Slice Up the Fruitcake

A month or so ago, a friend of mine posted an article on Facebook about a toddler who had been struck by a car after escaping her mother’s care in a busy alley roadway, who was then ignored by multiple other vehicles and passers-by before a woman finally stopped to pull the girl from the street and seek help.  As some of you may already know, the child succumbed to her injuries and passed away in the hospital.

I am not retelling this story simply to depress you on a random Tuesday… though I recognize this may occur anyway.  I mention it because it seems somewhat representative of the sad state of affairs in our world today.  I mention it because the priorities in that street on that day were clearly out of whack.  Just how busy does one need to be to justify stepping over an injured toddler in the street?  Just how perishable were those perishables?!

Need more evidence that common decency has generally gone off the rails?  How about Jerry Sandusky and the entire Penn State football debacle?  And it’s not just Penn State… similar assaults occurred at the Citadel by a rising star and were ignored.  Catholic church, anyone?  “We can’t risk our rep, people!  Kids be damned, we can’t risk our rep…”

Then there is the high school football coach in Wyoming (Why-oming?  Why not!) who decided to take on the bully issue in his school by handing out a “Hurt Feelings Report” form to his students.  Bullied students could check boxes marked “I am a pussy”, “I have woman like hormones”, “I am a queer”, “I am a little bitch”, or “I am a cry baby” as the reason for the complaint.  The same “report” then solicited the “name of ‘real man’ who hurt your sensitive little feelings”.  If I started to list all of the ways this was wrong and/or offensive, it would take me completely through the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.  But the worst part is that HE STILL HAS A JOB AS A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR.  What the f…?!  I suppose if it doesn’t work out for him in Why-oming, he can always go to Michigan, where bullying is against the law unless it’s religiously or morally motivated.  I suppose Michigan forgot that, back in the day, some people thought interracial marriage was immoral, and that slavery was sanctioned by God…  In other words, “Screw you, victims!  So what if you are psychologically scarred!  We have our own (flawed) interpretation of God's word and morality on our side!  Woot!”

The economy is in a shambles.  Our political leaders have largely abandoned the helm and are letting the crazies steer the ship (maybe they use the down time for their insider trading activities?).  At least one current candidate has defended himself against allegations of sexual harassment by pointing out all of the women he has NOT sexually harassed (ummm….?) and suggesting that for successful executives, accusations of sexual harassment are as normal as filling out your annual benefits election form.  And judging by the Penn State scandal (not to mention the abuses within the Catholic church and other esteemed institutions), our police and other community leaders have apparently abdicated their duties and left the children to fend for themselves.  And then there’s Kim Kardashian.  KIM.  KARDASHIAN.  (Shudder.)

I guess what I’m saying is that, while it may be a bit earlier than usual and we still have a week until Thanksgiving, I think it’s time to haul out the holly.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb9OVjlEZho  I don’t know about you, but I need a little bit of cheer right now… depending how the rest of the year goes, I may need to mainline candy canes and egg nog until New Year’s.  For, recent events have caused me to grow a little leaner (in spirit if not in physical form… drat!), grow a little colder, grow a little sadder, and grow a little older (which I really DO NOT NEED right now).  I need a little angel sitting on my shoulder!  I need a little music, need a little laughter.  I need a little singing ringing through the rafters.  I need a little snappy “happy ever after”, because god knows that the little girl in the street in China, the kids in the Second Mile program, the bullied students in Why-oming, and poor, clueless Kris Humphries didn't get one (well, maybe Kris did...).  It’s time for some reaffirmation that humanity hasn’t completely gone to hell in a handbasket.  Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute! We need a little Christmas NOW.

Who’s with me?