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Guest
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Peter J. Pitts
Peter
J. Pitts is a senior fellow, health care studies, at the Pacific
Research Institute.
 Tossed
Salad For The Holidays
The warm PC holiday spirit..
[Peter
J. Pitts] 12/22/04
Is it appropriate
to say "Merry Christmas" to your
Jewish colleagues? If you're Jewish, should you return the salutation
with a joyous "Happy Hanukkah?" The answer to the first
question is "yes," and to the second it's "yes" as
well -- but not if it's Day Nine or thereafter. But there's more
to this conundrum than this yearly question of seasonal salutations.
Up until the advent
of cultural PC-ism, grade school students were taught that
America was a wonderful "melting pot." And
that image was regularly reinforced on our coinage's statement
of E Pluribus Unum, from many, one. But as "cultural diversity" (previously
referred to more negatively as "hyphenated Americanism")
gained momentum, the melting pot became an outdated symbol of
aggressive White Anglo-Saxon supremacy. So it was goodbye to
the pot and hello to the bowl -- the salad bowl to be precise.
Specifically, welcome to the "tossed salad" theory
of American culture.
Rather than defining
our national "culture" as a savory
blend, the new wave American tossed salad celebrates our many
discrete ethnic and religious traditions, including some that
aren't even real and others that aren't particularly relevant.
But there can be many things in a salad, some that add to the
taste and others that add luster to the presentation.
So while the Happy Hanukkah versus Merry Christmas thing is
important, it's really only anecdotal. What's crucial is that
we not miss the bigger question of religion in America. If we
properly celebrate our many lettuce leaves, shouldn't we similarly
solemnize our multiple religious traditions? Where you stand,
as the saying goes, depends on where you sit.
The same folks who worship at the altar of cultural diversity
are the same people who loudly decry what they see as a "slippery
slope" towards the erosion of the church/state barrier.
For this group federally funded academic programs that promote "multiculturalism" are
good -- but allowing faith-based organizations to receive tax
dollars to provide social services is bad.
The dogma of tossed
salad-ism preaches that it is appropriate -- indeed mandatory
-- for public funds to be spent on multicultural
education in public schools and "diversity training" programs
for public sector employees. But heaven forbid -- or perhaps
it would be more acceptable to say "after-life" forbid
-- that not-for-profit organizations that feature the Cross or
the Crescent or the Star of David receive government monies to
help feed the poor, minister to the sick, or provide social services
of any kind to those in need. That's grounds for excommunication.
In other words, while it's important to learn about and respect
the ingredients of the salad, indigestion, and perhaps food poisoning,
is guaranteed should the state cede authority to a non-agnostic
sous-chef.
So enjoy a joyous Christmas, a Merry Kwanza, and a Happy Hanukkah.
Now isn't that the real spirit of the holidays? tRO
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