Going PC with Bacon, God and Government
A recent trending media story reports that a Vermont bistro felt compelled to remove their outdoor faux traffic sign saying "Yield for Sneakers Bacon". Because a local Muslim resident felt the sign was "offensive" since she does not eat bacon. A spokesperson for the eatery said they wanted to be respectful to the community but still loved bacon. Hey I can't eat bacon either but it would not occur to me to expect my men - or anyone in the world for that matter - to avoid it just because of me. I love the Bacon movement! (Happy International Bacon Day, by the way.)
So we've come to this.
We're going to start whimpering about what various business signs say if they don't match our specific thinking or ethics? What happens when we cater to every single possible combination of thought? What if a flower or tree offends someone - do we mow them down, too? I don't like horror movies. Should my dislike have clout over movie producers or should I just continue to avoid that genre? I don't like cloudy days or deserts, can someone please sanction something global about that for lil' ol' me?? After all, gotta be fair to everyone.
Is it truly this society's responsibility to please every denominator rather than respect freedom in our speech and preferences, must less thoughts and actions?
Remember the old courtroom scenes in movies? Or, perhaps you have even been to court. To get your name changed or something. The baliff had you put one hand on a Bible and the other over your heart and "Swear to tell the truth, the whole truth so help me, God."
Not any more. In my line of work I often accompany clients to court hearings. Yesterday was just such another day in court. All the baliff did was ask each party raise their right hand and declare to "tell the truth". That was it. It sounded soooo incomplete. Who were they making their solemn promise to?
God has slowly been removed from the North American culture. So slowly in fact that I did not catch the shortened, god-less "promise" at any of the other five court hearings I have attended this summer. Until yesterday. The lack of God was as loud as a clanging gong. I heard those ellipsis points dangling out there.
A few weeks ago, we attended the AIT graduation for our son at one of the largest Army bases in the country. At the beginning of the ceremony, the dress-blue clad soldiers stood for the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. As I glanced around, I noted only half the families and a quarter of the warriors put their hands over their hearts. That was once a somber and important thing to do. My elementary school days each started with that song and that pledge. When something is reinforced, its value is enhanced. It is no longer publically enforced. My kids did not grow up saying the pledge. With their age spread, that covers two generations desensitized. No wonder very few hands were placed over hearts that day. It is no longer "trending".
There is talk that some of our elected D.C. officials want to have the phrase "under God" removed from American currency. God used to be so important that the founders wanted a reminder literally in our hands every day. Especially when conducting monetary transactions. Reinforcement. Today's thinking is that by erasing this phrase, the people who don't believe in God will feel less offended. And isn't that what we are all about - not offending anyone, ever?
Arg.
We have already lost Christmas to "Winter Break" yet it is still okay to talk about Chanukah. Easter is okay as long as you only talk about bunnies and candy. Thanksgiving is totally safe - whew. So is Ramadan. And Halloween has become a ginormous market with $2 Billion in annual candy sales and is so revered that $300 Million is even spent on in pet costumes annually. Basically, it is okay to celebrate anything as long as you do not mention the God of our country's founding fathers. Or bacon. Bacon is not neutral.
Our shifting culture bends over backwards to shout out how inclusive and fair our country is. At a chain restaurant I recently noticed an engraved sign in the ladies room saying "do not leave your child unattended [on the changing table]" in nine different languages. Nine. I recognized four. I doubt I would see a sign in English in each of these countries. And I wouldn't expect to. But here in the USA, we must please everyone. We must be all-inclusive. Even at the expense of our citizens.
What??
Did you know that the flood of children crushing our southern borders get flat screens and iPads in order to make them feel more comfortable? Do each of your children have their own iPad? Are all of your TV's flat? There is welcoming, then there is bribery and discrimination. Where are all the iPads for the inner city kids? And the 15% of Americans living in poverty? Oh. The border kids even get individual beds... bet that is totally not the experience of all the other American kids around the country. (PS might I create another Thread and moan that this is all on the backs of the tax-paying, ever-shrinking middle class??) Do not throw negativity at me - I do care about the children forced to leave their domiciles. My only question is why didn't our country care about the kids already here first? Why weren't they important?
So lines are blurred. The great American Melting Pot has succumbed to so much melting she no longer stands for anything. Danger looms. Who can follow something that is not described?? Look at ISIS. They declare death to all of their "unbelievers" and are doing horrifically well. Everyone knows what they stand for. America has watered down whatever she once stood for in order to become non-offensive. Look at what has happened internationally. Terrorists have even been "inoffensively" referred to as "insurgents". SERIOUSLY?? NO!Terrorism is exactly that. Call it what it is.
Parting thought: The terrorists out there destroying, conquering and murdering are doing it all in the name of their god. Why is America continuing to do nothing in the name of nothing and fearing to refer to God. The God with a capital "G"?
Standing for something is offensive. Some people are just not going to agree. Ever. Our country must retract the brainwashing mantra that offending is "bad" and that "good" is when you water everything down. That is actually weakness.
So we've come to this.
We're going to start whimpering about what various business signs say if they don't match our specific thinking or ethics? What happens when we cater to every single possible combination of thought? What if a flower or tree offends someone - do we mow them down, too? I don't like horror movies. Should my dislike have clout over movie producers or should I just continue to avoid that genre? I don't like cloudy days or deserts, can someone please sanction something global about that for lil' ol' me?? After all, gotta be fair to everyone.
Is it truly this society's responsibility to please every denominator rather than respect freedom in our speech and preferences, must less thoughts and actions?
Remember the old courtroom scenes in movies? Or, perhaps you have even been to court. To get your name changed or something. The baliff had you put one hand on a Bible and the other over your heart and "Swear to tell the truth, the whole truth so help me, God."
Not any more. In my line of work I often accompany clients to court hearings. Yesterday was just such another day in court. All the baliff did was ask each party raise their right hand and declare to "tell the truth". That was it. It sounded soooo incomplete. Who were they making their solemn promise to?
God has slowly been removed from the North American culture. So slowly in fact that I did not catch the shortened, god-less "promise" at any of the other five court hearings I have attended this summer. Until yesterday. The lack of God was as loud as a clanging gong. I heard those ellipsis points dangling out there.
A few weeks ago, we attended the AIT graduation for our son at one of the largest Army bases in the country. At the beginning of the ceremony, the dress-blue clad soldiers stood for the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. As I glanced around, I noted only half the families and a quarter of the warriors put their hands over their hearts. That was once a somber and important thing to do. My elementary school days each started with that song and that pledge. When something is reinforced, its value is enhanced. It is no longer publically enforced. My kids did not grow up saying the pledge. With their age spread, that covers two generations desensitized. No wonder very few hands were placed over hearts that day. It is no longer "trending".
There is talk that some of our elected D.C. officials want to have the phrase "under God" removed from American currency. God used to be so important that the founders wanted a reminder literally in our hands every day. Especially when conducting monetary transactions. Reinforcement. Today's thinking is that by erasing this phrase, the people who don't believe in God will feel less offended. And isn't that what we are all about - not offending anyone, ever?
Arg.
We have already lost Christmas to "Winter Break" yet it is still okay to talk about Chanukah. Easter is okay as long as you only talk about bunnies and candy. Thanksgiving is totally safe - whew. So is Ramadan. And Halloween has become a ginormous market with $2 Billion in annual candy sales and is so revered that $300 Million is even spent on in pet costumes annually. Basically, it is okay to celebrate anything as long as you do not mention the God of our country's founding fathers. Or bacon. Bacon is not neutral.
Our shifting culture bends over backwards to shout out how inclusive and fair our country is. At a chain restaurant I recently noticed an engraved sign in the ladies room saying "do not leave your child unattended [on the changing table]" in nine different languages. Nine. I recognized four. I doubt I would see a sign in English in each of these countries. And I wouldn't expect to. But here in the USA, we must please everyone. We must be all-inclusive. Even at the expense of our citizens.
What??
Did you know that the flood of children crushing our southern borders get flat screens and iPads in order to make them feel more comfortable? Do each of your children have their own iPad? Are all of your TV's flat? There is welcoming, then there is bribery and discrimination. Where are all the iPads for the inner city kids? And the 15% of Americans living in poverty? Oh. The border kids even get individual beds... bet that is totally not the experience of all the other American kids around the country. (PS might I create another Thread and moan that this is all on the backs of the tax-paying, ever-shrinking middle class??) Do not throw negativity at me - I do care about the children forced to leave their domiciles. My only question is why didn't our country care about the kids already here first? Why weren't they important?
So lines are blurred. The great American Melting Pot has succumbed to so much melting she no longer stands for anything. Danger looms. Who can follow something that is not described?? Look at ISIS. They declare death to all of their "unbelievers" and are doing horrifically well. Everyone knows what they stand for. America has watered down whatever she once stood for in order to become non-offensive. Look at what has happened internationally. Terrorists have even been "inoffensively" referred to as "insurgents". SERIOUSLY?? NO!Terrorism is exactly that. Call it what it is.
Parting thought: The terrorists out there destroying, conquering and murdering are doing it all in the name of their god. Why is America continuing to do nothing in the name of nothing and fearing to refer to God. The God with a capital "G"?
Standing for something is offensive. Some people are just not going to agree. Ever. Our country must retract the brainwashing mantra that offending is "bad" and that "good" is when you water everything down. That is actually weakness.
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