Matt White
02-17-2006, 07:59 AM
BY ED ANGER
ONCE AGAIN, President's Day is nearly upon us -- the combined weight of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays coupled as one is super. Two of the most important American presidents bound in one big celebration.
But of what? A three-day spectacular weekend extravaganza of sales and consumer frenzy, that's what.
People, there's something amiss and it has nothing to do with Honest Abe or the Father of Our Country (perhaps the first and last president who could not tell a lie).
Once upon a time, holidays weren't shifted or manufactured for the sake of creating a threeday weekend or to encourage consumer spending. These two dates in particular were actually for remembering and honoring the births of those great men. Other holidays were created as a way to salute those who had died keeping the torch of liberty lit, exploring the seas, or fighting for civil rights. Not for spurring Dollar Days Events at the local bargain store.
Sadly, the mass marketing of holidays has gone far beyond merely combining days or changing the name. It's created amnesia. For instance, Veterans Day used to be known as Armistice Day, the date WW1 ended. November 11 should be remembered as such.
It should be celebrated on whichever day of the week it falls. It should be used as a springboard to teach the young about that conflict.
Veterans Day (which engulfed Armistice Day in 1954) should be a separate day. And Memorial Day should be the time to remember all of those who sacrificed so much. By changing the names or relocating the dates for convenience, we obscure the reason a holiday was established, a day of hallowed reflection about the first world conflict. Where do you think the word holiday comes from, anyway? Hallowed Day.
December 7. November 22. September 11. These are dates we recall with clarity because they remain linked to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the killing of President Kennedy and the assaults on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Moving them to establish a new three-day weekend would be morally corrupt.
Making the situation even worse is the proliferation of socalled Hallmark holidays like Valentines Day, Mother's Day, Secretary's Day and the like. It is becoming more and more difficult to differentiate between the sacred (say, Christmas) and the frivolous (Halloween) -- especially when there is so much commercialization attached to them (cards, parades, 'sales events').
We need to clear the calendar of the clutter and allow the truly historic days, events and people to remain special to us. We can start by unlinking those great men who are joined in the only way that has any significance at all: As presidents who devoted their lives to the creation and preservation of this singularly great nation.
http://web.weeklyworldnews.com/images/wwn/208761/49824.gif
ONCE AGAIN, President's Day is nearly upon us -- the combined weight of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays coupled as one is super. Two of the most important American presidents bound in one big celebration.
But of what? A three-day spectacular weekend extravaganza of sales and consumer frenzy, that's what.
People, there's something amiss and it has nothing to do with Honest Abe or the Father of Our Country (perhaps the first and last president who could not tell a lie).
Once upon a time, holidays weren't shifted or manufactured for the sake of creating a threeday weekend or to encourage consumer spending. These two dates in particular were actually for remembering and honoring the births of those great men. Other holidays were created as a way to salute those who had died keeping the torch of liberty lit, exploring the seas, or fighting for civil rights. Not for spurring Dollar Days Events at the local bargain store.
Sadly, the mass marketing of holidays has gone far beyond merely combining days or changing the name. It's created amnesia. For instance, Veterans Day used to be known as Armistice Day, the date WW1 ended. November 11 should be remembered as such.
It should be celebrated on whichever day of the week it falls. It should be used as a springboard to teach the young about that conflict.
Veterans Day (which engulfed Armistice Day in 1954) should be a separate day. And Memorial Day should be the time to remember all of those who sacrificed so much. By changing the names or relocating the dates for convenience, we obscure the reason a holiday was established, a day of hallowed reflection about the first world conflict. Where do you think the word holiday comes from, anyway? Hallowed Day.
December 7. November 22. September 11. These are dates we recall with clarity because they remain linked to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the killing of President Kennedy and the assaults on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Moving them to establish a new three-day weekend would be morally corrupt.
Making the situation even worse is the proliferation of socalled Hallmark holidays like Valentines Day, Mother's Day, Secretary's Day and the like. It is becoming more and more difficult to differentiate between the sacred (say, Christmas) and the frivolous (Halloween) -- especially when there is so much commercialization attached to them (cards, parades, 'sales events').
We need to clear the calendar of the clutter and allow the truly historic days, events and people to remain special to us. We can start by unlinking those great men who are joined in the only way that has any significance at all: As presidents who devoted their lives to the creation and preservation of this singularly great nation.
http://web.weeklyworldnews.com/images/wwn/208761/49824.gif