Every nation-building process requires the origins of the nation to be pinpointed in a remote past (which, in reality, has fuck – all to do with the nation.) Russians fixate on a Kievan prince from 1,000 years ago. Americans celebrate the Pilgrims. A lily-white colleague of mine from Mexico with the last name of Weinstein talks proudly of “our Aztec ancestors.”
The creators of Spain ‘ s national identity had a choice. They could decide that Spain had originated with the Romans. Spanish language obviously descends from Latin. Roman aqueducts, roads, and olive groves are still visible on the Iberian Peninsula. And there’s the issue of prestige. Who doesn’t want to descend from a culture that is as intellectually prestigious as that of the Romans?
The Spaniards’ other choice were Visigoths. Like the Romans, they were invaders of the Peninsula. But they brought no civilization, built nothing but a couple of ugly little shacks, and made no contribution to the Spanish language outside of the word “guerra” (war).
So who do you think the Enlightened thinkers, the huge believers in progress and civilization, chose as the supposed creators of Spain?
Shockingly, in a fit of what an historian called “interpretative schizophrenia”, the Enlightened thinkers threw over the refined, civilized Romans and embraced the stupid, smelly Visigoths. Romans were labeled effeminate and degenerate, and the liberation from their oppressive rule by the “truly Spanish” Visigoths was celebrated.
Clarissa's Blog 
This is just a guess, but maybe it’s because the Visigoths were light skinned and fair compared to Romans and to distance themselves from other Latin people’s. Spanish people wherever seem to have a weird sort of inferiority complex vis a vis northern Europe, maybe this is Thursday of saying they are more European. This is June IMHO, yours might be different.
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This is definitely a possibility. Darker skin and hair were associated with being Muslim or Jewish, and that was considered the worst thing ever.
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Maybe they wanted to distinguish themselves from Italy (Romans)?
Or they wanted to assert some kind of Christian unity prior to 1492?
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Or maybe there is something Jungian going on: the rowdy violent Goths attract because they are so different from the refined, polite, intellectual Enlightened thinkers. Kind of like me enjoying shows like The Wire and Law & Order so much.
And maybe all these reasons come together and create a powerful fascination.
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Their way, I meant. Stupid keyboard 😉
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“Americans celebrate the Pilgrims”
Actually the great majority can’t tell the pilgrims apart from the Puritans (the Massachusetts Bay colony).
A mythic figure for Americans might be Virginia Dare (the first child born of English speaking parents in the new world) though basically nothing is known of her besides her name and the presumed date of her birth.
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“Americans celebrate the Pilgrims”
Actually the great majority can’t tell the Pilgrims apart from the Puritans (the Massachusetts Bay colony).
That’s because the story of Thanksgiving is a homily which you’d expect of a nation building story. Differences and complexities such as pit stops from Holland, a desire to preserve their Englishness and a land decimated by plague are reduced to religious freedom and friendly Native Americans and lots of food. Thanksgiving itself only started as a federal holiday during the Civil War.
People don’t latch onto Virginia Dare as much because nobody knows her parents, nobody knows her descendants and she’s from a colony which disappeared/blended into the local population, leaving no features to her story that can be romanticized and massaged into nation building.
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It’s curious that the foundational myth of this country revolves around food and it ends up being the most overfed country on Earth. There’s got to be something there.
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ROFLMAO.
It’s one of the foundational myths/holidays. The holiday also piggybacks on long traditions of autumn harvest festivals.
The other big one is the Fourth of July which is tied to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This revolves around fireworks and summer outdoor activities like picnics and barbeques but mostly fireworks.
The Fourth of July is not so strongly tied to food as Thanksgiving. People dust off the Star Spangled Banner which Americans conveniently ignore was based off a poem written about the war of 1812.
Although to be fair, you can still go shopping on the Fourth of July. It’s frowned upon to go shopping on Thanksgiving, because the orgy of shopping is supposed to to start the next day. :p
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“Although to be fair, you can still go shopping on the Fourth of July. It’s frowned upon to go shopping on Thanksgiving, because the orgy of shopping is supposed to to start the next day. ”
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“That’s because the story of Thanksgiving is a homily which you’d expect of a nation building story”
And the post-nation state is deconstructing it with a new competing myth: The idea that the first thanksgiving was a celebration of a massacre of Native Americans.
I wonder what myths other deconstructing nation states will come up with.
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“I wonder what myths other deconstructing nation states will come up with.”
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