Sink the money...

Commercialization has had the effect of diminishing commemorations of pivotal events, while embellishing lesser footnotes in history for the sake of giving consumers an excuse to spend their paychecks. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!

The e-mail showed up in my inbox, a greeting from one of the forums I participate in, urging me to join in the fun and come celebrate Cinco de Mayo with them.

Argumentative type that I am, I had to respond with the observation that I have no reason whatsoever to celebrate a victory by one foreign army over another foreign army in a battle fought on foreign soil in a war which the battle’s victor wound up losing...

I would be equally perturbed, I might add, if we began to celebrate Dien Bien Phu Day, or Algiers Day, or Waterloo Day. Everybody beats the French in battle -- it’s not that big a deal...

Why is there a double standard when it comes to “embracing diversity?” Why are we willing to go out on a limb and act like we’re Irish or Mexican or African, but we steadfastly refuse to embrace the aspects of our culture which could most significantly bind us together and meld all those different ethnic backgrounds into one?

Why? Because giving every identifiable group their very own special day not only makes everyone feel better... it keeps the cash registers employed year-round.