I know a lot of people pour forth everything (and I mean everything) that they are thinking of when they post on their blogs and sites. However, I don't think I have the luxury of doing so. For one, I know that once something goes online it never goes away... it will be there forever and ever, Amen. Also, because of my profession, I feel that I have to be very careful about what I post. Call me paranoid, call me crazy, call me Shirley (as in Shirley, you can't be serious), but one just has to be careful.
With that said, I got a revelation this weekend and I can't let it go.
Earlier this month, I went to the Meet the Teacher night at my daughter's school. No biggie, got lots of great info about the work they are doing this year. But also got updates on the class parties. I found out that the school is not allowing kids to dress up for Halloween. (Apparently that will offend some people who attend the school) Also, the school is not doing any kind of "Fall" celebration. Heaven forbid it looks like the school celebrates some pagan form of the harvest with cider and crunchy leaves as decor. Oh, and there is a "winter" celebration - no Christmas.
Fine. If you want it that way, it's fine. Don't have kids dress up because it could scare and damage others who don't believe in Halloween. Never mind the fact that today's celebrations of Halloween have been so Walmartized and are so far removed from the more traditional religious practice of preparing for All Soul's Day on November 1. In meeting lots of other parents and children at school, I'm guessing that the percentage of students in the building who don't "practice" Halloween is pretty small.
Fine. You don't want to celebrate the fall harvest. (OK, so this could be partly due to budget cuts, but in light of the no Halloween rule, it's a likely scapegoat.) It's not like America's schools are planned around an agrarian calendar and most kids were let out of school to help the family gather in the harvest so they could live through the winter. Oh, wait, they are... so why are we not celebrating the harvest and all the bounties that fall has to offer. (Such as the bean soup at the Bob Evans Festival!)
Fine. You want to take Christmas away, and replace it with happy snowmen and neutral angels. That's OK - we'll celebrate it joyously in our home with our family.
But... don't send home a fund-raiser for the school and with overtly religious messages. Here's what I'm talking about. The school is selling wrapping paper/chocolates/gifts as a fundraiser. They get a shiny catalogue and have to beg and bother relatives (Begger's night, anyone?) to purchase things. There is the obligatory festive red and green paper with non-offensive stars and snowmen and chubby Santas. I couldn't find any mangers or Holy Family images, though.
Imagine my surprise when I turned to pages 14 and 15 and found Chanukah gifts, including blue and silver paper and a chocolate dreidel.
Let me clarify something here: I don't hate the Jewish culture, nor do I want to deny the right for Jews to celebrate. I applaud the company for being capitalistic and including a variety of products to reach the most potential customers. I say let each celebrate to their own desires.
What I don't get is how a holiday that is obviously for religious reasons can be included when a "perverted" version of Christmas has to be included in the catalogue as well. Where are the mangers and "Reason for the Season" wrapping papers? I'll even give you the fact that many people who don't believe in Jesus nor are Christian observe some parts of the Christams holiday with a tree or exchanging gifts. But as far as I know, Chaunukah is only celebrated by those who are Jewish. Please, someone correct me if I am wrong, but I don't see any secular connection to this holiday.
Does anyone else see the hypocracy here? Am I just a hate-monger?
I'm half tempted (actually about 3/4 tempted) to call into the school and voice my concerns. But I know I'd get the typical "we have no control over what the company puts in their catalogues." By not offending others, do they realize they are offending me by not including our celebrations as well.
Shirley, they can't be serious!
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5 comments:
I couldn't agree more!!! We used to always have a halloween party where we got to dress up, and now none of the schools are allowed to do that anymore it's bunk
Don't even get me started on fundraisers I HATE them with a major passion. I am the Junior Class Sponsor and they have to sell Magazines for school
Things are bad all over girlie!! My school at least have Halloween parties and Christmas parties. There's no PC there. Granted 5th graders aren't allowed as of now to dress up, but we get to have the party!
PC crap is just that! I can't stand it. It takes away the majority's enjoyment and rights.
YOU GO GIRL!!!!
Ok, I get your comment to me the other day. So, no, you're being anti-semitic.
I do agree that it's not "fair" that they are able to have items in there for the Jewish believers, but not Christians. I believe that this country was founded on Christian principles coupled with the philosophy that one should be free to practice whatever religion they believe in. With that being said however, that does not give anyone the right to enforce their religious practices on us and make us feel that we cannot openly celebrate ours. That is quite a double standard and should be stopped.
I say you don't contact the school, but contact BOTH the school and the catalogue company! Voice your opinion and concern to both of them.
And finally, yes, you are hate monger! ;)
AMEN! (Oh, I'm sorry, that is probably most politically incorrect.)
I agree that PC is BS. I'm honestly not sure who's to blame for this, but I tend to lean towards our legal system for allowing people to actually sue over these sorts of things and win in the past. There needs to be some reform in that area for this garbage to go away. Some people just need to learn how to see that not everything is a personal attack. Some people just see things in a different way. Anyway...
As for your catalog experience though, If all there was for Christmas was some red/green paper and some Santas, and all there was for Hanukkah was some blue/silver paper and a chocolate dreidel, it sounds like a wash to me.
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