Political Correctness: Taking Away Individuality | Teen Ink

Political Correctness: Taking Away Individuality

September 16, 2010
By OneWhiteTree GOLD, Galloway Township, New Jersey
OneWhiteTree GOLD, Galloway Township, New Jersey
16 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Fairy tales do not tell children dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children dragons can be killed." G.K. Chesterton


I spent the second night of school copying our school’s calendar into my new planner and got to April. And sighed.

Why does the school – and the world at large, actually – insist on calling Easter Break “Spring Break”? I would understand if it was a week long and the point was to spirit off to Spring Break in Miami, but “Spring Break” happens to be over all the Holy Days of Easter – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Just because you want to ignore the fact that America is predominately Christian (in God we trust? One nation under God? Manifest Destiny?) doesn’t mean you can change holidays (holiday (n): taking root in the words holy day) into MTV specials willy-nilly.

Other things that are changing willy-nilly after being perfectly Christian for a thousand or so years? The calendar. Left-leaning, let’s-all-pretend-we’re-equal liberals are trying to change AD and BC to BCE and CE. Why this sudden change? I guess we don’t want to offend the non-religious by using Before Christ and Anno Domini.

But the arguments against using AD and BC are ludicrous. Some say that the calendar cannot be based on the life and death of one man. Okay. Forget the fact that Christianity completely shaped the Western World, but if we’re not going to base the calendar around one person, we have to completely re-do our months. July was named after Julius Caesar, August after Augustus Caesar. So, okay, no BC, no AD, but also no July or August. Let’s be fair and go back to the ten month calendar.

Of course, the other argument against Before Christ and Anno Domini is that it’s blatantly referring to Christianity, and how dare we bring up the fact that 85% of the Western World is religious? Somewhere along the line, God became a bad word, something not said in polite company.

Still going around the lines of calendars is Christmas break, which will always and forever be Christmas break. The people who went home from school in the 1800’s to be with their families weren’t doing it because they were celebrating Kwanza. (What is Kwanza anyway? A holiday to celebrate being black. If we had a holiday to celebrate being white we’d be called racist). I really hate it in school when we have the holiday concert and have to say “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” I know some people don’t celebrate Christmas, and that’s fine. Whatever. But we’re not off because of Hannuka or Kwanza or The Feast of the Son. We’re off for Christmas. Deal with it.

People who use the “Politically Correct” terms, like spring break or Holiday Break or BCE are just catering to those with a thin skin, those people who actually believe everyone is equal. Everyone is not equal. Some people are smarter, stronger, more motivated. Some people are black, others white. Some people are Christians, others are atheists. You do not deal with individuality by blurring the lines between people and treating them as the same thing. You celebrate it. Why can’t we celebrate the fact that much of the modern world was settled, founded and formed by Christians?


The author's comments:
I can't stand how, in school especially, you have to apologize when you start to talk about God. You can't mention the word "religion" in polite company. Have we forgotten our heritage? We came to America to escape religous persecution, and yet here we are heaping it upon ourselves.

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This article has 5 comments.


on Jul. 9 2011 at 11:37 am
ZeeBYoung BRONZE, Coatesville, Pennsylvania
3 articles 0 photos 72 comments

Favorite Quote:
Don't judge a person until you've walked a mile in their shoes. That way, you're a mile away from them, and you have their shoes. :)

First off, please research what Kwanzaa is because it's a lot more than just celebrating "being black." It's a cultural thing, just like Christmas, Halloween, and any other holiday. And look at it from the other side: would you like it if people were walking up to you saying "Happy Hanukkah, or Merry Kwanzaa if you didn't believe it? Of course not.

on Jun. 26 2011 at 3:57 pm
teacat749 BRONZE, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin
4 articles 0 photos 151 comments

Favorite Quote:
We do not quit playing because we grow old. We grow old because we quit playing.<br /> -Oliver Wendell Holmes

I agree. I'm Wiccan, and I don't even get days off for my holidays.

on Oct. 5 2010 at 8:19 pm

In a respectfull way I completely disagree with you.

My mom is Jewish and my dad is Chrisitian but we are not very relgious. Anyway, NOT EVERYONE IS CHRISTIAN. We should get off for the Jewish holidays. I don't understand at all why we don't. Be thankful you get off school for your holidays.

Passover has fallen over spring break. Why should people who don't celebrate Easter be forced to call it Easter break?! Same goes with Christmas.

The whole happy holidays thing is so stupid if you ask me. How would you (not just you in particular just any "you" like it if everyone said Happy Hanukka to you, but you didn't celebrate that. What if it was called Passover break or Hanukka break?

There is an equal medium to make everyone happy. People who don't celebrate Christmas should not have to call it Christmas break. What you personally call it is up to you, but just don't make people who don't share your beliefs call it that.

What is the big deal about all this anyway? It just frustrates me.

 


on Oct. 3 2010 at 2:38 pm
I'm definitely with you. But I like to think of BCE and CE as being Before Christian Era and Christian Era because we don't know exactly when Christ was born. 

on Sep. 26 2010 at 8:54 pm
biggerinfinities SILVER, Superior, Colorado
7 articles 0 photos 353 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;We accept the love we think we deserve.&rdquo; <br /> ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

i know and its true, but we are a mosaic, not just one color anymore... so sometimes people are offended.. but dont worry im right there with you