Monday Holidays 2021

You may as well say, there he goes again. It's time a for regular rant of mine about the Monday Holiday law.

Today is Martin Luther King Day, and that's fine. If anyone deserves a holiday it's the icon of the Civil Rights movement. But for those of you who don't know, I never liked moving holidays to Mondays. I get the reason for it: three day weekends. I don't doubt that makes things like business scheduling easier or that it gives people the opportunity to plan for longer breaks. Yet I can't help but believe that such mundane and arguably selfish concerns distract from the real point of honoring someone or something.

If we are supposed to remember and honor Dr. King why aren't we remembering and honoring him on a day which would have meant something to him? Why does his holiday get moved around to suit our purposes? I would argue that it smacks of nonchalance, of dishonor.  However so subtly we're putting our business and/or personal lives ahead actually honoring a man, woman, concept, or event.

Now while I'm sure Dr. King or President Washington would likely, in their modesty, themselves argue they are underserving of such laurels I believe that if we're going to look past that (as we should, with all respect) then let's at least honor them on a day of import to them. It doesn't even have to be a birthday, birthdays after all being somewhat benign compared to what a man or woman actually achieved in life. It could be to commemorate I Have a Dream Speech or a Washington's elevation to Commander of the Continental Army or any number of things. But pick a day which would be important to what they stood for and stick with it.

Or at least stick with their actual birthdays. Monday Holidays detract rather than uplift the person or place or event they purport to recall.