Open the window, and take a good whiff of the air this morning. Don’t smell anything other than the cool, crisp air of a February morning? Try again. Smell it now? Yes, there it is, the smell of yet another national holiday gone wrong.
Today is Presidents Day — a nationally recognized holiday set aside each year to officially honor the birth of George Washington, but also the other 42 men who have led our country. Across the nation, the youth of America will spend the remainder of the week learning about our famous, and also infamous, presidents. Our parents are enjoying a rare three-day weekend, but for those of us here at the University, the holiday doesn’t even warrant a day off from school.
This is a shame. We are missing out on all that Presidents Day has become. While we are sitting in class today, many of our fellow Americans are spending their day working the plastic of their credit cards. I don’t know about you, but there is nothing that says, “Thank you, Mr. President,” better than a new pair of shoes.
There really isn’t anything wrong with corporate America taking advantage of Presidents Day, because it happens for every other holiday as well. What sets Presidents Day apart is that other than the big sales at the shopping mall, there isn’t much more behind it.
On Veterans Day and Memorial Day, we hold public events to faithfully honor those who have served to protect our country. Independence Day is a full day of celebrations concluding with picturesque fireworks. Christmas holds many different meanings to different people, but combined with Thanksgiving, it is generally used to spend with family.
Each January we rightfully devote a single day to one man, Martin Luther King Jr. The day is filled with events not only to commemorate what he did for civil rights in the country, but also to learn about what he stood for. This is what Presidents Day should be. Instead, it is just a day to buy one and get one free.
There are no ceremonies in front of City Hall, or parades down Main Street or festivals in the town square. Love them or hate them, all of our American presidents should be respected or honored in a manner much more meaningful than advertisements that carry a red, white and blue theme. Instead of receiving a day off from school, children up through high school should spend the day in their classrooms learning about the office of the President –what it means and the men who have served as America’s official leader.
Since many adults would balk at the idea of going back to school, much less open a book and read from it, for them Presidents Day should be an opportunity to give back to the society they live in. Imagine a day where instead of going to a mega store, Americans take the time to give the community center a much-needed coat of paint, spruce up the city park or repair the playground at the local school.
Our presidents have unselfishly given up years of their lives to protect the American way of life. Giving one day back only seems fair.
E-mail columnist Jeff Oliver at [email protected]. His opinions
do not necessarily reflect those of the Emerald.