In an overabundance of political correctness, we all are taught that Christopher Columbus wasn’t a courageous explorer so much as he was a seagoing marauder bent on global genocide. The truth? Well, I’ll leave that to the historians to sort out. All I know is that here in this corner of the internet, we observe Columbus Day. I think it’s the perfect example of our collective official dysfunction that Columbus is now generally portrayed as an evil force for colonization and enslavement and yet we still officially sanction a day in his memory. Sometimes it’s good that national myth is stronger than the changing social historiography. At least it’s good for me since it’s a day I’m not spending in the office. Happy Columbus Day!

Editorial Note: This part of a continuing series of posts previously available on a now defunct website. They are appearing on http://www.jeffreytharp.com for the first time. This post has been time stamped to correspond to its original publication date.