so i'm flipping through the channels and hit on (i think) Clifford the Big Red Dog -- some cartoon, anyway. this family is trying to get on a train to go to grandma's for what is OBVIOUSLY thanksgiving. but over and over it's referred to as "fall feast."

wha?????

since when did THIS new term take over "thanksgiving?"

come on. i'm 1/4 native american. i have full-blooded native friends. while i understand the issues of the historical perspective, calling it by another name doesn't change the holiday's events -- oh, but wait, it DOES. THANKSGIVING is the whole REASON for the "fall feast."

so none of my indian friends ever took issue with calling it that (and they celebrate it, too). so who is so offended that we are seeing it called "fall feast" instead of what it was named for -- THANKSGIVING??!?!?!?!?!

can you say LIBERALISM?

Cav, it's not Native Americans they're trying not to offend. Think about WHO you have a "fall feast" to give thanks to!

Check out:

http://www.ucomics.com/boondocks/2004/09/08/ 

---

clive, i thought about that -- but even so the native americans were not giving thanks to a christian god on the first thanksgiving. gratitude can be secular, too, which is why it's totally ridiculous to try to de-religion-ize the holiday, ya know? you can be grateful to the earth we all walk on for all that. last time i checked, the earth wasn't owned by a particular religion. maybe they're being anti-pagan? lol arrrrrgh. so ridiculous this is.

i'm a liberal, E1, and it ticks me off spectacularly.

gene -- the cartoon was todays and was an anti-republican cartoon; sure that was the one ya meant for us to see? 🙂

"i'm a liberal, E1,"
Really?????????? I would never have guessed

" and it ticks me off spectacularly."
Maybe your not as liberal as you think you are

Perhaps, but it says a lot about Kerry.

Monday's was better:

http://www.ucomics.com/boondocks/2004/09/06/ 

... and they are funny.

---

or maybe all liberals aren't as full of crap as you think they are? 😉

seriously, though, i'm just not an extremist and don't like extremism on either end of the spectrum -- and this is (imo) pretty extreme.

language is powerful stuff. change language and you change meaning; change meaning, and you change history.

while i can at least understand to an extent why people take objection to religious holidays being "foisted" upon them, thanksgiving is one of those holidays that isn't necessarily a religion. in fact, i think calling it a "fall feast" steps on the toes of OTHER religions (besides christianity). to jews a "fall feast" may be a jewish holiday entirely different than thanksgiving, for example. are we going to let people out of class and close stores down to celebrate all the different "fall feasts" that all fall on different days? no? then why call it that! it's THANKSGIVING, f'cryin' out loud.

there are ambiguities in life. this ain't one of 'em.

But who do you think is responsible for this PC nonsense? I don't think you can lay blame on NEO CONS for this one

EI: nope, and i don't have some hair-trigger blame mechanism that points fingers at conservatives or neo-cons or whatever the name of the day is.

i think it's the fault of whiny extremist people.

i guess i just don't see the world as divided along some political fault line where all the stupidity in the world is either "the libs" or "the cons."

it's not a liberal thing. a liberal extremist perhaps. but let me tell ya this -- AS a liberal, my thinking is this: no one has the right to never be offended in life. that doesn't just mean the hysterical PC-ers, either; it means you and me and joe schmoe and jane doe. my liberal perspective is based on that root word -- think liberty. my liberal self believes that we should all have our personal liberty. that means jane can celebrate solstice, i can celebrate hannukah, joe can celebrate christmas, jim can celebrate kwanzaa, and no one needs to get their knickers in a knot by calling it what we personally call it.

i don't believe that we must, in this country, DEMAND that we all celebrate christmas, because hey -- this country isn't just made up of christians. but likewise, i don't believe that we need to change the name of the holiday because not everyone celebrates christmas.

my liberalism is an equation of liberty where tolerance + personal freedom = happiness. i don't want extremists from ANY side foisting "their way" of doing things on me. you do your thing; i'll do mine. and quite honestly there is a LOT of PC bull out there that does anything BUT allow people their personal freedom.

and here's what i believe about tolerance: tolerance is something i expect from ALL sides -- not just one group of people (usually the "majority"). you want to call it "fall feast," you go right ahead. it's thanksgiving to me, and my household will go right ON calling it that. don't like it? either grow a thicker skin, or better yet, mind your own business. (you = that big ubiquitous you; not you, E1). 🙂

Cav,
I agree. Some folks have taken alot of theses things to the extreme.
Schools are a prime example.
Instead of Halloween, they have a fall party.
Thanksgiving, I don't think they even mention it.
Instead of Valentine's day, they have spring party.
They don't mention Easter either.
Christmas plays or programs are now Winter program.

Going to school on Halloween with a costume gets you sent home.
Some schools won't even let the kids discuss birthday parties, because some religions don't celebrate.......ANYTHING.
So they must cater to the one and the many suffer for it.
I'm not saying no one is entitled to practice their religion the way they want, but they shouldn't push their religion on others and make them cater to them.