Got beef with Columbus, eh?
Yesterday was Columbus Day, celebrating the day Christopher Columbus arrived in America in 1492.
And look, I know the Italian explorer has a complicated and controversial legacy at this point. In 2021, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation for Columbus Day referencing the “painful history of wrongs and atrocities” that were inflicted by Columbus and other European explorers on those who were here before them:
“Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them.”
Back in 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests, there was a push to remove monuments to Columbus (and pretty much everybody else in American history, including Abraham Lincoln and George Washington) and rename the holiday “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” And in 2021, while the federal holiday is still named Columbus Day, Biden also issued a proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day for the first time:
“For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures. Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.”
Of course, history is filled with atrocities that have led us to where we are today. Lands are conquered, people are killed, new civilizations are built, and then we argue over it for hundreds of years. Rinse and repeat.
Anyway, one of the people who apparently have a problem with Columbus is country singer Kacey Musgraves.
During her show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Sunday, October 11, the “Dry Spell” singer apparently realized that the following day was Columbus Day, when the crowd quickly began booing and reminding her that it was “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” – something Kacey quickly agreed with:
“Tomorrow’s Monday? That sucks. Boo. Oh yeah, it’s a holiday, right? Ew, that’s right, wait, it’s Columbus Day?
Yeah, obviously f–k Columbus. Literally the lamest person to probably ever exist. Like, for real. What a loser. You’re a loser Christopher Columbus. We hate you.”
@jacs_lens F Columbus 😂 #kaceymusgraves #indigenous #columbusday #middleofnowheretour @kaceymusgraves
Of course the rant against Columbus isn’t really a surprise coming from Musgraves, who’s been outspoken on her liberal political positions in the past. In fact, she even welcomed Democrat candidate for Senate James Talarico to her concert over the weekend as he returned to the campaign trail:
And after the appearance from Talarico drew backlash from former Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem, Kacey fired back with a jab about a story from Noem’s book about shooting her family dog:
Definitely not one to shy away from politics on stage…or anywhere else.
