Thanksgiving
“Tell us a Black Friday joke, Joey...”
Thanksgiving: the holiday we associate with turkey, family, and gratitude. But how much do we really know about its history? Spoiler: it’s more complicated than a Hallmark card would have you believe.
In this video, we’re peeling back the layers of this holiday to uncover its messy origins. While the iconic image of Pilgrims and Wampanoag sharing a feast in 1621 is often celebrated, the truth is far more nuanced—and uncomfortable. The Wampanoag extended aid to the Pilgrims, but within a generation, colonists repaid that kindness with land grabs and cultural erasure.
Thanksgiving didn’t even become a national holiday until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln used it to unite the country during the Civil War. And the turkey? That’s mostly thanks to marketing and nostalgia, not historical accuracy. Throw in the Macy’s parade and Black Friday, and you’ve got a holiday built more on consumerism than gratitude.
So, what does Thanksgiving really mean today? It’s a complicated mix of reflection, celebration, and reckoning with history.
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