For many years, I have considered New Year's Day, January 1, to be an arbitrary date at an arbitrary time of year, by which the entire world chooses to reckon the end of one year and the beginning of another. I realize that the nature of our civilization requires us to be able to record accurate dates, and that requires that some regular date must be chosen to be the one on which the new year begins. But why choose a day that has no real significance with respect to the astronomical year? January 1 is approximately 10 or 11 days after the winter solstice, neither here nor there in astronomical terms. If I were the one choosing such dates, I would have chosen a solstice or an equinox, or at least a cross-quarter day (the day that falls exactly between a solstice and an equinox). If you're a Christian, January 1 does have religious significance: it's Jesus' Name Day, that is, the day of his bris, falling on the 8th day after his birth. For the rest of us, it's just the day you have to remember to change the last digit (or sometimes more than that) in the year when you write it down. Beyond this, the date's significance is vestigial.
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What really puzzles about the New Year holiday though is the obligation so many people seem to feel that the change in the year should be celebrated. I appreciate being wished to have a "Happy New Year," and I do so often to others, but I am consciously cautious enough to recognize that there's at least a 50-50 chance that the coming year won't actually be so good. (I suppose it's only human nature to be hopeful, but one must be realistic.) Why is it necessary to go to a party and get blind drunk because we've changed a digit (or two) in a year? Computers change digits all the time, and they don't make such a fuss.
Not that I haven't gone to my share of New Year's Eve parties and dances. These can be lots of fun, and there is significance for some in being with those you love when the new year begins—but at bottom, it's still just an arbitrary change of date. Well, any excuse for a party, I suppose.
In my youth, I remember staying up with my parents on New Year's Eve to watch the live broadcast from the grand ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, where Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians were performing for a bunch of well-dressed toffs. When the camera would pan the dance floor, we would point and laugh at them. Very near midnight, of course, the network would switch to Times Square where the ball was about to drop, in the presence of a vast number of people crowding in to see it happen, regardless of the weather. Midnight would come, we'd drink a high ball and then go to bed.
After Lombardo died, no New Year's Eve TV show could quite cut it. Dick Clark never charmed my heart, I'm afraid. If I don't hear the songs "Boo-Hoo," or "Enjoy Yourself, It's Later than You Think" on New Year's Eve, the old year isn't complete.
This year, I'll be alone on New Year's Eve as hubby is in California with his family while I languish in Pennsylvania. It's not really that bad; remember, it's only an arbitrary change of date, after all. The number change that really has my interest is when the odometer in my car turns over to 200,000 miles! This is the first time I’ve owned a car that’s gone that far. After 12 years of owning this car since new, that's due to happen in the next few weeks. That's when I'll break out the alcohol.
In the meantime, I wish you all a Happy New Year, despite it's arbitrariness.
Now, on to the comments! (Many thanks to Steven Payne for formatting tonight!)
TOP COMMENTS December 31, 2015
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From Grey Hawk:
When Mother Mags pointed out an example of the endorsements that Trump is lining up, citing a comment from David Duke, Freshwater Dan replies with an all-too apt clarification on how David Duke's comment should be read.
head.. shoulders… hood and gown…
From: 84thProblem:
Submitting this comment by elenacarlena.
Well, I went to your link and I just don’t see what you see. He’s not specifically seeking Trump voters, he’s asked about it by the media who, as he points out, provide 80 minutes for Trump for every 20 seconds they provide for Sanders. And he says they tap into similar frustrations as far as nothing done about the economy by establishment politicians, so voters are interested in the outsiders. But he then says in detail that he is completely opposite of Trump, “trying to get us to hate Mexicans or to hate Muslims, I think that is a strategy that is not what America is supposed to be about.”
I don’t think you can consider Trump supporters any more monolithic than Kos supporters. A lot of people don’t know everything about Trump. I hear a few things here and there, but the most I’ve heard about are the Mexican and Muslim things too. Those were so disgusting that I basically don’t follow him now; he’s dead to me. I’ll do anything legal to help get rid of him. More people than not still have not heard of Bernie Sanders and do not know who he is or what he stands for. Given that, do you really think everyone who thinks, “Yeah, maybe this businessman Trump” actually knows all the crap he’s been spewing? Bernie is clearly not appealing to the bigots. He makes it clear that the bigoted part of Trump’s campaign is wrong. The bigots will stay right there to vote for Trump. But there are others who may find Trump appealing for other reasons. Clearly they don’t know the whole story. Bernie is trying to educate them.
There will always be easily led sheep. Demagoguery will always win converts by appealing to emotions, usually fear. Have you read all the diaries here by people bemoaning various relatives who were wonderful people before a steady diet of Faux and Limpaugh turned them into monsters? If demagoguery didn’t work, they wouldn’t keep doing it.
Should these people be stronger willed and can we blame them for that? Yes. You’re right, it's not really Trump's fault that he can turn them. Faux, Limpaugh, Trump, none of them appeal to me nor will they ever. But how will blaming create any progress? Bernie’s trying to get them to understand how Trump is trying to stoke their fears and twist them. Maybe pulling them into our fold will create more progress than “othering” them. Let’s turn them back.
I understand that bringing people in who have not been supportive is itself a somewhat scary process. But I also know that I and others, including Bernie, are not going to put up with people who try to turn us away from social justice or economic justice or any other issue of importance. They don’t have that power. I don’t think these are the hardened minority haters. I think they’re the fence sitters who need an education and better alternatives to Repub plans.
But in any case, I bet that Bernie is not going to stay on the topic of pulling in Trump voters. I bet he will still have a lot to say to every American, including minorities, in the next months. See, for example, Bernie Sanders wants federal probe of Tamir Rice: 'We need to take a hard look' at police use of force and his MSNBC interview embedded at Raw Story.
And if you can, please explain: What has Hillary Clinton ever done for you?
From Steven Payne:
I’ve chosen to send in grover’s sage advice on how to deal with racist family members.
When they start, I say “Don’t.” I say it calmly, nicely even. When they start to protest, I say “Just don’t.”
If they go on, I tell them, “we were having a nice time. You can choose to ruin that, or you can stop.” At that point, the peacemakers (who normally just sit by quietly) step in and agree that it’s best to change the subject. If there are no peacemakers nearby, I just reiterate, “I’m not going to discuss this with you.”
I also keep my distance, so I don’t see them very often. But if they start, “don’t” is the magic word that shuts it down.
I can’t change these people. They’re adults. I can make it extremely clear to the young ones (who are still impressionable) that this behavior is not acceptable and that courage means you should not stand by while people spew hateful things. But I don’t fight. I don’t argue. I don’t stoop to that level. Racists are angry people who feel the world is against them. I don’t feed that.
I quietly shut it down. You’d be amazed how well it works. It’s hard to argue with a cool slab of marble.
From belinda ridgewood:
In tonight's Kitchen Table Kibitzing by drudau (a beautiful diary, btw), Fordmandalay has a hilarious screen cap of the recent list.
The “Unintentionally Ironic DKOS Diary Placement” Award Of The Day goes to….
Hillary wearing a Bernie t-shirt!
From bastrop:
Coming out of my recently renewed lurker status to flag this comment by cheminMD. As I say in my reply, I'm not particularly a DK5 hater but the subject of memiller's The Dunning-Krueger effect Illustrated: The Stupid do not Know that They are Stupid was just begging for this wisecrack to happen. Spit-Take Achievement Unlocked!
I thought that’s what the DK in DK5 stood for.
TOP MOJO December 30, 2015
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TOP PHOTOS December 30, 2015
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