Inspired by S.M.U. - All U.S. 4th of July Celebrations Should be Banned to Protect the Sensitive!

I have to say I was “inspired” by the latest move by Southern Methodist University to protect its students against the vile, hate-filled, triggering image of roughly 3,000 tiny American flags displayed on the lawn outside of their Dallas Hall.  Not only just flags were displayed, but a scary black sign displaying the message” 911 Never Forget Project”.  Even worse, the 11 is made up of ominous images of the World Trade Center Towers and the 911 was separated with a small airplane aimed at the buildings!  Why in God’s name would we want to remind people of the nearly 3,000 innocent lives that were lost when non-U.S. citizens (to be fair they received their green cards from the Immigration and Naturalization Service a short time after they martyred themselves) flew hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Centers, Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.  What were these hate-filled members of the S.M.U. student organization known as “Young Americans for Freedom” thinking!  Don’t they know that if they do that they will be upsetting and possibly permanently damaging the psyche of these poor, impressionable children and even worse possibly upsetting another group of extremists who might try to hijack their own airplanes and take out the George  W. Bush Presidential Center which is right there at S.M.U. [caption id="attachment_1095" align="alignleft" width="300"] Tiny flags similar to the hate-filled and triggering ones at S.M.U.[/caption] Well luckily for us the brave administrators of the school put out a policy last month that stated in part, "The University also respects the right of all members of the community to avoid messages that are triggering, harmful or harassing." Because of that, they decided to not allow the display in the prominent place by Dallas Hall where it had been displayed since 2010 but to a spot nicknamed Mo-Mac park in an area that would be much more avoidable. This got me thinking about many other situations where the actions of some could detrimentally affect the mental health and possibly the physical health of other members of our very delicate American society. Probably one of the most triggering events condoned by the U.S. Government is the celebration of our independence as a country.  I mean just think about it for a minute.  Since 1941 the United States decided to celebrate, as a national holiday, the wholesale slaughter of approximately 24,000 British citizens!  Not only that but we celebrate with a barrage of explosives that bring back triggering memories of the gunfire and cannons that took so many lives. [caption id="attachment_1097" align="alignright" width="300"] I shudder to think of the psychological damage done to those of English descent.[/caption] Just think if you were of English ancestry or were simply visiting from one of the British Isles when this type of activity was taking place!  I can’t believe the Brits would even conceive of being allies with us when all they were trying to do was to keep their country together but yet every July 4^th I see people hanging (yes you guessed it) more American flags.  I am seeing a pattern developing, don’t you? There are just so many of these triggering events and memorials going on it is no wonder that the country is so divided and the level of hate seems to be growing at such record levels. Here are just some of these hate-filled and triggering events or memorials and the groups of people who could be triggered or negatively affected in some way. Veterans Day  (originally Armistice Day) – People of German or Japanese descent. Memorial Day – Members of the military who survived their service. The National Law Enforcement Memorial – Rapists, murderers, drug dealers, burglars, robbers, politicians, etc. The Washington Monument – People who don’t have the last name Washington or all the other U.S. Presidents who couldn’t be first through no fault of their own. The Lincoln Memorial – Slave owners and John Wilkes Booth. [caption id="attachment_1096" align="alignright" width="300"] My son protesting at the Lincoln Memorial on our family trip to D.C.[/caption] The Oklahoma City National Monument and Museum – Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and all other crazy people with an axe to grind with the U.S. Government. Pearl Harbor Memorial – Crazy Japanese pilots. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – Known Soldiers. [caption id="attachment_1098" align="alignleft" width="300"] What about the multitude of "named" war heroes?[/caption] Mother’s Day – Fathers. Father’s Day – Mothers. Valentine’s Day – Ugly people. How about some local Chicago memorials and events. Casimir Pulaski Day – People of non-Polish descent and who do not live on Pulaski Avenue. St. Patrick’s Day Parade – People of non-Irish descent (a.k.a. sober people). The Great Fire Memorial – Dairy cows. [caption id="attachment_1099" align="alignleft" width="169"] Can you image what it is like to be a dairy cow in Chicago after 1871?[/caption] Eastland Disaster Memorial – Non-Western Electric Employees. I mean the list could just go on and on and we, as a country, simply need to wake up and think about how our selfish actions could negatively affect the lives and psychological well-being of others. I am sure if we worked together we could come up with a huge list of these callous memorials and events and please feel free to add them to the list by commenting on this article.  After that, we can compile this list and send out a petition that we can deliver directly to the White House, Springfield, or City Hall! Ahhhhh….I just gave myself a huge headache! Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

If you love Chicago History please consider subscribing to my posts. You will receive an email that alerts you when a new article is published. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.