{"id":16675,"date":"2015-12-22T10:40:59","date_gmt":"2015-12-22T15:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=16675"},"modified":"2016-02-22T10:54:23","modified_gmt":"2016-02-22T15:54:23","slug":"listen-american-chronicles-episode-16-politically-correct-for-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/listen-american-chronicles-episode-16-politically-correct-for-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"[LISTEN] American Chronicles Episode 16 &#8211; Politically Correct (For the Holidays)"},"content":{"rendered":"<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F238670118&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&color=ff5500\"><\/iframe>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>AMERICAN CHRONICLES: POLITICALLY CORRECT (FOR THE HOLIDAYS)<br \/>\nCopyright: John C. Merino 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/wrfaradio\/american-chronicles-episode-16-politically-correct-for-the-holidays\" target=\"_blank\">MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I don\u2019t know about you, but I find that this time of year brings out the best\u2026\u2026.and sometimes the most annoying sides of people\u2019s desire to be \u201cPolitically Correct\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a visit to any store or shop, looking for the perfect gift for your loved ones, for example.<\/p>\n<p>When is the last time you actually had a cashier make change without looking to the register screen to see how much you were due? It just doesn\u2019t happen. Most can\u2019t count\u2026.and just as we used to learn to write cursive in school, making change is an art that is no longer taught either\u2026.therefore it no longer exists\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026..and heaven forbid you reach in to the penny cup at the counter to pay the 3 cents your charge calls for\u2026\u2026\u2026.well watch what happens. The look of confusion and embarrassment that runs across the cashier\u2019s face\u2026\u2026especially if the bill is $6.33 cents\u2026..is just priceless.<\/p>\n<p>You hand them a $20.00 bill, a $1.00 dollar bill and grab 3 pennies from the courtesy cup. Well\u2026..be prepared to wait twenty minutes\u2026\u2026\u2026and don\u2019t be surprised if they have to call the manager for assistance\u2026\u2026.and all of this simply because you\u2019d prefer to have a $10.00 dollar bill and a $5.00 dollar bill as change, because you already have a bill fold packed with ones.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026\u2026..and how about the \u201cnew\u201d standard seasonal greeting\u2026. \u201cHappy Holidays\u201d\u2026\u2026.and what holiday might that be, I thought\u2026. The Fourth of July?<\/p>\n<p>I asked a young woman behind the counter at the mall the other day why she didn\u2019t say \u201cMerry Christmas\u201d especially when the chocolate Santa stocking stuffers were piled 10 deep and 10 high next to the register where she was standing. Ready for the answer\u2026\u2026\u2026..\u201dWe\u2019re not allowed to say that\u201d. \u201cWhat\u201d, I said\u2026\u2026.\u201dwhy not\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2026\u2026.\u201dbecause we might offend someone, I guess\u201d she told me. I couldn\u2019t believe it. We\u2019ve become so worried about political correctness that saying Merry Christmas has become a possible offense\u2026\u2026.so retailers have added that to their personnel policies so as not to open the door for a law suit or worse\u2026\u2026..someone overreacting to the holiday\u2019s well wishes and storming out of the shop. Go figure.<\/p>\n<p>What I especially don\u2019t like this time of year is having to worry about knowing what greeting to utter\u2026\u2026depending of course\u2026..on with what company one might find themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Happy Kwanza for my African American friends who celebrate this holiday, Happy Hanukkah for my Jewish pals, for the Buddhists I know (and yes I know quite a few)\u2026Happy Bodhi Day, Happy Id al-Adha for the two practicing Muslims in my circle of friends, Have a great Winter Solstice I keep in mind for our one Wiccan Friend, how about Happy Festivus for my friend George who hasn\u2019t been able to go a single day in two decades without watching reruns of Seinfeld, and I don\u2019t know any Japanese folks, but just in case\u2026\u2026Happy Omisoka.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026\u2026.and how about this one\u2026\u2026\u2026..Merry Krismas\u2026\u2026..spelled: K-R-I-S-M-A-S for those Agnostic, Atheist and Deist folks we run into from time to time\u2026\u2026..and the Neopagan\u2019s celebrate Saturnalia\u2026\u2026you know, a seven day feast worshiping the ancient gods of Rome\u2026\u2026\u2026these folks are everywhere so be prepared.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s all too much. From now on I\u2019m not saying anything remotely connected to a seasonal celebration\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n<p>\u2026\u2026\u2026I\u2019m going to revert to that old standby\u2026\u2026the one we all say\u2026..the phrase which tends to annoy everybody\u2026\u2026everywhere\u2026\u2026all the time\u2026\u2026.and is probably the most spoken phrase in the English language\u2026\u2026\u2026.\u201dHave a Nice Day\u201d\u2026\u2026so sue me!<\/p>\n<p>Damn that Forest Gump anyway.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m John Merino and this is American Chronicles.<\/p>\n<p><em>American Chronicles is a bi-weekly locally produced feature on WRFA written and produced by retired Gebbie Foundation CEO, John C. Merino. Currently, John is an Adjunct Professor of Micro-Economics, Organizational Management, and 20th Century World History at Mercyhurst University. American Chronicles airs twice monthly, Friday mornings at 7:15 and Friday Afternoons at 4:35. American Chronicles features original stories (partly fact and partly fiction), commentary on local, state , national, world conditions and more.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Find past episodes at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/tag\/american-chronicles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">www.wrfalp.com\/tag\/american-chronicles\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?ssl=1\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14215\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14215\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/american-chronicles-logo\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?fit=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,640\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"American Chronicles logo\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?fit=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14215\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"American Chronicles logo\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<br>More Posts for Show: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/listen-american-chronicles-episode-16-politically-correct-for-the-holidays\/#show-posts\"><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AMERICAN CHRONICLES: POLITICALLY CORRECT (FOR THE HOLIDAYS) Copyright: John C. Merino 2015 MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE I don\u2019t know about you, but I find that this time of year brings out the best\u2026\u2026.and sometimes the most annoying sides of people\u2019s desire to be \u201cPolitically Correct\u201d. Let\u2019s take a visit to any store or shop, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":14215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"[LISTEN] American Chronicles Episode 16 - Politically Correct (For the Holidays)","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2],"tags":[5310,507,6061,1270],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YlJ4-4kX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16802,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/listen-american-chronicles-episode-17-the-chautauqua-institution\/","url_meta":{"origin":16675,"position":0},"title":"[LISTEN] American Chronicles Episode 17 &#8211; The Chautauqua Institution","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"January 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"AMERICAN CHRONICLES: THE CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION Copyright: John C. Merino 2016 MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE There is no question that the Chautauqua Institution is not only a gift to our county, but so too, deserves the world class reputation it has earned over more than a century as a seat\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-web.jpg?fit=290%2C290&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17263,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/listen-american-chronicles-episode-19-at-random\/","url_meta":{"origin":16675,"position":1},"title":"[LISTEN] American Chronicles Episode 19 &#8211; At Random","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"February 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"AMERICAN CHRONICLES: AT RANDOM Copyright: John C. Merino 2016 Originally airing Feb. 19, 2016 MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE This may be a long list. I honestly have no idea. I just started thinking about so many different things at once, none of which fit together, that I thought I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-web.jpg?fit=290%2C290&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15633,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/listen-american-chronicles-episode-13-the-2nd-ammendment\/","url_meta":{"origin":16675,"position":2},"title":"[LISTEN] American Chronicles Episode 13 &#8211; The 2nd Ammendment","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"October 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What The Second Amendment Really Says\u2026\u2026At Least it Once Did \u00a9 2015 John C. Merino MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE You remember \u201cJoe the Plumber\u201d confronting then candidate Barak Obama during his first presidential run. Pictures of \u201cJoe\u201d pointing his figure in Obama\u2019s face\u2026 talking about his second amendment rights\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-web.jpg?fit=290%2C290&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15434,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/listen-american-chronicles-episode-12-the-tricks-of-the-trade\/","url_meta":{"origin":16675,"position":3},"title":"[LISTEN] American Chronicles Episode 12 \u2013 The Tricks of the Trade","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"September 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Tricks of the Trade\" \u00a9 2015 John C. Merino MOBILE APP USERS: CLICK HERE TO LISTEN When my father returned from World War II in 1945, he picked up where he had left off. He was a \u201cBrickie\u201d\u2026\u2026\u2026having done his apprenticeship as a stone mason with Scrufari Construction in Niagara\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-web.jpg?fit=290%2C290&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16319,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/listen-american-chronicles-episode-14-stop-pussy-footin-around\/","url_meta":{"origin":16675,"position":4},"title":"[LISTEN] American Chronicles Episode 14 &#8211; Stop Pussy-Footin&#8217; Around","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"November 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Stop \u201cPussy-Footin\u2019 Around\u201d \u00a9 John C. Merino 2015 MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE I never thought very much of the late Governor George Wallace. He was a devout racist\u2026.and he preached segregation, standing in the school house door shouting\u2026\u2026..\u201dsegregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever\u201d\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026and he believed it, at least until\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-web.jpg?fit=290%2C290&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14168,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/listen-american-chronicles-episode-1-the-national-center-of-comedy\/","url_meta":{"origin":16675,"position":5},"title":"[LISTEN] American Chronicles Episode 1 &#8211; The National Center of Comedy","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"June 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"American Chronicles 1 originally airing June 5, 2015. THE NATIONAL CENTER OF COMEDY \u00a9 2015 John C. Merino This nearly 30 year old idea is finally moving toward becoming a reality primarily because of the \u201cTeam\u201d compiled to make it happen. There is no question, in my estimation, that the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/American-Chronicles-logo.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16675"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16675"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17268,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16675\/revisions\/17268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}