We are more or less indoctrinated everywhere to celebrate all sorts of things from a self-congratulatory perspective. However, it's not impossible to adapt different, more useful perspectives.
@Magnifico:Nope, I don't expect it, but it's not impossible to, at the least, bring people to the awareness that there can be more to history, and therefore to an understanding of the present, than the fairy stories we've been brought up on. So eat the turkey if you want (sorry, Gompo) and use yr head, and that will be one more person with a little more clarity. Ignorance of the past means inability to understand the present and inability to act for the future, which is not set in concrete but which grows out of what we do or don't do daily. Everything has consequences, as the Indians who took up the offer of the Pilgrims who threw the party found out - we should, and can, know more now than they knew then.

again, i am not entering the veget aryan or not discussion, but rather the living conditions of animals

a lot of people now know, what battery chicken suffer, what other industrialized animals live, how unnatural that may be, starting from artificial insemination where the females and kids do not know male.

so as you are trying raise awareness on american genocide, i also try to raise awareness on animal conditions. i dont know turkey situation but a little search at www.peta.org may give some hints

usa could attack afghanistan for 3000 citizen killed, nobody would do that for a few 10000000 animals tortured unless a nazi...

@Gompo: you are right all the way, Gompo - probably is better not to eat the turkey.

Here for some turkey videos. Of course, it comes from peta so it is bit orientated, but a video is video, no?

Take a look...

www.peta.org/?category_name=&s=turkey&post_type=video

Watch the PBS film 'My Life as a Turkey' (5th film on the list) and discuss turkeys and eat turkey leftovers all week.

www.onegreenplanet.org/[...]

I came to China to get away from all these ridiculous holidays that have no meaning. Yet all I see here is where to buy a Haloween costume, Happy Thanksgiving dinner for the genocide of the American Indians, Merry Xmas and Saturnalia, and Happy Valentines Day. It amazes me that there are more baloons, roses and candy given in 2/14 the there is on 7/7 here in China nowadays. Can't wait for the Xmas forums around the corner!!!

@Gompo, you might be interested to know that scientists are trying to figure out how to make synthetic eggs in a lab.

Gompo's right - modern human use of animals as merely objectivized matter is pretty disgusting. Interesting that this is counteracted by people's sentimentality and generally good relations with their pets. Makes one appreciate people who merely hunt for food, or even traditional animal-raising farmers.

@HFCAMPO, yes it is interesting that so many foreign festivals are celebrated in China - or at least promoted in shops by selling those items you mentioned! As a non-American, we don't even have Thanksgiving in my country, so it seems odd to see Chinese celebrating it!

It is sad that you feel the festivals have no meaning for you. Some festivals are meaningful to some people. For me it is a pity to see people 'celebrating' a festival without acknowledging or even understanding its meaning.

I have not quite got my head around the Chinese approach to festivals, as it seems to be more about how they are celebrated (eg what food to eat, with whom to eat) rather than why. Again for me, the celebration is that much richer when you know why you are celebrating. Maybe Chinese people like a celebration whatever the reason!

The Crowne Plaza is doing a Thanksgiving dinner. The food looks amazing... mmmm chocolate fountain, pecan pie.... though super pricey at over 200元！