Turkey Genocide Day
This is my second vegetarian Thanksgiving, and my first Thanksgiving away from family. It was too expensive for me to fly home this year ($400 for a four-day trip.) I'm a little relieved I'm not home actually. My sister's therapist told my mom that it would be healthier for her to see my mom and dad have separate Thanksgivings. My mom, Ira and my grandparents are having one celebration, and I don't know what my dad is doing. He's not gonna cook a whole Thanksgiving meal for just him and Rosie, and he doesn't really have any friends. Rosie won't be in the same room as Ira, so I'm pretty sure she's not going to that one. It would be too weird for me.
Instead, I'm at Vanessa's house. Her family made enough vegan food to make us full, and her dad, who is a great cook, made pumpkin pie. Not vegan, but I'm not vegan anymore. I love pumpkin pie.
This holiday bothers me. Millions of turkeys are murdered for this day, not to mention the other animals (chicken's, pigs, etc.). As a vegetarian and animal rights supporter, that bothers me. Also, we're supposed to be celebrating a feast the pilgrims had with the Native Americans, when really we took over the land they lived on, gave them diseases, killed most of them, and put the rest on reservations. So it's Turkey Genocide and Colonialism Day. Yay! :-P Then again, people get together with their families, share food and tell each other what they're thankful for. Sure, food gets burned, people fight and millions of turkeys are slaughtered, but I can't be completely opposed to a holiday that is in part about being thankful for what we have and getting together with family (even if the only family I'm with today is my surrogate sister, Viva).
So, what am I thankful for? I'm thankful that I'm well fed. That I have a friend good enough to invite me to her house for a holiday she hates. I'm thankful that I have so many friends and lovers who care about my happiness and well-being. I'm thankful that I'm not in the military and that I don't live in Iraq. I'm thankful that I broke my fibula instead of my femur or my spine. There are many things I'm thankful for, I just wish a gazillion turkeys didn't have to die to remind us all that we're thankful.
Instead, I'm at Vanessa's house. Her family made enough vegan food to make us full, and her dad, who is a great cook, made pumpkin pie. Not vegan, but I'm not vegan anymore. I love pumpkin pie.
This holiday bothers me. Millions of turkeys are murdered for this day, not to mention the other animals (chicken's, pigs, etc.). As a vegetarian and animal rights supporter, that bothers me. Also, we're supposed to be celebrating a feast the pilgrims had with the Native Americans, when really we took over the land they lived on, gave them diseases, killed most of them, and put the rest on reservations. So it's Turkey Genocide and Colonialism Day. Yay! :-P Then again, people get together with their families, share food and tell each other what they're thankful for. Sure, food gets burned, people fight and millions of turkeys are slaughtered, but I can't be completely opposed to a holiday that is in part about being thankful for what we have and getting together with family (even if the only family I'm with today is my surrogate sister, Viva).
So, what am I thankful for? I'm thankful that I'm well fed. That I have a friend good enough to invite me to her house for a holiday she hates. I'm thankful that I have so many friends and lovers who care about my happiness and well-being. I'm thankful that I'm not in the military and that I don't live in Iraq. I'm thankful that I broke my fibula instead of my femur or my spine. There are many things I'm thankful for, I just wish a gazillion turkeys didn't have to die to remind us all that we're thankful.