Joy Reid calls Thanksgiving ‘simplistic fairytale’ that GOP uses to cover up ‘genocide’ in America’s founding

MSNBC host Joy Reid has received fierce backlash after attacking Thanksgiving as a “simplistic fairy tale” Republicans need to hide how the country was “founded on violence” and slavery in 1619.  

The provocative host opened a segment Wednesday by saying while Thanksgiving is a day of cherished tradition for many Americans, it was based around a series of “historical inaccuracies.”

“It is a holiday riddled with historical inaccuracies built on this myth that the indigenous welcomed their colonizers with open arms and ears of corn, a simplistic fairy tale interpretation of a 1621 encounter between indigenous tribes and English settlers that erases the genocide that followed,” said Reid, referring to the famous feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Reid argued that the country was “founded on violence,” referring to a narrative popularized by Nikole Hannah-Jones’ 1619 Project that America was founded on slavery – a “truth” Republicans were “desperately” trying to hide from the public.

“In 1619, a ship with more than 20 enslaved Africans landed in Virginia, ushering in two centuries of American slavery that left millions in chains or dead,” she said.

Although some spoke out in support of Reid, others blasted her for being divisive and angry during what is traditionally intended as a time of togetherness.

“'Screwed up head case who's hate for our fabulous country knows no limits,” wrote conservative radio host Mark Levin.

“Joy has nothing if she can’t race bait. Sad,” tweeted another user.

The 1619 Project, which reframes the founding of the United States around protecting the right to own slaves, has been controversial since it was first published in 2019. Historians have criticized Hannah-Jones, who is not a historian’s, premise as an “unbalanced, one-sided account” that lacks important “context and perspective.”