The Grinch stole Christmas, and liberals have been trying to steal Thanksgiving.
Liberals are always looking for a platform to push their economic policies and bash capitalism via the media. Thanksgiving provides an opportunity for them to do both. Leading up to Turkey Day, liberals have consistently discovered inventive avenues for attacking businesses and philosophies they don’t like while promoting their left-wing policies.
The left even found ways to criticize corporations like Monsanto and Wal-Mart, while promoting gun control, food stamps and higher taxes. Liberals even figured out how to blame Thanksgiving for contributing to climate change and obesity, which are among liberals’ top excuses for imposing more regulations on the free market.
Not even the tradition of eating turkey during Thanksgiving dinner is safe. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) posted a list of reasons [1] in November 2012 why Americans should start “ditching the dead bird” from dinner. Among its objections, PETA said that the poultry industry was guilty of animal cruelty, unhealthy practices, and employee exploitation.
Here are just 10 claims by liberals that drain all the goodness and fun out of Thanksgiving:
1) The Pilgrims prove capitalism is bad – Liberals can’t agree about the Pilgrims, but they know that the Plymouth Colony somehow discredits capitalism. Some liberals have argued that the Pilgrims were greedy profiteers, who eventually “annihilated” their “Indian neighbors,” as Dr. Gary Kohls said [2] in a Global Research article posted on Nov. 25, 2014.
Others have said that the Pilgrims weren’t actually capitalists at all, but socialists who would never have supported modern consumerism or the free market system. Alan Beattie, International Economy Editor for The Financial Times, said [3] in blog post on Nov. 21, 2012, that the Pilgrims “railed” against the “notorious evil” of “commerce.”
Still others have said conservatives are wrong to claim that the Pilgrims started out as socialists before nearly starving their first year. “To call it socialism is wildly inaccurate,” one historian told The New York Times in an article [4] posted on Nov. 20, 2010.
In the article, national correspondent Kate Zernike decried the “Tea Party’s take on Thanksgiving,” in which the Pilgrims “realized the error of their collectivist ways and embraced capitalism.” Zernike maintained that the Pilgrims were not “early socialists,” citing another historian who said that the Plymouth Colony “was directed ultimately to private profit.”
So were Pilgrims greedy capitalists or altruistic communitarians? Liberals aren’t quite sure, but what they do know is that the Pilgrims prove capitalism is bad.
2) Thanksgiving causes climate change – Thanksgiving means lots of food, and those who fear humans are causing catastrophic climate change think this will ultimately lead to higher temperatures.
Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and Founding Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council, wrote a Huffington Post article Nov. 14 entitled, “Even Thanksgiving Is Connected to Climate Change.” Fedrizzi highlighted “the connection of food spoilage to climate change,” citing a “provocative” article [5] published by John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer for UTC Building & Industrial Systems, on GreenBiz.com Nov. 18.
Mandyck claimed [5] that “40 or 50 percent” of all food is wasted, which “represents 3.3 billion metric tons of CO2 each year.” These emissions have been a “significant contributor to global warming.”
3) Buying turkeys supports cruel and dangerous poultry farms – PETA posted a list in November, 2012, called, “Top 10 Reasons Not to Eat Turkeys [1].” The liberal animal rights group said “factory farms” have been cruel to turkeys, spread dangerous “supergerms” to consumers, and maintained “dismal working conditions” for employees.
PETA recommended that readers to “[t]ake the cruelty off your plate” and instead have a vegetarian meal on Thanksgiving.
4) Eating non-organic food on Thanksgiving promotes agribusiness and industrial farming – EcoWatch encouraged [6] readers in a post on Nov. 19 to show their “gratitude for Mother Earth” this Thanksgiving by eating “organic, local, non-GMO and pesticide free” food and by protesting in front of Monsanto. EcoWatch said that during the protest, a group called the Stop Shopping Choir “will perform songs from their new show Monsanto Is the Devil.” [Emphasis by author.]
Companies like Monsanto make farming more efficient and scalable through genetic engineering, but liberals tend to be skeptical of food that isn’t organic, according to a poll by ABC News [7] published on June 19.
5) Travelling is Bad for the Environment – Gas prices are down, and Americans are hitting the roads this Thanksgiving. USA Today reported [8] on Nov. 20, 2014, that 46.3 million people will travel at least 50 miles during this holiday weekend, more than in any year since 2007.
Yet not everyone is happy about cheaper gas for the holidays. “Lower prices at the pump might also encourage drivers to buy bigger, gas-hogging trucks and SUVs” and could counteract efforts to reduce carbon emissions, an article by The San Antonio Express-News claimed [9] on Nov. 3, 2014.
Instead of driving or flying for Thanksgiving, Sustainable America, an environmental group committed to preventing the “impending food/fuel crisis [10],” suggested [11] in a post Nov. 15, 2012, that readers “join the extended family via Skype!” This technological (but far less personable) alternative would save fuel “no matter how you cut it.”
6) Wal-Mart is an evil corporation – Liberal activists view Wal-Mart as pure evil [12] because of its conservative ownership. Activists have said they will be targeting the corporation during this Thanksgiving weekend with boycotts and protests.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) called on members of the union to protest on Black Friday at any one of Wal-Mart’s “2,100 stores nationwide” in a post Nov. 21. They also encouraged members to campaign against the Walr-Mart on social media.
Other groups also planned protests and boycotts, Bloomberg Businessweek reported [13] on Nov. 24. OUR Wal-Mart, a nonprofit group “closely tied to the United Food & Commercial Workers [UFCW] union,” has organized strikes since October, 2012. A spokesman for the groups has pledged that “we will have more workers than in past years” striking on Black Friday in 2014.
7) Food stamp program is suffering from spending cuts – Proponents of the U.S. government’s food stamp program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), have consistently complained [14] about conservative attempts to reform the program and save money.
Thanksgiving provides an ideal time to bring up supposed cuts (calculated using fuzzy math [14]) which were purportedly championed by fiscal conservatives. Brynne Keith-Jennings, a research associate at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said in The Huffington Post op-ed [15] published an on Nov. 24, 2014, that SNAP was of “critical importance” but “bare bone” benefits “fall short for many families.”
“As many Americans prepare to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, millions in this country still have trouble affording enough to eat,” Keith-Jennings said [15]. She blamed inflation and so-called cuts for increasing families’ “food insecurity” during the holidays.
Like the broadcast news networks during the year leading up to the recent mid-term elections on Nov. 4, Keith-Jennings completely ignored [14] allegations that President Barack Obama’s economic policies might have contributed to widespread dependency on SNAP.
The network news broadcasts failed to mention the dramatic increase in SNAP enrollment under Obama in 98 percent of stories during the same time, and focused on alleged cuts instead.
8) Thanksgiving dinner contributes to obesity – Combatting obesity has become a common excuse for implementing new regulations in recent years [16]. While occasionally overeating on holidays like Thanksgiving won’t make someone obese, binge eating on Thanksgiving can get you hooked on this “addictive behavior” and lead to major health problems, alleged one recent claim.
That’s the story as told by Ryan Stewart, media relations coordinator for Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, in an op-ed [17] Nov. 25 for The Oklahoman.
Dr. Julie Chen, an “integrative medical doctor,” proclaimed the dangers of Thanksgiving in a Huffington Post op-ed [18] Nov. 21. She claimed that Turkey Day is when “most Americans plan on getting stuffed till they can't eat anymore” and cautioned against this practice since “obesity, heart disease, and our health in general is most definitely linked to our diets.”
While Chen recommended eating Mediterranean food on Thanksgiving instead of a traditional turkey dinner, by nature this alternative lacks an authentic American flavor.
9) Families should discuss gun control on Thanksgiving – Increasing gun control seems like a controversial conservation starter for Thanksgiving dinner. However, Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, thought this was a good idea for all Americans.
Last year, the liberal gun control group backed by Bloomberg, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, sent out talking points on doing how to talk about gun control during Thanksgiving dinner, according to a Washington Examiner article [19] on Nov. 20, 2013.
“Everyone has friends and relatives with strong opinions and shaky facts,” an email reportedly [19] told supporters. "You can help set the table straight — all you need is this simple guide to Talking Turkey about guns!"
10) Thanksgiving is a great time for more taxes – Obama loves taxes, evidenced his 462 proposed tax hikes during his presidency as of April 14, according to a report [20] by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR). Thanksgiving dinner is not exempt from these rising taxes.
The Atlantic reported [21] on Nov. 21, 2014, that “the price of Thanksgiving dinner is going slightly up this year.” An average Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people will cost $49.41 in 2014.
A major chunk of that cost will go to Uncle Sam, ATR revealed in an article [22] on Nov. 20, 2011. At the time, 35.86 percent of the cost associated with Thanksgiving dinner went to paying for taxes.
Those travelling for the holiday paid the government even more. ATR’s Jacob Feldman and Mattie Duppler Corrao added [22] that gas taxes represented “45.33 percent of the gasoline price tag.”
“Thanksgiving is a time for reuniting with friends and family, but the government wants to be part of your celebration too,” Feldman and Corrao wrote [22].