inhabitants.
Plus, he sailed for Spain, not for Italy.

[AnthonyO'Brien]

Thanks. Yeah from what I've read captain Cook was a way better human and Explorer. This didn't
't stop activists from cutting down his statue at 3
At 3.30 am. City hall has no plans to repair it fearing a woke backlash and further vandalism...

[CaptainEurope]

Other than Labor Day (May 1 like it should be), our national day of unity and New Year's Day, all holidays in Germany are Christian religious. That's been causing a bit of debate because fewer and fewer people are identifying as Christians, with more people choosing atheism or their own form of spirituality, as well as growing Jewish, Muslim and Hindu communities NOT getting their holidays off automatically.

[Riv86672]

Columbus Day here in America, it is fine to have a holiday honoring Italian Americans, but Columbus was a throughly noxious person, who didn't really discover America and did horrendous things to the native inhabitants.
Plus, he sailed for Spain, not for Italy.

^^^I stopped celebrating Columbus Day about 24 years ago. It’s all about Leif Erikson Day, bay-bay!

[Kirby101]

The Vikings were definitely in Canada before Columbus was in the Carribean. Some in America started calling Columbus Day: Indigenous People's Day. While I understand the sentiment, I think we should have another day to celebrate Native Americans. Columbus Day is not really about celebrating Columbus, it's about Italian Americans, the way St. Patrick's Day is for Irish Americans. The problem was when they started it in the 1700s, Columbus wasn't seen as such an awful man.

[useridgoeshere]

America should create a holiday on the first Monday in August like Canada has. Summer needs another day. That could be Indigenous People’s Day. I agree that just renaming Columbus Day doesn’t feel right.

I’ve never thought of or seen Columbus Day as being about Italian Americans. Certainly not like St. Patrick’s Day. That’s interesting. Maybe because I usually go up to Canada that weekend for Thanksgiving, so I miss the festivities.

[Riv86672]

I’ve never thought of or seen Columbus Day as being about Italian Americans. Certainly not like St. Patrick’s Day.

^^^Because it isn’t.
Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.
Even Italians aren’t any more Italian on Comubus day.

[babyblob]

Ive never heard a word about Columbus Day being about Italian Americans until they changed it to Indigenous People’s Day. Only then did Italians seem to say it was about them. And not every Italian just the ones on Fox News and the right wing talking sites. Every Italian I know could care less.

[Riv86672]

Ive never heard a word about Columbus Day being about Italian Americans until they changed it to Indigenous People’s Day. Only then did Italians seem to say it was about them. And not every Italian just the ones on Fox News and the right wing talking sites. Every Italian I know could care less.

^^^THAT sounds about right.

[Tuck]

Ive never heard a word about Columbus Day being about Italian Americans until they changed it to Indigenous People’s Day. Only then did Italians seem to say it was about them. And not every Italian just the ones on Fox News and the right wing talking sites. Every Italian I know could care less.

When Italians started immigrating to the US, they were treated pretty much the way Trump treats Latino immigrants.

Discovering Washington Irving's book about Columbus gave them a connection to America they hadn't felt before that. It's the first time many Italians felt like Americans, despite the treatment they were receiving.

[The Darknight Detective]

I'm half-Italian and that side of my family has never made a big deal of the holiday based on our ancestry (and I say that as someone who grew up in the NYC metropolitan area). My Irish half, however, is a totally different story. Both sides make a fairly big deal of St. Patrick's Day (as a Roman Catholic holiday, it makes sense).

[Riv86672]

I'm half-Italian and that side of my family has never made a big deal of the holiday based on our ancestry (and I say that as someone who grew up in the NYC metropolitan area). My Irish half, however, is a totally different story. Both sides make a fairly big deal of St. Patrick's Day (as a Roman Catholic holiday, it makes sense).

^^^Back in ‘87 I got chased by the cops for cutting across the NYC St. Patrick’s day parade (I had a good reason) and it was on the news. Did you see me?

[The Darknight Detective]

^^^Back in ‘87 I got chased by the cops for cutting across the NYC St. Patrick’s day parade (I had a good reason) and it was on the news. Did you see me?

It's too many years ago to recall that, but it sounds like a good story is waiting to be told here. BTW, I was there the following year and saw Ed Koch with his white turtleneck sweater on.

[Riv86672]

It's too many years ago to recall that, but it sounds like a good story is waiting to be told here. BTW, I was there the following year and saw Ed Koch with his white turtleneck sweater on.

^^^Oh hell yes! Koch was the MAN! I grew up w. that guy.

As for the story well, it’s not all that weird.
I was at Forbidden Planet comic shop that day, just browsing, and ran across a book called GRENDEL, the monthly starring Christine Sparr (I’d never heard of Hunter Rose, but would).

I totally dug it, and grabbed all the available issues but the store didn’t have the all important first issue.

The guy at the counter made a few calls for me, and found a shop in midtown that had it, so off I went.

I totally did not factor in the parade.

Once off the subway I realized it was between me and the comic shop so…I went for it.

It was surprisingly easy to cut across but yeah, the cops were on my ASS; I barely got away.

And I did get that first issue!