Christopher Columbus and the poisonous "all or nothing" cult mentality
Demanding 100% total conformity is how a cult operates. It is anti-intellectual and anti-education.
One of the dumbest reactions to Columbus Day is the fantasy that Christopher Columbus did not accomplish anything of note. That is ideological blindness, combined with historical ignorance.
"He thought he was in India, LOL!"
Well, congratulations. You have a smartphone that allows you access to all of the knowledge of human history. That device was invented, engineered and manufactured by someone else. All of the knowledge you can look up in Safari or Chrome was researched, written and compiled by others, not by you.
Would you have thought you were in India if you traveled 3500 miles across the ocean in wind-powered wooden ships with 1490's technology? Would you have thought you were in India with the knowledge the world had back then, or would you have made the same mistake? No, you would not have made the same mistake because you never would have made the voyage. It is easy to look back at the past and laugh at what people did not know back then, but you only have that knowledge now because others did the hard work of research and exploration. It is certainly not because you are more skilled, determined or courageous than Christopher Columbus.
"Others did it before him."
Sure. That does not negate the achievement. It is more than any of Columbus' modern critics have accomplished, so maybe the critics should look in the mirror and ask if their own life measures up.
Crossing the ocean with 1490's technology was a monumental achievement. It required a great deal of courage to do that, especially not knowing where you were going to land. Very few men today would be capable of doing what Columbus and his crew did. Certainly none of the people mocking Columbus on social media would be capable of achieving anything like he did in 1492.
Here is the basic point: It does not have to be all or nothing. It actually is possible to condemn Columbus' actions against the native tribes - and the actions of those who came after him, who really did engage in genocide - while recognizing that crossing 3500 miles of ocean in wind-powered wooden ships is an incredible feat that is far beyond what almost everyone today is capable of accomplishing.
This "all or nothing" mentality is poisonous and is ruining our country. Someone who is "good" can never be criticized and must be constantly praised. No dissent allowed. Meanwhile, someone who is "bad" can never be recognized as achieving anything or doing anything positive. If you recognize a bad person accomplished something, then you are excusing every bad thing he did.
Demanding 100% total conformity is how a cult operates. It is anti-intellectual and anti-education. Contrast this to Christianity. The Bible shows in explicit detail the wickedness of God's people and even great leaders. I have no interest in worshiping your false, childish, simple-minded, all-or-nothing "god." I am and will remain a heretic and a blasphemer until they put me in the ground.