« Feds to solve problem of children not fishing and hunting enough | Racial Profiling; if you can't find any, organize some »
PrintMay 8, 2010
Cinco de Mayo, Ocho de Mayo
Mexican-American students at a school in Morgan Hill, California have feigned outrage because a group of students outfitted themselves in bandannas and t-shirts designed with the American flag on them on Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday. Unfortunately, these students have demonstrated they are more American than Mexican, even though they would like us to believe otherwise.
Cinco de Mayo is not even considered a national holiday in Mexico, it's a regional holiday mostly celebrated in the state of Puebla, which means there are Mexicans, who actually live in the country, who don't necessarily celebrate it.
Americans for some reason have adopted this particular holiday and some use it as an occasion to run to bars to eat nachos and drink Coronas, without even really knowing the significance of the holiday.
I have no problem with that, but choosing to celebrate the day is an elective choice.
We are not obligated to celebrate a day that has significance to another nation even if a faction of our society has ties to that nation. I've never heard of anyone becoming angry if they don't see someone wearing green on St. Patrick's Day, but now we have to be careful on May 5th?
Should I lead a march on February 27th, Dominican Independence Day, or January 9th, Panama's Martyrs' Day, because I don't see Americans celebrating?
Of course not.
I think it is important that we realize that the debate currently being had isn't really about Cinco de Mayo.
For some reason, we have some Mexican-Americans, who even though they are Americans, feel that Mexican culture and society and culture should officially be mainstreamed into American culture and society. We should accept that millions of Mexicans have entered the country illegally, and they should be made citizens just because they should and now Americans have to watch what they wear on one of the country's holidays because we have some fellow Americans here that celebrate it.
I would never expect anyone to forget their roots just because they are here in America-I know I haven't-pero tus raíces son tus raíces. Freedom is what has made this country what it is today; apparently these students from Morgan Hill have failed Civics class. In this country, you can't subject people to your will just because you want it that way, and if you ever find yourselves on the other side of an issue of this nature, the first words that will come out of your mouths is, "it's a free country".
And with that being said, as far as I'm concerned-and as an American, it's my right to feel this way-in this country, Cinco de Mayo, is the same as Ocho de Mayo, just another day in America.
J.C. Arenas is a frequent contributor to American Thinker and welcomes your comments at jcarenas.com
