Thanksgiving done wrong
So today I'm going to rant a little about something which most Americans with think petty. Specifically, I want to yak about American Thanksgiving. Since it's what I know best, I'll also contrast this with Canadian Thanksgiving.
Canadian Thanksgiving: We all take a holiday, except for those of us in critical positions (like tech support). It's a single day, no big fanfare or anything. In fact, even our closest neighbors to the south continually remark, "Do they even celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada?" It's quiet and usually fairly low-key. If you don't have family in the area, friends will usually make an effort to reach out to you, so you're not spending the day alone. The next day, we all go back to work, thankful to have spent time with friends and family.
American Thanksgiving: EVERYBODY takes a holiday. Tech support lines shut down early on Wednesday afternoon and don't reopen until MONDAY. The whole world must pause so they Americans can hold their spectacle. An entire weekend of parades and madness. Everybody knows about the ostentatious American carnival that is Thanksgiving, because it gets shoved right in our faces. They'll post things like "Happy Thanksgiving to all patriotic Americans who agree that we're an exceptional country destined for greatness from the beginning because God made us different." Modern-day Jews, is that it? America is the new Israel, destined for greatness because God set you apart? And you don't even have Scripture to back that up, you arrogant pricks! Never mind that, though, because the next day, everybody is going to lose their fucking minds with greed and trample people to death trying to get the best deals, while the entire world continues to wait on hold for you to get over yourselves.
I'm sorry, but, the way I was raised? Thanksgiving was for giving thanks, stopping to reflect, and then moving on. It didn't matter if people knew what you were thankful for. It was supposed to be a personal experience, though you'd spend time with others around you. Many of us had to work it anyway, holiday be damned, so you'd schedule your dinner around your work shift. Sometimes, work would put on a Thanksgiving dinner for you so nobody would miss out. (The same was true for Christmas, because God knows Americans can't wait for tech support--they must have it RIGHT NOW for their new computers they jus unwrapped. Meanwhile, everybody else can wait over Thanksgiving, because the Americans sure ain't supporting shit.)
Thanksgiving was never about putting on a show in the town square. It was never about forcing others to be "thankful" with us. It didn't become some sort of patriotic litmus test. It sure as HELL wasn't about being "thankful" one day and turning around to put on a display of the most outrageous greed ever the VERY NEXT DAY. What kind of hypocritical bullshit is that? Never mind what the stores do--I know they have their reasons, blah blah commerce greed capitalism blah. That doesn't mean y'all have to dance to their bullshit tune, does it?
Get over yourselves, America. Maybe when you re-learn what it really is to be thankful, your Thanksgiving holiday will be worthy of the name.
Canadian Thanksgiving: We all take a holiday, except for those of us in critical positions (like tech support). It's a single day, no big fanfare or anything. In fact, even our closest neighbors to the south continually remark, "Do they even celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada?" It's quiet and usually fairly low-key. If you don't have family in the area, friends will usually make an effort to reach out to you, so you're not spending the day alone. The next day, we all go back to work, thankful to have spent time with friends and family.
American Thanksgiving: EVERYBODY takes a holiday. Tech support lines shut down early on Wednesday afternoon and don't reopen until MONDAY. The whole world must pause so they Americans can hold their spectacle. An entire weekend of parades and madness. Everybody knows about the ostentatious American carnival that is Thanksgiving, because it gets shoved right in our faces. They'll post things like "Happy Thanksgiving to all patriotic Americans who agree that we're an exceptional country destined for greatness from the beginning because God made us different." Modern-day Jews, is that it? America is the new Israel, destined for greatness because God set you apart? And you don't even have Scripture to back that up, you arrogant pricks! Never mind that, though, because the next day, everybody is going to lose their fucking minds with greed and trample people to death trying to get the best deals, while the entire world continues to wait on hold for you to get over yourselves.
I'm sorry, but, the way I was raised? Thanksgiving was for giving thanks, stopping to reflect, and then moving on. It didn't matter if people knew what you were thankful for. It was supposed to be a personal experience, though you'd spend time with others around you. Many of us had to work it anyway, holiday be damned, so you'd schedule your dinner around your work shift. Sometimes, work would put on a Thanksgiving dinner for you so nobody would miss out. (The same was true for Christmas, because God knows Americans can't wait for tech support--they must have it RIGHT NOW for their new computers they jus unwrapped. Meanwhile, everybody else can wait over Thanksgiving, because the Americans sure ain't supporting shit.)
Thanksgiving was never about putting on a show in the town square. It was never about forcing others to be "thankful" with us. It didn't become some sort of patriotic litmus test. It sure as HELL wasn't about being "thankful" one day and turning around to put on a display of the most outrageous greed ever the VERY NEXT DAY. What kind of hypocritical bullshit is that? Never mind what the stores do--I know they have their reasons, blah blah commerce greed capitalism blah. That doesn't mean y'all have to dance to their bullshit tune, does it?
Get over yourselves, America. Maybe when you re-learn what it really is to be thankful, your Thanksgiving holiday will be worthy of the name.