I'm genuinely curious, I wasn't trying to hand-wave anything. I think it's probably a cultural zeitgeist, but in my opinion it's interesting how Columbus was so specifically targeted (when there's inarguably much worse historical people out there that are still celebrated). With that said, just think about how disingenuous your comment comes off: you're literally comparing a person that's still alive and held to today's ethical and legal standards (able to face his accusers, etc.) to someone that lived 500 years ago.