toldailytopic: Columbus: good guy or bad guy?

[eameece]

Columbus was neither the great hero some have made him out to be nor the evil monster others, particularly native Americans have think he was.
He was an ambitious entrepreneur who was looking for fame and fortune.
He didn't intentionally set out to commit genocide, as some have accused him of.
It's true, he and his men committed their share of atrocities against the native peoples they encountered, but in this they were no different than people all over the world who have committed atrocities throughout world history.
Others,such as the conquistadors, Cortez and Pizarro, were far more guilty, as they knew where they were and ruthlessly brutalized the natives of South America and Mexico and exploited the land and people for their greed.

Just because others did it too, does not excuse what Columbus did. And he started it.

 

[fool]

Took some serious....vision to do what he did.
Beyond that he was a man of his time as we all are.

 

[Nathon Detroit]

Took some serious....vision to do what he did.
Beyond that he was a man of his time as we all are.

Well said. :up:

 

[Nathon Detroit]

Unfortunately that would have also led to cigarettes.....

lain:

Always looking at the glass half empty eh?

 

[Arthur Brain]

Always looking at the glass half empty eh?

Only when I've got no more beer to fill it up with....

 

[The Berean]

Took some serious....vision to do what he did.
Beyond that he was a man of his time as we all are.

I'd be more impressed if he used his own money and not spent "government money" like a good :Commie: . :think: Seriously, though, I do agree with your post.

 

[Lighthouse]

I don't know enough about him; this is a question that never crossed my mind, I am surprised it has been asked.

 

[some other dude]

Taking advantage of, displacing, and murdering natives.

Why hold Columbus to a higher standard than the natives he encountered? :idunno:

Have you ever seen Apocalypto?

 

[some other dude]

I agree.

Not only did he find us this sweet plot of land he also is credited with bringing tobacco back to Europe which led the creation of fine hand-rolled cigars.

Finally!

A practical reason to celebrate Columbus! :thumb:

 

[some other dude]

I'd be more impressed if he used his own money and not spent "government money" like a good :Commie: . :think:

So Columbus was an early form of welfare queen, living off the government dole? :think:

 

[aCultureWarrior]

I don't know enough about him; this is a question that never crossed my mind, I am surprised it has been asked.

http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=30113

 

[Newman]

I don't know enough about him; this is a question that never crossed my mind, I am surprised it has been asked.

Nice run-on sentence, O ye King of Grammar and Spelling.

 

[jwp98]

Good guy, doing what he believed to be God's will for him.
Historical revisionism regarding his character and motive inspired a good novel,
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.

 

[MaryContrary]

:think:

Here's a question.

Are Native Americans, as a whole, better off both today and since, for the contact they had with Europeans? Or would they have been better off never having meet any non-Americans at all?

 

[lightbringer]

:think:

Here's a question.

Are Native Americans, as a whole, better off both today and since, for the contact they had with Europeans? Or would they have been better off never having meet any non-Americans at all?

Never meeting non-Americans.

 

[chrysostom]

:think:

Here's a question.

Are Native Americans, as a whole, better off both today and since, for the contact they had with Europeans? Or would they have been better off never having meet any non-Americans at all?

good question

 

[chrysostom]

Never meeting non-Americans.

bad answer

 

[MaryContrary]

bad answer

:thumb:

Lightbringer's not thinking, he's emoting. :chuckle:

Thing is, it could have been a whole lot better for Native Americans than it was...by a really wide margin...seriously...really, really wide...but it was still better for Native Americans to have gone through everything they have since than having never met Europeans.

:think:

Well, probably. I mean, we can't know exactly what they otherwise would have gone through. But much more than likely.

 

[Nick M]

I agree.

Not only did he find us this sweet plot of land he also is credited with bringing tobacco back to Europe which led the creation of fine hand-rolled cigars.

I was watching a show from the heathen. They were condesending (as usual) about how he was looking for Eden on his way to the far east. All the more reason to like the guy.

 

[The Horn]

I'm not excusing the acts of cruelty Columbus committed. I was just saying that Columbus had absolutely no idea of what he was setting in motion .
He did not intentionally set out to commit genocide.