#403 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday July 14)
Good morning,
Happy Bastille Day! In honor of this day, perhaps we should all rewatch Les Miz! or the French TV series, Call My Agent (which I highly recommend).
Speaking of holidays, you may recall that I’ve written about the designation of Juneteenth as a national holiday and our responsibility to commemorate it. Contrary to what people think, this is not a “Black holiday,” any more than Presidents Day (commemorating the births of Washington and Lincoln) is a “white holiday.” The sooner we can get to accept that these are all American holidays and that we commemorate seminal events (which Juneteenth represents) and recall both the positives and negatives of our shared American history, we can move beyond our current troubled circumstances.
I received a number of responses to my thoughts on last month’s commemoration of Juneteenth. I’d like to share two of them—one meaningful and the other misinformed and unkind…
CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH
As we approached Juneteenth this year, Mark Farrell asked how people would celebrate the day. I predicted it unfortunately would be, for most people, a day off celebrated with family picnics and little more than a nod to the reason for the holiday. The importance of this day cannot be underestimated. It represents the acknowledgement of the defeat of the South, instruction of the Texan rebels of the South’s defeat, and the celebrations by the formerly enslaved people. I would hope that it becomes more than a simple weekend off and hope that its incorporation into our public education systems can ensure that. The increasing schism among our fellow Americans is enhanced by the lack of shared experiences and celebrations.
David Woznica interestingly suggests that we may need to bring ritual into our celebrations of holidays in order to give them meaning and a sense of community participation:
“What might be helpful in making National Holidays meaningful is ritual, which is vital to the observance and meaning of Jewish holidays. On Passover we have a Seder. On Sukkot, we build booths and dwell (or at least eat) in them. On Hanukah we light candles and sing songs reflecting Hanukah’s history... Ritual is absent from most National Holidays (yes, some might visit cemeteries on Memorial day, or salute veterans on Veterans Day, but those who do tend to be mostly directly impacted—not the population at large) so there is no collective way to celebrate them or give them meaning. I think it a worthwhile exercise to find rituals that would infuse our national holidays with meaning and celebration.”
David is on to something. I think we too often view holidays as simply an opportunity to have a festive meal and an extra day off, without stopping for a moment to contemplate the meaning of the holiday. I’ve been thinking of how we can increase meaning of holidays, while at the same time offering a “teaching moment” for all of us, as a nation. My idea would be similar to when cities set out to read one book together—high schools, colleges, social service organizations, churches, and other—to have a collective experience (a concept that we sadly have moved away from).
What if we establish a national movement to study a different holiday or commemoration each year? Perhaps newspapers, schools, and churches can publish the history and meaning of the holiday, which could be shared by organizations and educational institutions, perhaps with questions that could begin discussion. Think of it like a “national book group” learning about and confronting our history. It could be spread via social media and public service announcements. It could become part of our school curricula. Perhaps a short reading could be recommended and studied, perhaps to be shared at dinner the same evening. A national movement of that sort, not tied to a particular ideology, might be one small way in which we can reestablish a sense of shared ritual, shared understanding, shared purpose, and shared history.
ANOTHER VIEW OF JUNETEENTH
A friend was kind enough to forward me “another way” of looking at Juneteenth. The source is on Jason Whitlock, the host of a show called “Fearless.” [Side note: I love how these shows characterize themselves as brave and fearless—I suppose the description has greater appeal than “Factless.”]. Here are two of his assertions:
The history of Juneteenth. “Last year, President Joe Biden made Juneteenth the newest federal holiday. The day is said to commemorate slaves in Texas hearing the news of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and of their impending freedom on June 19, 1865. Let’s set aside the fact that the 13th Amendment wasn’t ratified until December 1865 and slavery was not officially banned in President Biden’s home state of Delaware until 1901. June 19, 2020, was the first time that many Americans heard the word Juneteenth
A response… Well, Mr. Whitlock, your invocation of the ratification date of the 13th Amendment is a red herring. The 13th Amendment banned slavery (and other things) nationally (following up the emancipation of the slaves per the Emancipation Proclamation). So that argument is irrelevant. It is similarly irrelevant that Delaware waited until 1901 (as is the fact that Delaware is Biden’s home state). Federal law made it illegal upon adoption of the Reconstruction Amendments and Delaware’s subsequent action is only icing on an already-baked cake.
The Modern Incarnation of the Holiday. “[The adoption of the holiday] wasn’t in connection with freed slaves from a century and a half ago. It was a part of the protests following the death of George Floyd.” He then quotes someone else: “I suspect most people don’t fully comprehend or get Juneteenth. It’s a national holiday because of the death of George Floyd, not because our political leaders had a sincere interest in celebrating the emancipation of slaves in Texas or across the South.”
A response… Also absurd. The holiday can be traced back to celebration by freed enslaved in Texas upon the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation (which, frankly, was primarily a means of advising Texas troops and Confederate sympathizers to “stand down.”). And even if George Floyd’s death accelerated the process of broader national recognition of the holiday, why is that even relevant?
MORE FROM GEORGE CARLIN
Sandy Samuels offers a couple of additional Carlin observations as to labels:
A sign out front of a strip club… Live Nudes – “Good choice”
For the descriptor, “Virgin Wool” – How do they know?
Have a great day,
Glenn
From the archives: