Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Christmas and Redskins



Anyone who watches the O'Reilly Factor knows about the War on Christmas, politically correct robotons walking around with blank faces and glassy eyes spewing "Christmas is bad" and "Santa is bad'" and  “Christmas music” is bad.  Although O’Reilly calls it the War on Christmas, it is really a war on tolerance.  No one is more intolerant than people of this ilk.  Their lives are a permanent buzz kill.  They only tolerate one point of view…their own which they raise to religious status.  Pathetically guilt ridden, they espouse a world where there is a tyranny of one.  If one person is offended, then the whole world must bow down…of course unless that one person is you.  You don’t count.  Only they count.

The good news is things are finally starting to get better.  The mass hysteria of those attempting to look progressive and cool and caring and tolerant has waned.  It reached the high point over the past few years when merchants banned their employees from saying Merry Christmas in fear of offending someone.  Well…they did offend someone: the vast majority of those shopping in their stores for “Christmas” presents.  Americans finally said enough and fought back.  Merry Christmas was back in.   After all, it is a national holiday with major secular overtones.  Should we stop saying Happy 4th of July because we might offend someone from Great Britain?  Should we stop saying Happy Thanksgiving if someone replies “thanksgiving for what?”

The Houston School System has just voted to ban “culturally insensitive” mascot names.  The top of the list is the “redskins”, never mind that several Native Americans showed up to say they were proud of the name.  The ban also included names like the “Rebels”.  How and to whom is that culturally offensive?  I imagine the PETA people will be banging on the door next because they are offended by the “panthers” or “tigers”.  It is a never ending slippery slope.  In a country of 335 million people, someone is ALWAYS going to be offended by something. Notwithstanding, the Houston School District has much more serious problems than this.  Try finding the graduation rate anywhere.  Wait a minute…they fudged what figures?  Of course, that is irrelevant…because they “care.”

The best way to handle these politically correct nut jobs is to call them on it.  Look them in the eye and tell them to just shut up, forcefully.  America is a wonderful ship filled with all sorts of people on a still relatively new political journey.  Compared to the countries in Europe, we are babes in the woods.  We are a diverse people, and all of those diverse cultures deserve to be celebrated. 

But at the end of the day, we are still a democracy rooted in a Judeo Christian ethic.  Just as we should be tolerant of the minorities around us, they should be tolerant of us.  If the goal is not to offend anyone, then we are on a fool’s journey.  It can’t be done.  More importantly, everyone just needs to lighten to up. 

Merry Christmas means the birth of Jesus, but also represents hope and peace and goodwill.  “Redskins” stands for bravery and strength and discipline and dedication…what’s wrong with that?  Native American culture has actually become iconic in overall culture.  Would you want the team named the Whiteskins?  Think of cultural connotations that would go with a name like that!!!! 

Merry Christmas everybody.  

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