Turning the Page of History

Another October 12 comes around and out come the people who, especially since 1992, have made it their cause to badmouth Columbus and all that came after him. To these people, he did not "discover" anything, Spanish America was hell on earth, and pretty much of everything that is wrong with Latin America is his fault and of those who came over from Spain. I suppose that they would have preferred that this part of the world remain in the hands of the native people, in a sort of idyllic prehistory, more imaginary than real.

Of course it would have been better if the Europeans had come peacefully and not exploit the natives, but it did not happen that way neither in Latin America nor in North America. Nor anywhere else, for that matter. We must get over it, and stop agonizing about the past and playing this blame game over and over again, to no purpose, except showing off our modern sensitivity to this issue.

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