Militarism, music and political correctness in SF

This is a busy weekend in San Francisco: it's the annual Fleet Week. I don't know how many ships and sailors are here, but Sunday the Blue Angels air show will be thundering over us. This being ultraliberal San Francisco, the military aspect bothers some people, but a huge number enjoy the show.

Personally I wish I wasn't always trying to play music during the air show.

My band will be part of the (also annual) Italian Heritage Festival parade. This is the political correctness part. The public holiday on Monday is still named after Columbus, so is a street on the parade route - but not the parade any more.

There was a mostly amusing incident a few years ago when the parade was still called "Columbus Day". We were in the staging area waiting for the parade to start when a group of protesters ran through, maybe 20 or 30 of them, shouting "F*** Columbus!". Then about 100 yards behind, a bunch of cops chasing them. Maybe this is why the organizers (or the city) decided to just call it "Italian Heritage". That is, of course, what the event is really about; it's a celebration for Italian-Americans. Of course, this being San Francisco, the parade audience and participants are highly diverse (the historically Italian neighborhood that we're parading through seems to be increasingly Chinese).  

But the parade in March is still called "St.Patrick's Day", it hasn't been renamed "Irish Heritage".

•  spare lire?

  by esquimaux on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 07:29:08 PM PDT

•  Well the Blue Angels were

  flying today. here is a pretty bad photo I took from my apartment today looking at the Blue Angels flying over SF.

  

  by iliketodrum on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 07:34:06 PM PDT

•  This is ridiculous

  Is San Francisco so hypersensitive that no one can say "St. Patrick's Day" or "Colubmus Day"? Don't tell me that SF has also banned Christmas. They also have issues with an air show?

  I'm sorry, but that type of liberalism drives me crazy. Honestly I hate those extreme versions of political correctness.

  by jiacinto on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 10:32:51 PM PDT

•  The Blue Angels fly really low through the canyon

  near my house for the Miramar Air Show in San Diego.  But last year's version in S.F. was lots more impressive--flying between the highrises.  

  by oculus on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 11:12:26 PM PDT