toldaily topic: Should all nationalities have their own history month?

[Poly]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for December 13th, 2010 01:02 PM

toldailytopic: Nationality History Month: Should all nationalities or races have their own history month?

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[chrysostom]

do we have enough months?

I do believe in recognizing all of them
but
my favorite is Mexican
and
we are very lucky to have them

 

[kmoney]

Which ones currently do? I know Black History Month.

 

[Persephone66]

Which ones currently do? I know Black History Month.

There's a Latino-American history month, I forget which one. I think there's also one for Asians and Pacific Islanders. And there's Gay Pride month, June or July I think.

I think they should all be done away with. Do we really need to set aside months to point out how we are all different and hang labels on each other?

 

[Quincy]

No, they should be done away with, imo. We shouldn't need special days/months to appreciate other/different people. It would be nice if people did that as a regular thing.

 

[taikoo]

Its fun, like on campus to have special recognition day / week whatever for any ethnic group that cares to put something on. Formalizing it with something like a 'history month' kills the thing tho, i think.

 

[chrysostom]

Milwaukee has festivals for most of them
and
it is a good thing

 

[Sherman]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for December 13th, 2010 01:02 PM

toldailytopic: Nationality History Month: Should all nationalities or races have their own history month?

:deadhorse: Having all of these special days and months are getting to be a dead horse. I will have to agree with the atheist and say dump them. They are a waste of time and clutter our calendar with meaningless fluff.

 

[Buzzword]

Personally, I don't mind the special days (Cinco de Mayo, Martin Luther King day, etc.), mainly due to cultural significance.

The months, on the other hand, are just getting ridiculous.
I didn't know until recently that there's a BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.
Is there some remote pocket of America that still isn't aware of the existence of breast cancer?


But yeah, just to echo Persephone, we reeeeally don't need MORE metaphorical cubicle walls to separate us into more and more boxes.

...we kinda do that on our own.

 

[lightbringer]

I don't think it should be an official month/day for the celebration but I think that all peoples should have a time during the year to reflect on the past and how they became, the history of their progression, family traditions, the trials and tribulations of their people.

A time to reflect on what we have accomplished to bring about a better way, recognizing the bad as well as the good, a moment to recognize our forefathers and their struggles with the good and bad so as to remember history and our eventual progression to the new world, a stronger and better life.

Those that went before us are the ones that have brought about the opportunity for those of us today.

They should be venerated and remembered.

 

[nicholsmom]

Do we have a US history month? How about a Melting Pot history month?
Why do we need this at all? Are the schools doing such a crappy job with history that we need a special month to make up for it?

 

[lightbringer]

Are the schools doing such a crappy job with history that we need a special month to make up for it?

Unfortunately, Yes they are!

 

[Sherman]

Do we have a US history month? How about a Melting Pot history month?
Why do we need this at all? Are the schools doing such a crappy job with history that we need a special month to make up for it?

Or how about school history month, or Church history month? History classes are farcical these days.

 

[aSeattleConserv]

No.

As the group "Brotherhood of Man" sang back in 1970:

"For united we stand, divided we fall, and if our backs should ever be against the wall, we'll be together, together you and I."

 

[Frank Ernest]

Let me see. Where I grew up, we had a Norwegian Independence thing that lasted about a week. The Greek Orthodox folks had a weekend. The Chinese had their New Year fling. The Italians had a celebration. There were the various state (as an Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, etc.) picnics. The rest of the time everybody was pretty much an American. Used to go party with them when I was a kid. Lots of good food, happy folks, arts and crafts from "home", etc.

Then the sourpuss :Commie: wretches came along ...

 

[Sherman]

No.

As the group "Brotherhood of Man" sang back in 1970:

"For united we stand, divided we fall, and if our backs should ever be against the wall, we'll be together, together you and I."

My point exactly in my previous post. Special days are a farce and a waste of time. Have you noticed that all the new one are politically correct? Soon we will have a 'gay' lesbian month of we don't have one already.

In this age of special days our educational system is failing dismally. in 1992 the average reading comprehension level was 8-9th grade--and yet these are people that finish High School. There is something missing here. By 1999 1 in 4 students was a High School dropout. The average reading level of a dropout is the fourth grade.

Websites like this probably cater to those with a higher reading comprehension level so you would have no problem understanding the following phrase. Hyperfloridity is an egregious offender in the obfuscation of organizational communication.

What is my point in this spiel? It's not to obfuscate the intent of this thread. Our schools are wasting their time planning around special months and days. They are one of the symptoms of a greater problem in our educational system.

I help in an after school program and cannot help but notice how special days dominate the atmosphere at school. Dr. Seuss day, Earth day, Ground hog day, Black History Month, Women's History, etc. The children come to the after school program with papers on these days and events. The focus gets shifted off of the basics such at mathematics, reading and actual US history. These children are woefully ignorant on things I learned as a child.

I rather take these days and dump them in the appropriate receptacle provided.

 

[Persephone66]

My point exactly in my previous post. Special days are a farce and a waste of time. Have you noticed that all the new one are politically correct? Soon we will have a 'gay' lesbian month of we don't have one already.

It's June or July. I forget when and actually don't care.

In this age of special days our educational system is failing dismally. in 1992 the average reading comprehension level was 8-9th grade--and yet these are people that finish High School. There is something missing here. By 1999 1 in 4 students was a High School dropout. The average reading level of a dropout is the fourth grade.

Websites like this probably cater to those with a higher reading comprehension level so you would have no problem understanding the following phrase. Hyperfloridity is an egregious offender in the obfuscation of organizational communication.

What is my point in this spiel? It's not to obfuscate the intent of this thread. Our schools are wasting their time planning around special months and days. They are one of the symptoms of a greater problem in our educational system.

I help in an after school program and cannot help but notice how special days dominate the atmosphere at school. Dr. Seuss day, Earth day, Ground hog day, Black History Month, Women's History, etc. The children come to the after school program with papers on these days and events. The focus gets shifted off of the basics such at mathematics, reading and actual US history. These children are woefully ignorant on things I learned as a child.

I day take these day and dump them in the appropriate receptacle provided.

I agree with you here and I am a substitute teacher that's working on certification to teach full time. I enjoy teaching, when I actually get to do it.

 

[Buzzword]

Let me see. Where I grew up, we had a Norwegian Independence thing that lasted about a week. The Greek Orthodox folks had a weekend. The Chinese had their New Year fling. The Italians had a celebration. There were the various state (as an Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, etc.) picnics. The rest of the time everybody was pretty much an American. Used to go party with them when I was a kid. Lots of good food, happy folks, arts and crafts from "home", etc.

See, if there were PARTIES every time it was such-and-such month?
It'd be awesome.

Partying brings people together.
Good food, good booze, good fun.

I wouldn't mind a German history month if it meant I could get cevapcici cheaply and often.


What sucks is that during whichever month, we're all expected to be CONSCIENTIOUS the whole time.
There's no fun in being conscientious!

So we all just get resentful of whichever group is being focused on, and it PUTS UP WALLS.

 

[Cracked]

Who cares? If every little group (or big group) wants to claim a month or multiple months what is that to me or you unless your celebrating with them?

Sure, it maybe slightly annoying at times - big deal.

 

[No Sheep Here]

Do we have a US history month?

Yes, every month of the school year