I’m multiethnic and multinational. I have American citizenship, having been naturalized in 1987, and I have Filipino citizenship, which I reacquired in 2009. Ethnically, I’m fundamentally Filipino and American. My mother is half Filipina and half American. Her mother was Filipina and her father was from Reading, Pennsylvania. My father is Filipino. Both of his parents were from The Philippines. I do, however, have other blood in my system. My maternal grandfather’s parents were from Germany. My father’s mother was half Chinese, Manchurian to be exact. And, as many Filipinos can claim, I have Spanish blood and I can trace mine to a great x 5 grandfather who, from my understanding, was a missionary priest.

So, what am I?

When asked this, I typically say I’m Filipino or Filipino-American. When pressed further by people saying there’s more in my makeup or that they thought I was “some kind of Spanish” or Chinese even, I tell them that I’m “Filipino, American, Germany, Spanish and Chinese.” As a result of my ethnic makeup, I believe I can legitimately claim some kind of allegiance to all of these countries. I can claim being an American because I’m a quarter American, have US citizenship and have lived in The United States for the last 27 years. I can claim being Filipino by being three quarters Filipino, have Filipino citizenship, was born there, spent parts of my childhood there, can speak and understand some Tagalog and enjoy Filipino culture (food, dress, literature, etc). I was raised In Hong Kong, which in my heart will always be home, speak and understand some Cantonese, and have Chinese blood. Incidentally, Hong Kong Chinese food may be my favourite of all kinds of food. So, I believe can also legitimately claim Chinese ethnic affiliation. I have German and Spanish ancestry so I can, although I’ll agree it’s far more distant, claim come kind of Spanish and German affiliation as well.

What makes someone a welcome member of a particular country or ethnic group? Is it purely bloodlines? Is it social and cultural acclimatization? Is it decided by the passport a person carries or by what is written under ‘Country of Origin’ on his or her birth certificate? Interestingly, for some of my fellow Filipinos, I’m not Filipino enough and for some westerners I am not white enough. But then, again, do I have to be? In my interview with The Manila Bulletin, when asked what message I hoped to impart by writing my novel, Back Kicks And Broken Promises, I said, “The message is probably this and it's geared towards my multiracial third culture brothers and sisters: you're not alone, it's okay to be confused (if you are) and you don't have to be any ONE thing or belong to any ONE ethnic group or culture…whether you're an immigrant or not, multiracial or not, but especially if you are either or both, it's okay to be who you are and if that means…being a chameleon that's okay because that's you.”

I bring all of this up because of the recent scandal involving the winner and, subsequent disqualification, of the Miss Fiji title who would go on to represent Fiji at the Miss World contest in China in August.  If you’re not aware of what happened, click here.

Basically, though, Torika Watters, who is Fijian and European, won the title. Shortly after, she was stripped of her title. Pageant officials state that it was because Ms. Watters was underage, that she was 16 instead of the required 17, that she was dethroned. However, there were also outcries of racism that she was stripped of her title because she wasn’t Fijian enough. For me, that IS a form of racism. She’s half Fijian and, as a result, she’s a representation of what a Fijian is and can look like. This world is made up of full-blooded and mixed-blooded people. Just look at my native Philippines. There are browner Filipinos of the Malay race, there are lighter complexion Filipinos with more Chinese blood and there are some who are in between with Spanish, American, and other western heritage. Are you going to say that they’re not Filipino? Go there and try it and let me know what happens.

Personally, I believe that I represent what American looks like, what Filipino looks like, what Chinese looks like and to a lesser degree - although I have been told I am the most Germanic looking between myself and my siblings - what German and Spanish look like.

I don’t know Ms. Watters and I’m not a pageant show frequenter. I simply came across the article the other day when I was going through my daily perusal of the headlines. I just hope that this doesn’t scar Ms. Watters, especially at you’re her young age, and that her cultural and ethnic identities aren’t shattered. Sadly, this whole situation is an indication that bigotry is very far from being eradicated.

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Last February, I did an interview with K. C. Liquete of The Manila Bulletin newspaper about writing, my writing lifestyle and my debut novel, Back Kicks And Broken Promises.

Well, it's coming out in the Saturday, May 12, 2012 issue. Here's a link to the online edition. Click here.
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I came across this on Yahoo! today and I thought I'd post it on my blog and not just share it on Twitter. As a parent - and a self-proclaimed (part-time) Tiger Dad at that - I found it interesting and insightful. You might, too, if you're a parent, know someone who is or if you work with children.

Click here for the article.
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We - my wife, son and I - took a trip down to New Brunswick last weekend. That's where I went to school, as an undergrad at Rutgers University. It was the Friday after our son's birthday (his birthday was on the Thursday) and usually we visit Belmar, stroll on the boardwalk, have pizza then head home. That's what my wife and I did the day before our son, Jude, was born so we've made it a bit of an annual tradition. We were all set, with Jude's new Optimus Prime Transformers bicycle with training wells, but it was too windy and cold so we took Jude on a very early college visit instead.

We parked on Hamilton Street, close to the frat houses, and had lunch at Stuff Yer Face. This wasn't the first time I'd visited RU since graduating in 1991. I'd probably gone back a good dozen times or so but this was the first time I'd gone as a parent. It is WAY too early to think about where Jude will be going to school - although we do need to start saving money for his college tuition now - but I can't help from think about such things, this time of the year, as I see speak to my former students and current athletes who are seniors who are starting to receive acceptance (and rejection) letters.

Stuff Yer Face has a new outside dining area. The walls are less decorated than I remember they were but it's still the same place. The wood paneling hasn't changed and there are, naturally, the requisite Rutgers posters on some of the walls. In the corner, next to the fireplace, is something I think very collegial - a poster advertising Stuff Yer Face's 70 Beers Club. After you've tried their seventy beers you get something like a t-shirt and a free boli.

Thomas Sweets, the ice-cream parlour that my college girlfriend introduced me to and the first place I learnt about that blended ice-cream with 'fill-ins' like M&Ms®, Gummi Bears®, crushed Heath Bars®, nuts and other candy is still there. We didn't go there this time but it did bring back memories of Friday nights having dinner at Stuff Yer Face followed by dessert at Thomas Sweets.

We headed towards The Ferren Deck Mall where the Rutgers Bookstore is but, on the way, we made a pit stop into the New Jersey Books, an independent bookstore that specialises in RU textbooks, attire, paraphernalia and, even, 'regular' books you'd find in any other bookstore. It's a much bigger place on Easton Avenue, with two floors, which is a far cry from the small and often subway train-cramped location around the corner on Somerset. We bought my son a Lisa and Gaspard book and I managed to talk to one of the managers about carrying my novel, Back Kicks And Broken Promises, on consignment.

As we headed for the college bookstore, we passed the new (well, they were already up in the mid 1990s) campus apartments next to the New Brunswick train station. Looking at the building, with apartments on the upper floors, and stores on the ground floor, the structure could've been pinched from New York's Fifth Avenue or Upper West.

Ferren Deck Mall, however, with Marita's Cantina next to the bookstore looked exactly the same as it did when I attended Rutgers. Inside, the bookstore, albeit with newer things -iPods instead of Sony Walkmen - and more stylish college apparel, was laid out the same too. We bought Jude his first pullover college hoodie and, in his straight jeans and adidas® Sambas, he did look like a mini-collegian.

From the bookstore, before our drive home, we stopped into the new Dunkin' Donuts-Baskin Robbins at the train station. The florist at the bottom of the steps and escalator is still there. The steps and the escalator are still long, steep and narrow and have the same brownish-green paint and tiles it had twenty years ago. Driving home, I noticed how there's a sushi spot at almost every block on Route 27 back to the Garden State Parkway and that the campus buses are much more space-agey.

Maybe it's my age and something that happens to those of us entering middle age that makes us reminisce. Maybe it's the lingering images of yesteryear - the train station, Stuff Yer Face, the familiar red brick of Ferren Deck Mall - juxtaposed with the new buildings and improved roadways that triggers fondness. Even though it had been years since I'd lasted visited my alma mater, I almost felt like I'd never left. It was like walking passed someone on the street and both of you doing a turn around, double take before recognising each other and, even though it had been ages since you last saw one another, you pick up right where you left off; hopefully it was a good experience the last time you saw each other.

I write about all of this not because it's what I did with my family and this blog is part living diary. No. It's because it's that time of year that promotes looking back for those of us who've been there and the time of year of hope and adventure for those of us who are about to step in. High school seniors are about to graduate and, two months later, they'll be college freshmen. College seniors are graduating, too, and they're full of hope and knowledge and ambition and dreams to start making their way - and name - in this crazy world of ours.

As quickly as the last four years have gone by, the next fourteen will eventually pass and Jude will be entering his freshman year. To him, in the future, and to all the high school seniors and college seniors, I wish you all good luck and happy adventures. Enjoy this time of your lives and make the most of it. Learn as much as you can, live life as fully as you can and, when the time comes, share all of that with you children.


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It's May and as I do every year I celebrate Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Being Filipino, I get to claim both Asian and Pacific Islander membership. I also have Chinese blood, from my paternal grandmother whose ancestry traces to Manchuria.

As part of my annual celebration, I've put up a display on the bulletin board outside my classroom. On it is a definition of the terms 'Asian-American' and 'Pacific Islander' along with some statistics, from the US Census Bureau, on the breakdown of various Asian groups living in the United States. I've also included three our four celebrities in music, entertainment (film and television), sports and literature who are Asian-American and/or Pacific Islander.

Asians and Pacific Islanders are part of the American diaspora. We have been for decades but, recently, it seems that more of us are getting recognised as representatives and role models within and for our ethnic communities as we are for our accomplishments. More attention has been brought on us in all areas. Take politics, for instance. Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana-born Indian-American Republican governor was talked about as being John McCain's vice-president in the 2008 elections. President Obama even, with his upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia, has brought attention to Pacific Island and Asian culture.

Here are some examples:

In music, there's Bruno Mars. He was raised in Hawaii and his mother his Filipina. Ne-Yo, the Hip Hop, R&B and Rap artist is one fourth Chinese. Looking at sports, of course, there's Tiger Woods (Thai and Chinese). Hines Ward, Super Bowl winner, has a Korean mother and he was born in Seoul. And, dare we talk about Asian-Americans in sports and not mention Jeremy Lin, the California-born Chinese point guard of the New York Knicks. In entertainment, there's Sharon Leal (Dreamgirls), who is part-Filipina and don't forget Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson who is Polynesian. Closer to home, there's Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar, House, The Namesake) who's Indian and was born in Montclair.

The next time you watch a movie or listen to a song or read a book or watch your favourite team win a championship, be mindful that there might be some kind of Asian or Pacific Islander involvement. What wasn't news to the Asian-American community but, apparently seemed surprising to mainstream media, was that Asians can play basketball. Jeremy Lin opened mainstream America's eyes to that; although that's something Wat Misaka already did in 1947 and American seemed to forget about.

So, open your minds and your hearts, and join us in celebrating the contributions that Asians and Pacific Islanders have made to our country. Hug an API and unleash your inner Asian!
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The Pulitzer people announced their 2012 winners this week and, for the first time in thirty-five years, they didn’t award a winner for fiction. As someone who, three or four years ago, made it a goal to read each year’s winner I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t one. I’ve come to rely on the Pulitzer people to make one choice for me each year. Like many readers and lovers of books, who don’t have bottomless pockets filled with cash to spend on books, I’m careful when I choose what books to buy and read and The Pulitzer is arguably one of the most respected, albeit subjective, gauges of literature in this country. (Yes, I know I can enjoy reading books for free by getting a library card but, based on my reading habits, it’s probably cheaper to buy the books I read.)

Of the three finalists - Karen Russell’s Swamplandia!, David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King and Denis Johnson’s Train Dreams - Russell’s debut novel is the one I’m most familiar with. I have read Denis Johnson’s Tree of Smoke, however, and I almost picked up a copy of Wallace’s Brief Interviews with Hideous Men a while back.

The fact, though, that a winner wasn’t chosen because neither finalist garnered enough votes to push it passed the other two is another clear indicator - in addition to book sales, for instance - that what makes for a good book is subjective to the reader. There are some who put down genre fiction but, clearly, with the popularity that YA vampire/monster stories like The Twilight series have garnered and the growth of YA dystopia (The Hunger Games and Legend) there is a place for all kinds of books. This reinforcement that ‘good’ books are subjective is a good sign for indie authors.

With the economy what it is and with many traditional publishing houses not gambling on new writers, many writers, right off the bat or after getting rejected by agents, have turned to various forms of independent publishing (e-book formatting, print-on-demand, small runs at a small printer, etc). Yes, there are many indie books that are pretty bad. (Yes, my last sentence does sound subjective but I think there are some universal truths on writing; things like consistency of voice and POV, the ability to have a story thread throughout the novel, unique dialogue, etc.) Based on the positive responses my book received from agents and other writers before I published, I like to think it isn’t one of the baddies. I do know, however, that some people will love Back Kicks And Broken Promises while others will loathe it and others will find it ‘comme ci, comme ca,’ if not hate it altogether. There are also some traditionally published books that are not well received. Just read any review supplement in any Sunday edition of a national newspaper and you’ll read critics saying a variety of different things on some of the same books. Take a look at Entertainment Weekly magazine’s Books section. The magazine’s reviewers give the books actual letter grades. I’ve agreed with some, disagreed with others and I’ll admit that I’ve been influenced by the grade a book got when deciding whether and/or when to buy it.

The reason that no Pulitzer winner for fiction is good for indies is simply because it reinforces what I’ve tried to point out - that readers will find different books likable, lovable, loathe-worthy. Readers’ tastes are subjective and their responses to a particular book could be different from one day to the next. I read Tinkers, the 2010 Pulitzer fiction winner by Paul Harding about how a father and son, through tragedy, come to terms with the world and each other. It’s well written, a quick read and quite touching but I still felt frustrated when I was done with it. So, the fact that traditionally published books, by some well known and respected authors, that were aided by an agent’s efforts and resulted in some kind of monetary advance did not win, gives us - indie authors - hope. Perhaps an indie book will never appear on the list of accepted entries or finalists for a Pulitzer but, if the Pulitzer people can’t find a book to praise from the traditionally published, it (and the readers who follow the organization), may have to look elsewhere. And, the only alternative to traditionally published, whether e-book or print book, is indie published.

There are many book awards for indie authors. There are the Indie Reader Discovery Awards and Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. These are good opportunities for indie books to get recognized and praised. They’re great marketing tools and give the authors a sense of validation if their books do well. Ideally, though, at least from my opinion, is for all books to be regarded together. Fiction is fiction regardless of who wrote it and who published it. If it does, for you, what you think and feel good fiction should do then it’s good fiction.

We read for lots of different reasons. For readers of fiction, I’m sure one of those reasons is old-fashioned enjoyment. Just make sure you’re actually enjoying what you read.

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In my non-writing life, I am, among other things, a Health teacher. This week, our fourth and final marking period of the school year began. I teach seventh and sixth grade Health and, in the first class of each marking period, I review (for the seventh grade) and introduce (for the sixth grade) the Wellness Triangle. In a nutshell, the triangle represents each one of us and the goal to achieve good health - aka 'wellness' - is to attain an equilateral triangle by balancing your physical health, your mental/emotional health and your social health.

In the lesson, I talk about how you can nurture each area independently but, really, it's better and more fun to develop and maintain all three at the same time. I explain how, through things like dance or being part of a sports team, you can do that. I also talk about how doing something like reading books can do that. When I get to the books part of the discussion, I usually begin it by asking the following question: "How many of you like to read?"

In past classes, the students either raise their hands or they don't. Seeing students shoot their hands up, speaking as a reader and writer myself, is very pleasing and encouraging. In a recent New York Times Book Review podcast, it was reported that more kids are reading print books and e-books. This rise has to do, in part, to the lowering cost of Nooks and Kindles that allow tweens and teens to carry and read more books at one time. In my own school, I see students reading all the time. In the weeks leading up to the release of The Hunger Games movie, the eighth grade lunch period I proctor had clusters of students eating together who were also reading The Hunger Games (some were on to Catching Fire or Mockingjay). Other clusters had students, the YA dystopian sitting on the table, discussing the book and/or planning when they were going to see the movie. When Breaking Dawn, the movie, was about to come out, the same thing was happening with the Twilight books. Again, as a reader, writer and advocate for the power of books, this is very pleasing.

My excitement, however, took a blow the other day. In my opening Health class, when I asked my stundents how many of them like to read, at first only one student, raised her hand. Well, she raised it only as far as her eyes and she did so coyly; hesitantly, apologetically even, like she was owning up to having done something wrong. It wasn't until two of her classmates' hands went up that hers stretched fully towards the ceiling.

Naturally, I'm very happy when I see kids read and I'm happy to meet them. With the abundance of good YA books out there - and there are more coming, like Marie Lu's Legend 2 - I honestly felt that the era of kids who read being viewed as 'nerds' or 'not cool' and having to find safe haven among other nerds just like them had long passed. My student's honest and brave answer to my question, however, told me that it hasn't. If she had just be hesitant, I would've felt that maybe she thought she was the only reader in class and didn't want to stand out and/or appear like she was saying she's better than the others. However, when the look in her eyes and her body language apologised for being a reader, it made me feel that children - and I'm sure some adults - still make fun of those who read and that being able to read, understand and
appreciate a good book isn't as admired as being able to score a goal, belt out a song, dance, dunk a basketball or run a record setting race.

What you're about to read is probably lost on your eyes because I'm likely preaching to the choir. Nonetheless, it has to be said, read and written.

Reading IS cool.

Reading develops language and creativity. It helps us experience emotions and teaches us how to deal with some of those feelings. It brings people together and gives birth to new friendships when the readers find a common bond like with the group reading and sharing of The Hunger Games as the movie was about to be released.

So, don't be shy. Don't be afraid. Be proud to be a reader and announce it to the world. And, pay it forward by sharing something you've read. Abbott Press, the publisher of my debut novel Back Kicks And Broken Promises, put up a post on Twitter today. It said something like, "If you can read, thank a teacher. If you read a book again, thank a writer." That may be true and, as a writer, if anyone reads my book - and future books - more than once I'll be very grateful. However, the last word in that tweet can also be "reader."

Read on and be proud.


 
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No, thankfully, this post isn't about cancer or any other illness that has stages. Instead, it's about the step of promotion my novel is currently experiencing and a little bit of wisdom for soon-to-be fellow indie authors.

Since my novel, Back Kicks And Broken Promises, came out in February, I've been plugging away at trying to get it positive exposure to boost sales. Naturally, just from pure novelty, sales online at sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble spiked early. I recall on the first weekend Back Kicks was out, the numbers from Barnes jumped something like 200,000 places in rank. That sounds like a lot but I really couldn't tell you what that means in terms of units sold. I can tell you that it was very exciting to see my book climb up in rank to the mid 300,000s, where it still sits.

A couple of weeks after the print editions came out, full ebook coverage hit. What that means is, not only is the ebook available from the publisher's online bookstore, it is now available in full Nook, Kindle and Kobo format. This didn't see a spike in sales but I think it did help stabilise my book's sales ranking. I know that one customer, a very good friend of mine who has been wonderfully supportive of my writing endeavours, did wait for the full Kindle version to be released before buying a copy. That was fine with me. My point is, for you soon-to-be indie published authors, is that people will wait for the digital version to come out before (instead of) buying a print copy of your book.

Once my book was released, on February 7, 2012, I blogged, I blogged, tweeted, set up a Facebook fan page, acquired a Goodreads author page, joined several online author websites and communities. I even had one of my Taekwondo students hand out bookmarks with the book's cover, synopsis and ordering information printed on it as I was competing at the 2012 New Jersey State Taekwondo Championships. (Incidentally, I won again so I'm a two-time back-to-back state champion.)

In the last month or so, things have slowed down. I'll admit that I haven't been able to press away at promoting my book because of other commitments. I'm a fulltime teacher, Taekwondo instructor, track and field coach and, oh yeah, a father and husband. Be prepared soon-to-bes that it's a major commitment you're getting into. I'm not complaining. I, actually, am enjoying the whole process but it is a haul.

I've also sent copies of my book to some target audience outlets - Hyphen Magazine, The Asia Pacific Forum, Taekwondo Times Magazine, Black Belt Magazine, to name a few - to be possibly reviewed and/or get mentioned in a brief press release-type column.

Of late is the most recent promotion. Below is the link to the online version but in tomorrow's (Friday, 6 April, 2012) print edition of The Filipino Reporter, an article about me and my novel is coming out. As a Filipino-American writer, whose book is about a Fil-Am who's dealing with identity issues, I'm hoping that the piece will garner further interest. It might lead to increased sales but it also might lead to other outlets, like Asia Pacific Forum or The Asian American Writer's Workshop, to do something with it.

Like many of us who do anything, I'm on a budget and a very slim one at that. I'd love to go on a media blitz with radio spots and print ads but, realistically, I don't have the resources for that. Another word of wisdom for my fellow soon-to-be indies, it doesn't end once the book is published. There's a lot yet to be done to get your book out there and reaching your target audience. I've a lot yet to do and I'm learning on the go. I'm loving the learning process but, honestly, I wish I'd done more homework and put away for capital before I fully jumped in.

Either way, though, I'm a published author who's gotten some really good praise for what I've written. My book has been mentioned in the same sentence, positively, with The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I don't know (think, let's be honest) if my book can hold a candle to those fantastic novels but the fact that it was juxtaposed with them is simply a compliment.

So, indies, keep plugging away. You do have an audience out there. Just make sure you check and double check and keep a share eye on your work.

Happy writing.

----

Here's the link to the full article from The Filipino Reporter.
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Okay, so there isn’t one; at least not that I know of, anyway. Crossovers, though, are the subject of this blog post and wouldn't a Katniss and June meeting be really interesting?

Generally, I’m not a big fan of mixing things up in books and movies but when two comic book heroes or two TV shows join forces for an episode or two, or even a series of episodes, it can sometimes lead to entertaining and intelligent reading or viewing.

I remember in the late 1970s/early 1980s there were a Superman/Spiderman crossover and a couple of Marvel/DC crossovers. In the 1990s, shows of similar genre had characters jump from one show to another - and I’m not talking about characters who were on one show, are now the star of their own show and returns for a guest stint on the original show. I think there were a couple of Law & Order crossovers with The Practice. Personally, I wanted to see a Chicago Hope/ER crossover.

Literature, I don’t think, really lends itself to such things because the protagonist in a book is so deeply involved with everything that’s happening on and between the pages of his or her own book that to mix in another protagonist with his or her own depth can be a major challenge to reconcile. It’s harder still, I think if one character is written through a different POV (third vs. first person, for example) and voice (conversational vs. formal, for example) than the other.

However, as I read The Hunger Games, with its strong teenage female lead, and, having recently read and loved Legend, that also has a strong teenage female lead, I was hit with the following thought: what would happen if Katniss and June met? I don’t have an answer. I haven’t read Catching Fire or Mockingjay and I’ve done a good job of steering clear of spoilers and I don’t know what Marie Lu has in mind for June (or Day, the male protagonist in Legend) in books two and three of her dystopian series. Maybe Katniss and June both die and there’s no way for them to meet. Or, a la the Star Wars books, they could meet in a book that regales events that happen somewhere in between their own stories.

Thinking about this, however, made me wonder of other possible crossover pairings. Perhaps, Holden Caulfield, Salinger’s frustrated east coast teen, could meet up with one of Matt de la Peña’s many soul-searching Mexican-Americans on the west coast. Or, Don Lee’s cast of characters from Wrack & Ruin could run into Miles and Jack from Sideways. Or, Once A Runner protagonist, Quenton Cassidy, could (literally) run into Jean Patrick Nkuba from Naomi Benaron’s Running the Rift. Now that I’m on a roll, perhaps, it can be done. The ideas and shenanigans that these characters could get into and the morality tales they could present are spinning tornado-like in my head.

But, these were what I came up with. Do you have any of your own? Do share and, even though it’s early, Happy Easter, Passover and whatever else is being celebrated this time of year.
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I was driving to work today with my usual radio setting when the DJs started talking how the kids' game Duck, Duck Goose was being eliminated from some school district in the country and it was, again, because somehow it makes students feel bad and feeling bad is not allowed for children. I agree that to make someone feel bad is not a good thing but to eliminate a game or change the name of something just because some people feel bad about it is ridiculous. It's also unrealistic.

As part of the radio show, the DJs reported that there was another district where Valentine's Day was not being called that. Instead, it's now being called Caring Day and St. Patrick's Day is being called O'Green Day. What a load of nonsense. This is my blog and my opinion so I'm going to give it.

The DJs reported that those days names' were changed because people felt bad not having a special someone on Valentine's Day when others did made people feel bad. St. Patrick's was changed because of the 'Saint' part, making it religious. What's next, changing Christmas to "Happy Birthday To The Messiah Of Some But Not All Day?"

I'm all for sensitivity and being thoughtful but things like this are, again, just plain and simply ridiculous. For children, yes, you want them to develop positive self-esteem but to do so at the expense of reality is a major disservice. Whether, literally, in sports or, proverbially, in life people win and lose. You don't always get your dream job or get into the college of your choice or win the trophy or medal you covet. Even if you do all the right things - sacrifice, work hard, train, etc - sometimes what you want doesn't happen the first time or at all. Everyone is special - I'm not denying that - but to mislead our children into thinking that the world is always going to be rosey is just wrong. Also, to denounce the name "St. Patrick's" because of any religious affiliation is also an unrealistic disservice. In many ways, all of the inclusion and political correctness we practise is making this world homogenous and, simply, bland and ignorant.  It's insulting, too, when we're told to unify everything and call things by new names because it offends some. We might as well do away with every religion, ideology, descriptive word, country, you name it. Let's just be "world citizens" who practise "unrealinclusionism" and live where everyone is the same. Again, ridiculous.

Some years ago, I had a student (yes, I'm a teacher and a parent) in sixth grade who made fun of the "we're all winners" idea that was really starting to take hold. I was reassured that realism still had life when, at her age, she saw life with open eyes. She also gave me hope for the future because of how she, a future leader in our world, saw the truth. I'm all for awareness and sensitivity but, I think, in many ways we're going - we've gone - overboard and we're getting ominously close to the absurd.
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