Seattle school renames Easter eggs 'Spring Spheres'

reply to post by Sinnthia


i see the issue in changing things because someone gets offended just because its called an Easter Egg...........Yes

People feel they have the right not to be infringed upon , or what they percieve is that, so instead they infringe on others because by changing the name.......

If its not that big of a deal then why change the name in the first place?

Answer: Cause its not a big deal as long as those who want to change it get their way........


As far as wht the names of holidays etc are called, whatever its no sweat off my back.............

Im just calling bs when i see it

Originally posted by ManBehindTheMask
i see the issue in changing things because someone gets offended just because its called an Easter Egg...........Yes

But it's NOT an issue for YOU to be offended that they call it Spring Spheres. Right?

So, it's NOT OK for them to be offended, but it's OK for you to be offended. .... Check!

People feel they have the right not to be infringed upon , or what they percieve is that, so instead they infringe on others because by changing the name.......

How does changing what they call something INFRINGE upon you? It's not like they changed the name and from this point further, anyone who uses the phrase "Easter Eggs" will be placed under immediate arrest. You are FREE to call them whatever you want!

Im just calling bs when i see it

Yeah, me, too.

.

Originally posted by ManBehindTheMask
reply to post by Sinnthia

 

i see the issue in changing things because someone gets offended just because its called an Easter Egg...........Yes

Please explain exactly what the issue is with someone else deciding what they want to call the things they do? Other than you being offended by someone else doing something they want to do, I am still missing it.

People feel they have the right not to be infringed upon , or what they percieve is that, so instead they infringe on others because by changing the name.......

Who is being infringed on?

If its not that big of a deal then why change the name in the first place?

Likewise if its not that big a deal, why do you care what they call it?

Answer: Cause its not a big deal as long as those who want to change it get their way........

The alternative is you getting your way about how they do their own thing? That is really what you are advocating as freedom?

As far as wht the names of holidays etc are called, whatever its no sweat off my back.............

Yet here you are sweating so much over it the font is running.

Im just calling bs when i see it

As you are putting it out there or does this calling it out come later?

Originally posted by KrazyJethro
Perhaps, but you seem to be parsing dust here. Is culture and religion so separable? I'm an atheist as well so I'm really just curious and have always found you to be an interesting poster so I thought I'd ask.

Is the problem that government should not include religion or anything affiliated with it in public schools or that government is in the business of schooling? Personally I'd suggest the latter but there are many who think the fabric of reality would crumble at merely mentioning this insane and radical thought. Would it be the same if government simply provided the funds and attached them to the student and all schools were private? Would their funding create a de facto extension of the government as well?

Where do we draw the line? Personally I do not see the secular aspects of these holidays to be anything but secular. The religion in them is dying as is faith in this nation, at least in the more educated areas.

Peace
KJ

Great post - thanks.

Definitely a fine line between some cultures and religion.

In CA - it is required to do something in class that reflects every students culture. If you have an Islam student - - by law you must incorporate his culture in your teaching. If you have a student from Timbuktu - you must incorporate his culture in your teaching.

How do I feel about that? Today - in this electronic age and access to the world - - I do think it is important for young students to be aware of the world and various cultures.

The US culture and Christianity is not so different. It is a still an ongoing fight to not allow Christianity to take over this culture.

Education today in primary schools really isn't that much different then it was in the 50s. Thinking was not part of school. It was even then - - memorize - take a test. But Christianity was the dominate religion in my area - - and it was celebrated on Christmas and Easter. If you weren't Christian - - you just kept your mouth shut.

IMO - we are fortunate to have public schools. At least every child has the opportunity to an education.

IMO - Festivals should be taught in a way that they represent Life/Nature/environment It seems to me the Pagan and Native American belief of "the earth gives to us - we give back to the earth" - - would be best.

Pagan "kind of" means farmer or dirt peasant - - - a derogatory term in its origin - - - meaning something along the lines of those too poor to live in the cities - - - and had to survive off the land.

reply to post by vulgarism


If you actually took the time to read my posts you would discover that that is exactly my position. All traditions should be celebrated, you can choose to go or not to go. Traditions are historic and tell important lessons about how different people in different cultures evolved. Its interesting. I am not religious. By a historical perspective, religion is fundamental to the evolution of society. Being exposed to it all is good and should be encouraged, including paganism and athesim.

I've always wondered what the folks who look to strip traditions out of society are so afraid of. With the decline in religion, the continued migration to a far more secular celebration, what is it?

It is the desire on the part of the PC crowd to turn all traditions into government manufactured events. Celebrate under the yoke of how the government wants you to or feels you should celebrate.

How about this? We can still have the Easter Bunny. We can dress him up in a brown shirt and make him stand behind a counter. The kids can all be given vouchers and stand in line to get their egg, the same way the communists stand in line to get week old sausage and stale bread. Some of the eggs would be rotten, none with paint and certainly have no candy. Once they get them, they can go sit down together and eat them with some folks, also in brown shirts walking around making sure they are expressing the appropriate level of gratitude. That would not be much fun, but hey, everyone would be doing exactly the same thing, hence there is no way that anyone could possibly be offended.

"Easter Eggs" already ARE pagan symbology, co-opted by the Christan Church.



Jesus was not a Patriot, or an American.

Originally posted by Annee
Great post - thanks.

Definitely a fine line between some cultures and religion.

Thanks, likewise. I'd agree the line becomes terribly blurry more often than not.

In CA - it is required to do something in class that reflects every students culture. If you have an Islam student - - by law you must incorporate his culture in your teaching. If you have a student from Timbuktu - you must incorporate his culture in your teaching.

How do I feel about that? Today - in this electronic age and access to the world - - I do think it is important for young students to be aware of the world and various cultures.

Agreed, but this would be easier to accomplish, in my mind, that we should study every nation on earth. I live in Virginia just outside DC and we have a fairly diverse area but most cultural teachings are fairly limited or extra. I don't feel it would be a bad idea to learn the major tenants of the various religious views in the way a scholar would, but this is not possible in government schools. The Christians would most likely have serious heartburn over teaching non-Christian dogma.

The US culture and Christianity is not so different. It is a still an ongoing fight to not allow Christianity to take over this culture.

Correct, and we fight this battle daily. What is the endgame? I feel it would be more productive to fight to change the way public schooling is done rather than fight the legalities of religious minutia that occurs these days. It's a never ending battle that have the numbers on the other side's favor. Even though the Constitution is designed to be antimajoritarian by definition, it's still an uphill battle that needs not be fought.

Education today in primary schools really isn't that much different then it was in the 50s. Thinking was not part of school. It was even then - - memorize - take a test. But Christianity was the dominate religion in my area - - and it was celebrated on Christmas and Easter. If you weren't Christian - - you just kept your mouth shut.

IMO - we are fortunate to have public schools. At least every child has the opportunity to an education.

I don't disagree, but because they are linked heavily to personal property taxes (even though often subsidized through state lotteries), poor areas tend to have poor schools while rich areas tend to have rich ones, although state and local tax rates do account as well.

This seems to be a terribly disadvantageous way to do business.

IMO - Festivals should be taught in a way that they represent Life/Nature/environment It seems to me the Pagan and Native American belief of "the earth gives to us - we give back to the earth" - - would be best.

Pagan "kind of" means farmer or dirt peasant - - - a derogatory term in its origin - - - meaning something along the lines of those too poor to live in the cities - - - and had to survive off the land.

Perhaps, but I'd be careful lest we propose a new Earth Church of a sort. I believe a more balanced lifestyle is needed culturally in America. A more quality over quantity sort of approach.

There was one question left unanswered. If there were all private schooling and the various state governments applied a specific monetary allotment to each student rather than paying the school itself (giving parents the right to choose the school and type of school their child goes to), would that still create a de facto arm of the government that would disallow religious education?

I'm unsure myself and feel it could be an interesting topic to explore.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

Originally posted by bsbray11
Easter doesn't even have anything to do with Christianity.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but according to the story, isn't Easter the day Jesus arose from the dead?

That was the story, yes.

Maybe I should have worded it better. Easter didn't have anything to do with Christianity, until the church came along and forced their own holiday over top of the Spring Equinox, in an effort to convert "pagans."

The word "Easter" comes from the word "Ishtar." It has nothing to do with Christianity, and neither do egg-laying bunnies.

reply to post by bsbray11


Oh, right. I misunderstood you. But I agree. I think most of our old holidays are of pagan origins.

Originally posted by KrazyJethro
There was one question left unanswered. If there were all private schooling and the various state governments applied a specific monetary allotment to each student rather than paying the school itself (giving parents the right to choose the school and type of school their child goes to), would that still create a de facto arm of the government that would disallow religious education?

I'm unsure myself and feel it could be an interesting topic to explore.

I did not really miss this question.

The problem I see is private schools have an agenda. People start private schools IMO - mostly because they have a belief agenda. Such as Montessori - Waldorf - Religious - and recently I've discovered some political conservative primary schools.

However - - there are also Semi-Private Magnet schools - - - that are government subsidized - - - and focused on the basics of education.

Why?, how is it that we have to bend over backward to cater to every culture besides our own? These feeling friendly people who seem to have amazing controlling power, should take into consideration that they are eliminating their own choices. Who is it that can chose what WE celebrate as a person, as a human,really this is disgusting to me. If anyone would like to honor or observe a culture other then your own would you change the traditional components of the culture (spheres rather than eggs) what the hell is a easter sphere?

Originally posted by RLP4883
Why?, how is it that we have to bend over backward to cater to every culture besides our own? These feeling friendly people who seem to have amazing controlling power, should take into consideration that they are eliminating their own choices. Who is it that can chose what WE celebrate as a person, as a human,really this is disgusting to me. If anyone would like to honor or observe a culture other then your own would you change the traditional components of the culture (spheres rather than eggs) what the hell is a easter sphere?

May I ask who is asking you to bend over in any direction and what exactly is "our culture?" Is Chistianity or Easter suddenly an American culture thing? I have read this article about 20 times noe because I keep thinking I must be missing the part where they are telling other people what you all have to call Easter Eggs but I cannot find that part. All I see is someone claiming some school is telling you which way they are bending over and people like are complaining that by them choosing to name their holiday treats anything they feel like is somehow a problem for you. I am more than eager for elaboration.

"EASTER" actually is the old European Thanks giving feast. Around easter, the free roaming chickens lay the first eggs of the year, hence the easter egg, the sheep, give birth to their first lambs, hence the easter lamb, and the rabbits get their first young, hence the easter bunny. Christianity has stolen all of it, as usual, and stamped its own crap over it all. But since easter is a old European thing and most of you Americans origined in Europe, its also an American thing

if anyone is planning on having a spring sphere hunt this year , i urge you to find your nearest teacher and hide them up their stupid ass.

Hide the teachers, until they are found by "Spring Spheres"...

Originally posted by vjr1113

should have called them bunny balls, this is silly. let them have their eggs who cares?

You're on the right track, but I think "rabbit turds" would be more accurate, they are more spherical though quite a bit smaller than chicken eggs.

If you stop and think about the concept of "Easter Eggs" you begin to see how absurd this custom is. Bunny rabbits hopping around hiding colorful hard boiled chicken eggs and delivering baskets of colored candy, chocolate rabbits whose ears you quickly gnaw away, and other hyperglycemia, insulin shock, and diabetes inducing confections.

It was such a joy, though, when in my childhood everyone would get ready for Easter weekend by boiling eggs and coloring them. Then, on Easter Sunday, there'd be the exciting Easter Egg hunt for the kids in the church yard, at some public park, or on the freeway median strip. Everyone looked forward to it with happy anticipation, never giving a thought to its utter absurdity and total disconnection with anything Christian.

A recent episode of a popular TV show where they scientifically test various urban legends had a segment on polishing scats ( a nice term for turds). Seems they can be polished very nicely provided that you approach the task patiently with a positive frame of mind. So, there may be a reality based origin for the modern Easter Egg tradition.

But calling them "spring sheres" is just too stupid and unimaginative.

A movie about the EASTER Bunny was just number 1 at the box office.
There is an anonymous story about some school choosing not to call their specific holiday and EASTER holiday.

Conclusion? There is a war on Easter.

I am curious if logic is verboten when it comes to anything related to religion. Obviously in the US, Easter is still perfecly acceptable. Let this school do whatever it wants with its eggs. I do not think schools should be wasting time hiding eggs anyway. Mom and dad should be hiding your damn eggs.

Or...since I was recently told by a good Christian that poor women should suck it up and either be sick or pay for their own damn healthcare, how about you Christians hide your own eggs and you can keep calling them anything you like. Boy, it is nice to find solutions together.

Easter is not about some dude rising from the dead three days after getting nailed to a couple of planks of wood. Religion just tried to hijack that holiday to get power and money and attention.

Easter is about some mythical Rabbit invading my home and leaving me candy and chocolate. It just happens this rabbit can lay eggs. eggs that chickens come out of..because he's mythical.

So with my logic this over abundance of PC ness is absurd and wrong.

reply to post by CosmicCitizen


Just thought id correct you for what its worth, if we are going to post in a critisizing manner the least we can do is be accurate. Ester is not the goddess of fertility, ester is a chemical compound, Ishtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility. Normally i wouldnt bother correcting such insignificants but after 4 pages noone has addressed it some even starred him.

reply to post by dolphinfan


Spring spheres? Where are my sugar or corn syrup, water, gelatin that has been softened in hot water, dextrose, flavourings, and sometimes colouring, whipped to a spongy consistency shaped to look like Gallus gallus domesticus, or my processed from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao shaped to look like a Lepus Capensis.

Screw being PC