Alligatorob
SF VIP
I don't consider Columbus a hero and would not want another statue honoring him, and favor ending the holiday. While we all seem to agree that he did not "discover" America he is a convenient representative of an important milestone in history, the beginning of European exploitation and settlement of the Americas, and all that brought with it. An important fact of history to be taught, studied, and remembered.Imagine if someone put up a statue for Hitler and another for Mussolini. It would cause shock and outrage. Honoring Columbus is tantamount to honoring those genocidal criminals.
However I also don't see him in the same light as Hitler and Mussolini. Columbus did not know he was carrying diseases or have any idea what that would mean for the inhabitants of the Americas. And his treatment of the Indians he came across while awful by today's standards was not out of line with the standards of his day.
Hitler in particular intentionally tried to wipe out a whole community of people and started a world war that killed tens of millions. Something out of line with the standards of his time, he was a special and unique evil. Hitler and Mussolini are also important facts of history - we should not forget, or deny.