Tuesday, November 25, 2008

This Crazy World

A few parents who obviously have far too much time on their hands protested the annual kindergarten Thanksgiving feast celebration shared by two Southern California elementary schools, and district officials agreed to end the 40-year tradition.

I'm sorry to say that one of the parents who pressured the district to stop celebrating Thanksgiving -- which one protesting parent said would equate with dressing 5-year-olds as Nazis and Jews -- is a professor from my alma mater, the University of Redlands.

Some parents sent their children to school in costume today and plan to keep their children at home on Wednesday so the district won't get state attendance money for the day. I think the day-long boycott is a fine idea which will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to weak-kneed district administrators.

Our country has reached the point where we really need to stop letting people whose feelings are hurt dictate the behavior of the majority. And the protestors need to grow up and get over their depressed, negative outlook on life. Unfortunately, that's hardly likely to happen, but anyone who sees evil in 5-year-olds giving thanks and celebrating friendship between cultures has got bigger problems than Thanksgiving.

3 Comments:

Blogger Irene said...

I saw this on the news last night and they ran the piece again this morning. Also they made a big deal about the Native Americans standing on a corner as the children walked past with their protest signs and how they equate Thanksgiving was massacre. I just had to shake my head. So ridiculous. Good for those parents standing up to this wacko decision.

9:02 AM  
Blogger UGN said...

I think parents ought to dress their kids in Indian and Pilgrim costumes every day; maybe they will be so "offended" that they will flee the district entirely. Amazing!

10:06 AM  
Blogger Historical Ken said...

Welcome to life in the 21st century.
I hope that every parent at the school that you are speaking of does keep their children/children out during count day.
I must say, the elementary school my daughter attends here in Michigan has an excellent presentation for Thanksgiving. One 3rd grade classroom dresses as Pilgims and the other 3rd grade classroom dress as Indians. Mixed races partake in this tradition: European, black, oriental...and the parents pack the rooms.
Unfortunately, the district has taken to calling the Christmas celebrations "holiday celebrations" and the media is now calling the downtown Detroit Christmas tree a "holiday tree."

12:14 PM  

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