
2 Samuel 21: 1-14
By Benjamin Bolaños
To tell you the truth I’m tired of these one day holidays that we, as a country, adore year after year, from President’s day, Caesar Chavez day, Indigenous People’s or Columbus Day and of course MLK day. It’s not because I do not value what they represent or that I don’t believe in justice or equality or progress. I’m tired of them because I find them to be frankly trite. Every January we celebrate MLK day. Every February we celebrate President’s day. Every October we celebrate Indigenous People’s day. AndI hear the same thing about that person or event each year. Particularly, the symbol of MLK has been lost for me since I know the story and I also know I get a day off. I get a day for each of these holidays. I also know if I need a new car, there will be MLK deals for a ford or a toyota. Or MLK deals at the shopping center. In his book Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology, Neil Postman calls this symbol draining (see chapter 10). The more you hear and see the symbol, the more it loses its efficacy and since we live in a consumer-oriented society, the more that symbol is usurped by consumerist values. MLK holiday has been taken over by the system.
Continue reading