Encore: Thanksgiving Smallpox Pizza!

It's THANKSGIVING!  You might be traveling to your family's house right now for some great political debate and dinner.  We know what's up and remember that family gatherings are only made better by reminding yourself that you are an adult and allowed to drink all the alcohol you want.  Get loaded and let Uncle Man and Aunt Lady know what you really think of their dry-ass turkey!

And now, for the episode.

Right Coast Pizza put out an ad in an edgy music magazine.  The ad showed a pilgrim woman offering a pizza to an indigenous man and apologizing for "all the smallpox."  The ad was meant to be funny, but instead it created a social media backlash and both the magazine and the restaurant apologized.  A town meeting was held and ended in hugs, but did that make everything OK?

Thanksgiving is a national holiday that was meant to unite a divided American country after a terrible and bloody civil war.  It later became the starting line in the race to Christmas, but it has always been intended as the one holiday that everyone can celebrate as an American.

Except that not everyone sees Thanksgiving as something to celebrate and says "no thank you" to pizza and smallpox.

The Official AI Recap:

Welcome to "Apologies Accepted," where hosts Theo and Juliette take a dive into the nuances of public apologies, offering a unique lens on historical and contemporary issues. In this Thanksgiving-themed episode, they wander through a light-hearted discussion on holiday traditions and swiftly move into a thought-provoking examination of cultural sensitivity, sparked by an ill-fated Thanksgiving advertisement from a Colorado pizza restaurant.

The ad featured a racially insensitive portrayal of a Thanksgiving scene, leading to public backlash and serious discussions about the perception of historical events. Theo and Juliette analyze the situation, additional context of smallpox-infected blankets as biological warfare against Native Americans, and explore the intricacies of offering a sincere apology in situations entwined with racial insensitivity.