Uptight Officials Ban “Merica Day” From High School Because Patriotism
High school students in Fort Collins, Colorado wanted to have Merica Day for their spirit week. No, not America Day. You know, ‘merica. Like how Dubya used to say it.
School officials apparently thought leaving the A off the word was a really bad idea because it would teach teenagers that it would be ok to have anything less than perfect patriotic thoughts. So, Merica Day was nixed in favor of America Day. In a statement, officials said:
“When students first proposed Merica Monday, building administrators felt that it was against this unifying theme and disrespectful to our country. Merica is a slang term that is often used in a negative, stereotypical way to describe life in the United States. This is what led administrators to discuss alternatives with students.”
Because that’s what “merica” means? I just kind of thought that it was a funny way of poking fun at American-ness. It seems a little extreme that people would say it was disrespectful. At least to me.
And of course, people are now protesting the decision. Outside the school, during spirit week, while school is in session. Lots of community members found the ban on Merica Day to be unpatriotic, which is weird because the administrators banned it because they found the word “merica” to be unpatriotic.
Normally, I am all about paying attention to the nuances of language, especially for kids and teenagers. But in this case, I feel like banning Merica Day in favor of America Day is just petty. Would having Merica Day have resulted in like, burning effigies of the flag while America Day is just straight-up loving patriotism? Who is really unpatriotic here? I’m inclined to say it’s the uptight school administration, but the protestors seem kind of silly, too. Let the dang teenagers have their funny, ironic Merica Day and be done with it.
Photo: Getty Images
