IDF lone soldiers' Thanksgiving meal
IDF lone soldiers' Thanksgiving mealShay Wagner

Thanksgiving, of course, is a uniquely American holiday celebrating how English settlers and Native Americans overcame cultural and linguistic barriers to share a meal and initiate a worldwide model for tolerance and cooperation. Oversimplified? Maybe, but it’s mainly correct.

And it is surely more accurate than proclaiming Thanksgiving to be about murder, greed, and bigotry.

Yet in a weekend segment for — you guessed it — what MSNBC called “The Thanksgiving history you’ve never heard,” a person called Gyasi Ross shouts from a pre-written, Howard Zinn-influenced screed:

“The truth is that pilgrims did not bring turkey, sweet potato pie or cranberries to Thanksgiving. They could not. They were broke! They were broken! Their hands were out! They were begging! They brought nothing of value. But they got fed! They got schooled! Instead of bringing stuffing and biscuits, those settlers brought genocide and violence. That genocide and violence is still on the menu! And state sponsored violence against Native and black Americans is commonplace!”

I’ve heard this before. It’s not original.

I am sure Ross knows all this information because he — a rapper and storyteller from Seattle — was in the arena 400 years ago for a first-person account.

Ross’ hateful rant reminds us that not only is dangerous revisionist history alive and well in left-wing cable news, but also, no matter the topic, progressives and their media allies will always change the subject back to their favorites: race and hating America’s founding.

The Washington Post, for example, recently informed us, “Just as Native American activists have demanded the removal of Christopher Columbus statues, they have long objected to the popular portrayal of Thanksgiving.”

This crazed essay was written by their traffic reporter, I kid you not!

And yet with 2,500 words, she didn’t tell the paper’s self-loathing readers that Native Americans themselves abhor Thanksgiving or admire political correctness (recall how nine in 10 weren’t offended by the Washington Redskins’ name before white progressives forced a change two years ago), but rather “Native American activists” are angry about Thanksgiving. Activists, by definition, are regularly irate.

People are free to hate since we do not live in the left’s beloved socialist regimes where they can be jailed for unpopular views.

But the rest of us should not pay attention to whatever cancel culture crusade the banal wokesters are onto this week. They’re brainwashed, deranged, and unhappy. We Americans prefer gratitude in the face of adversity.

And a postscript for those of you who need it: How to discuss politics at your Thanksgiving dinner — if you must:

The left likes to mock “your crazy Fox News-watching uncle,” who may be at Thanksgiving, but what about your crazy aunt who’s wearing two masks, has a crocheted Anthony Fauci pillow, and demands everyone use “proper pronouns”? How do we deal with her?

Here are some quick tips, from experience, for debating politics at the holiday table.

Thanksgiving (stock)
Thanksgiving (stock)iStock

1. Do not have them — political debates, that is.

2. If you’re forced to, ask well-intentioned, honest questions, which may help lead others toward your conclusion since they must explain their views. Don’t have useless debates about whose policies or politicians are worse.

3. Do not use straw man arguments. Argue with facts, challenge their premise, and then present solutions over their emotion and faux compassion.

4. Frame the discussion in a way that helps them understand your core beliefs since most on the left have no idea what conservatives believe.

5. Be a happy warrior. Laughing and even self-deprecating is often the best way to end testy debates with family.

Think about how often we encounter progressives who do not understand why we believe what we do and instead just assume we’re malevolent. If left-wingers understood what conservatives wanted, the debate might not end, but it likely would not be so full of knee-jerk demonization.

If you need a few talking points:

•We want a free market because it offers a level playing field and gives people the best opportunities to thrive.

•We want voter ID because one person gets one vote, and the system should assure that someone isn’t voting multiple times.

•We want a strong military because that is more likely to prevent wars, not start them.

•We want to spend less because the national debt is destroying the country’s future and eating up a massive chunk of the federal budget.

•We want school choice because we trust parents to make the best decisions for their kids and, unlike most Democrats, dislike seeing children trapped in failing school systems.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A.J. Kaufman taught school and served as a military historian before beginning his journalism career. His work has appeared in numerous national print and digital outlets since 2005. The author of three books, he also contributes to Israel National News, The Lid, Business Central Magazine, and is a frequent guest on The Ed Morrissey Show. A.J. and his wife currently reside in the Midwest. This article is reposted from PJ Media.