Dumb things people say on the radio: Cinco de Mayo

This is another I-can't-believe-he-just-said-that-out-loud moment, this one also from a few days ago, specifically May 5th, or as Americans like to call it, Cinco de Mayo (I know you're probably thinking to yourselves, Americans? Doesn't she mean Mexicans? but read on and I'll explain.)

After the idiotic Canadian statement I mentioned yesterday, I promptly changed the radio station, hoping to encounter smarter people on a new station. Again, I'm not sure where I landed, 94 point something maybe, but it seemed the two hosts were more careful in what they said... or so it seemed, that is, until May 5th. This is what was said:

Guy: "Happy Cinco de Mayo."

Girl: "And to you."

Guy: "What is Cinco de Mayo anyway?"

Girl: "I don't know, wasn't it a revolution?"

Guy: "or Mexican Independence."

Girl [laughing]: "I don't know."

Ummm... first of all, why would Americans celebrate Mexican Independence Day? Do we celebrate Irish independence? Or Japanese independence? Or for that matter, South African independence? Or the day England gave Hong Kong back to China? Um... nope. Now, to someone who also didn't know what Cinco de Mayo represents, maybe this wouldn't have been such an idiotic statement, but my sentiments are: why is Cinco de Mayo so big in America if 1) nobody knows what the day celebrates and 2) it has zero to do with America and 100% to do with Mexico? It's just an excuse to eat Mexican food and drink Dos Equis, right? Right.

Now, I did happen to know the true meaning behind Cinco de Mayo (which is neither a revolution nor Independence Day); I believe I learned it in one of my Spanish classes at Mars Hill, but regardless, for the sake for being sure, I did a quick Wiki search before silently slamming the pair for their complete ignorance. On Wikipedia, the first sentence which one reads, right after the title "Cinco de Mayo" says: "Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day." Well, I guess his theory is out. I read on. Second sentence: Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for the fifth of May) is a holiday held on May 5th. Duh. I read on. "It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico..." Pause. Wait, what? Further down: "...a regional holiday limited primarily to the state of Puebla. Some limited recognition of the holiday in other parts of the country..." Cinco de Mayo is, as everyone "knows" a Mexican holiday, yet it is MORE widely celebrated in the U.S. than in Mexico? Interesting. That is something I didn't know.

Ok, so let me cut to the chase. Cinco de Mayo is the celebration/remembrance of the day Mexico won the Battle of Puebla (in Puebla, Mx) against the French back in 1862. Basically, the French tried to take hold of Mexico and the Mexicans said "no way, José..." or... well... whatever. There was a battle. Mexico won. Result: Cinco de Mayo.

Now why, you might ask, does America care about the outcome of the little battle of Puebla? Answer: it doesn't. In 2005 a resolution was passed to observe Cinco de Mayo as a way of celebrating Mexican-American heritage, just as St. Patty's day is a way of celebrating Irish heritage (whether you knew that or not). And there you have it. It really doesn't matter what Cinco de Mayo originally meant, in America it is celebrated for completely new reasons.

On a side note, isn't it odd how all the holidays "adopted" by Americans have primarily to do with drinking beer? I cite as examples Cinco de Mayo, St. Patty's, Oktoberfest...

Introducing "Dumb things people say on the radio"

Hello all. It has been a while since I've ventured to write anything... probably because there isn't much in my life to share these days. Well that's not entirely true either... A lot has changed since my last post (it was over two months ago after all), but I'll leave that update for another day. Today I have something more pressing to share and which I hope will lead to many a new amusing post for all of you to read. Since at the moment I seem to have quite a bit of downtime at work, I have decided to keep my mind sharp by starting a new series of posts, if you will, entitled: "Dumb things people say on the radio." I could instead continue to mindlessly read cellulite elimination tips on MSN or to privately ridicule celebrity's choices for baby names (which warrants a posting all to itself) but I get no satisfaction from keeping these things to myself and all it would only lead to a major vent session anyway. So let's call this my "outlet" for the steam that builds up in my head each day as I read or hear something that makes me wonder as to the intelligence of a whole nation of people.

So first off, is a little background information to put us on the same page. What in the world would make me want to write such a "series?" The short answer is: People who speak and think later. The long answer is: Morning after morning as I'm deciding on which outfit to wear that day or as I'm carefully putting on my makeup in the bathroom mirror, I am amazed at the stupid things I hear on the radio. I'm not talking about adverts, but rather about the things people choose to say out loud on the radio.

It all started one bright, sunny spring morning after I had just moved to Greensboro, North Carolina (I never listened to morning radio in California). The night before I had randomly chosen a radio station to use as an alarm and which I would keep on during the hour or so that it took me to get ready and eat breakfast. Although I can no longer recall which radio station it was, I do very clearly remember the idiotic remark which quite literally left me speechless. (As to the factuality of the story, I have not researched it, but the following is what was said.)

The morning hosts were commenting on gold being found by Canadians in the mountains of North Carolina (again, I have not checked the validity of this story). Then, as if it were the most factual statement of all time, the guy says: "We should make a law: You have to speak English to dig for gold in North Carolina." Ummm... what?!? My sentiments exactly. To make sure I wasn't out-of-the-loop on this one I quickly checked the CIA World Factbook statistics. Yep, his stupidity was confirmed: almost 60% of the Canadian population speaks English as their native language. Compared to only 22% that speaks French and the rest "other." Sure, it might be a lesser percentage than Americans who speak English but it sure as hell is a larger percentage than foreigners from just about any other country who might choose to try their luck in the Tar Heel mountains. Saying that about Canada would be like saying it about England or Australia for that matter, also once a British colony. I would have forgiven the comment if it were made about our neighbours to the south (although then there would probably have been a public outcry as to political correctness of the statement), but the Canadians? Had he ever actually MET a Canadian? I immediately thought about calling into the program and setting the idiot straight, but when you need them to offer their number, of course they never do. I am sure, though, that if he took two seconds to think about what he was about to say, he never would have said it.

People who say dumb things publicly should be publicly ridiculed, that's my stand, and for that very reason I'm starting this series. I have a couple other past estupideces (as the Spanish word so wonderfully describes it) to post before I catch up to the present, so expect more soon. I encourage all of you to comment and share your own I-can't-believe-he-just-said-that-out-loud moments. Cheers!