Name That Film: Thanksgiving Edition!

In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They
invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave
Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and
Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was
a minister and retired as such, said a prayer that went something like
this, though the Film Edition, admittedly, was not present, '”we thank
________ for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank
____ for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice."

Please fill in the blank for whatever deity or non-deity of your choosing
as now we've got ANOTHER holiday to worry about. It seems Thanksgiving Day
is upon us. How did this happen? What are all these myths and
misconceptions surrounding the American tradition? The Film Edition would
like to take a moment to state for the record, there is no such thing as a
Turkey tree despite what that Sally may say and pilgrims didn't wear
buckles on their shoes or hats on most every day. It turns out they weren't
teetotalers, either, whatever that fancy term means. They smoked tobacco
and drank beer, but just didn’t advertise it out in the open, like the
people on "Cops" in front of the religious fanatics, which may in fact be
redundant. Most importantly, their first harvest festival and subsequent
"thanksgivings" weren't held to thank the local natives for saving their
lives, they were too busy slaughtering them, once all the vital information
of planting and harvesting the land had been obtained.

The Pilgrims came to America for one reason – to form a separate community
in which they could worship ____ as they saw fit. Yeah, we said it! Worship
_______ as they saw fit! When the Pilgrims landed in the New World, they
found a cold, rocky, barren, desolate wilderness, which is in stark
contrast to the wild neon groves planted on every street corner in every
available space in today’s world. There were no friends to greet them. No
houses to shelter, which as rumor has it, was the basis for the inspiration
behind the Rolling Stones' smash hit, “Gimme Shelter”. They also had no
inns where they could refresh and revitalize themselves not to mention
those fancy day spas found on the outskirts of town.

During the first winter, half the Pilgrims died of illness or exposure –
including Bradford's wife. Though lives improved for the Pilgrims when
spring came, they did not really live long and prosper as the popular
saying goes, at least not initially.

The pilgrims had fled England because King James the first was persecuting
those who did not recognize the Church of England's absolute civil and
spiritual authority. Ken you imagine a politician or a person of power
persecuting the common laborer? The Film Edition does a collective
shudder…pulling the cozy blankets up over our ears and pretends to think of
ice cream castles in the sky as a time honored true and tested defense
mechanism. To Grandmother's house we go. The horse knows the way to carry
the sleigh through the white and drifted snow. Over the river and through
the woods, oh, how the wind does blow! It stings the toes and bites the
nose as over the ground we go!

In case you hadn’t heard, the Mayflower Compact was established for one
purpose: the placement of just and equal laws for all members of their new
community – believers and nonbelievers alike. The suspense builds amid the
power of expectations as they begin to grow more apparent. Yet we will make
no man, woman or child feel discomfort with open discussions of
Christianity!

This day is more than just a spiritual celebration where one is allowed to
gorge and watch sub par football all day into the evening, it is a chance to
embrace your inner Martha Stewart. Match the linens with the tablecloth.
Get out those fancy holders no-one can set up without assistance, not to
mention Grandma's sterling silverware. But Thanksgiving is more than
eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early
Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be
thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think
that's what they mean by 'Thanksgiving,' Charlie Brown. Thanksgiving is
thus widely perceived as a time for family and friends and football. An
opportunity to reunite with loved ones, friends, and relations we haven’t
seen for years. It’s some time off work, a break from school, the chance
for an extended romantic weekend, and more importantly, an opportunity to
eat copious amounts of food without feeling too guilty and finally getting
that long sought after nap! In some ways this is more representative of the
original celebrations held by the Pilgrims, which were actually harvest
festivals, fashioned on the English and Native traditions.The original
contract the Pilgrims had with their merchant-sponsors in London called for
everything they produced to go into a common store. Socialism at it’s
finest! Each member of the community was entitled to one common share as
part of the test. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built
belonged to the community. The experience of common course and clinical
condition brings any community into common wealth, and is supposed to, on
paper, make all the people happy and apt to flourish. This community
however was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard
employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men
that were most able and fit for labor and service did balk at the idea that
they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and
children without any recompense ... that was thought to be injustice. What
a surprise! Even back then people did not want to work without incentive.
Money, it’s a gas!

Thanksgiving, as the historical landmark we celebrate, is a result of
political history and has very little to do with any date or events
pertaining to pilgrims or America specifically. Although, few would defend
the historical accuracy or the celebration of the massacre of native
peoples, the failure to publicly denounce the traditional meaning of
Thanksgiving is another small piece of the silent complicity that allows
racism and a racially constructed history to continue to shape our
understanding of world events, and our perceptions of different groups.
Thanksgiving, a tradition dating back to the ancient Hebrews and their
feasts of Succoth and Passover, may be a powerful testimony to the strength
of beliefs and high expectations of culinary delights. Just visualize that
jam-packed dinner table stretching into the other room aside the peninsula
also known as the infamous kid’s table. Have you been demoted? Is there any
hope? Will you be holding a ritualistic vigil to a faux Plymouth Rock?
Well, keep in mind, the inaugural pilgrim landing was at Provincetown, Cape
Cod, which has more of a Halloween feeling to the place with lotsa flair.

So, this Thanksgiving, as you welcome your friends, family, guests and new
acquaintances into your home, take a moment to redirect our collective
future. As you sit down to eat, take time to mention the true history of
America. Acknowledge your joy at coming together, but acknowledge also, how
contrived, inaccurate history has torn others apart. Let your children know
what really happened to the Native Americans. Tell them something about the
impact these historical events has had on Native Americans today. Let’s use
this moment as a lesson for us all, as we try to understand, appreciate,
and get along with people whose customs, languages and religions may be
unfamiliar. Let’s use this moment to ensure the spirit of giving and being
genuinely thankful is instilled in all of us. Thus ensuring our future
history can find acts of true brotherly and sisterly love to honor and
celebrate.

Isn't it peculiar, Charlie Brown, how some traditions just slowly fade
away?

Yes! We are back and in full swing with a brand new Name That Film! I give thanks to Bloodredsox for knocking out another wonderful introduction. Honestly, I may have wrapped up this game if he did not come on as a partner so many months ago. I also give thanks to my wife for tolerating all the time I give to the computer to put this together and answer comments when I'm done. While I'm at it, I have to give thanks to the readers/players who make this fun each week and make the time worth while.

As for this week, all of the quotes used come from movies that either take place on, or around, Thanksgiving, or are about Thanksgiving itself. Read the quotes below and see if you can figure out what movie they came from. Put your answers in the comment section and check back to see if you're right! Response time may be low due to me having to share my computer more than normal lately.

Good luck and enjoy the game!!

1. "What kind of a Thanksgiving dinner is this? Where's the turkey, Chuck? Don't you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners? Where's the mashed potatoes? Where's the cranberry sauce? Where's the pumpkin pie?"

2. "I don't know if you remember me, but we had the worst night of my life together."

3. "She has her mother's spirit. She goes wherever the wind takes her."

4. "Mom, I'm going to have sex with Tim."

5. "The next time Homer says, "What kind of animal are you?" You tell him, "You're a monkey."

6. "How would you like a mouthful of teeth?"

7. "It's okay, I'm a doctor!"

8. "Don't shrug you imbecile, I'm blind."

9. "I don't care if you pay off in eggs! Just give me a chance."

10. "What I tell you, man. Alice is a groovy cook."

Well, let's see how you did! Put those movie titles in a comment and check back to see how you did!

Remember to check ouut The Blood Blog if you liked this week's intro. There's a lot more where that came from.

By the way, this week's pictures are of things that I am thankful for. There are more, but it's a nice representation.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!