6 I OPINION I December <strong>12</strong>, 20<strong>18</strong> WEST NEWSMAGAZINE @WESTNEWSMAG WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM EDITORIAL Oh, we need a little perspective – right this very minute “We need a little Christmas” – no doubt, you’ve heard that particular Christmas tune made famous in the musical “Mame.” Perhaps you recall that its final stanza declares that we, all of us, “Need a little laughter • Need a little singing • Ringing through the rafter • And we need a little snappy ‘Happy ever after’ • Need a little Christmas now.” Yes, we need a little laughter. How else are we going to get through the absurdity of the flurry of accusations being launched against holiday songs and television specials this year – songs and specials, we believe were created without malice. For a bit of perspective, let’s consider what mainstream America thinks is OK for radio, television and movie screens outside of the Christmas season. Rap music for instance. In recent years, rap has become less violent and less sexual. We acknowledge that fact, but there’s still plenty of questionable and downright offensive rap music on airwaves today. And it was written to be sexual and violent. “Baby, it’s cold outside” was not. Composer and lyricist Frank Loesser wrote the song at a time [1944] when married couples on television and in movies were still not allowed to be shown sleeping in the same bed. Yes, the song is flirty, suggestive and depending on its depiction can be interpreted as one person pushing their will on another. But let’s look deeper. In the movie “Neptune’s Daughter,” in which two versions of the song aired – one with a male protagonist and one with a female protagonist, no one ends up in anyway else’s bed. There’s not so much as a kiss between them. Oh yes, as the song says, there’s “plenty implied.” But the implications are left up to the listener. Watch an episode of “The Big Bang Theory,” which for <strong>12</strong> years has been happily running on CBS in the 7 p.m. time slot [read “before the kids are asleep”] and then tell us if any of the sexual content of this show is simply implied. We think not. And yet, the show and its cast has won a handful of Emmys, public affirmation that they’re doing it right. Some will argue that you can choose not to watch a show like that. Yes, you can. Just as you can choose to change the station if a song comes on that you personally find offensive. But what about the rest of us? When a song is banned, the rest of us lose our right to choose. That’s a problem. What’s next? Is PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] going to demand that “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” be taken off the air because keeping a wild animal in a person’s home is unethical? Ridiculous? Maybe, but we live in rather ridiculous times – times in which a book like “Fifty Shades of Grey” can sell <strong>12</strong>5 million copies but “Baby, it’s cold outside, ” last year’s most popular Christmas song, is banned. We’re not insensitive to the feelings of people who have had another person’s will forced on them. We’re not insensitive to the effects of bullying [Yes, were making a case for “Rudolph” here.] We’re not ignoring the fact that people feel isolated when they are one in a roomful of many [Sorry, Franklin, but we don’t think Charles Schultz was being racist]. And we acknowledge the tremendous harm that can come from individuals or whole groups of people being persecuted. But we do think that a bit of perspective is necessary. Without it, we can find harm in everything. We can find hate where none exists. We can become a people that routinely look past the good rather than seeking it out. Charlie Brown and his friends sharing an impromptu Thanksgiving feast was a good thing regardless of where the characters sat. Santa learning to value and trust Rudolph despite his differences meant that all those “different” toys also landed in happy homes on Christmas morning. That’s a good thing. Kids watching Rudolph learn that it’s OK to be different – at least they did before adults decided that everything is harmful. There are real dangers in the world. We are wise to be aware of them. But we also need to use some perspective. If we begin to see everything and everyone as potentially dangerous, we will inadvertently begin to fear those we do not fully know or understand, people who may be different than us. And that’s not good for anyone. IN QUOTES “In a trade war the guns are pointed inward. No one wins.” – David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors “It was an experience you can’t forget.” – CBC coach Scott Pingel, on CBC’s back-to-back state championships FOLLOW US ON Rabbi Avi Rubenfeld [foreground] gets ready to lead the Car Menorah Parade out of Central Park on Monday, Dec. 3. <strong>West</strong> County EMS/FPD escorted Santa and Mrs. Claus throughout the fire district for some holiday meet-and-greets last week.
- Page 1 and 2: Vol. 23 No. 34 • December 12, 201
- Page 3 and 4: FACEBOOK.COM/WESTNEWSMAGAZINE WESTN
- Page 5: I 5 December 12, 2018 WEST NEWSMAGA
- Page 9: FACEBOOK.COM/WESTNEWSMAGAZINE WESTN
- Page 12 and 13: 12 I NEWS I December 12, 2018 WEST
- Page 14 and 15: 14 I December 12, 2018 WEST NEWSMAG
- Page 16 and 17: 16 I SCHOOLS I December 12, 2018 WE
- Page 18 and 19: 18 I SPORTS I December 12, 2018 WES
- Page 20 and 21: Happy Holidays! Business Shirts Lau
- Page 22 and 23: 22 I SPORTS I December 12, 2018 WES
- Page 24 and 25: 24 I HEALTH I December 12, 2018 WES
- Page 26 and 27: 26 I GIFT GUIDE I December 12, 2018
- Page 28 and 29: 28 I GIFT GUIDE I December 12, 2018
- Page 30 and 31: 30 I December 12, 2018 WEST NEWSMAG
- Page 32 and 33: 32 I December 12, 2018 WEST NEWSMAG
- Page 34 and 35: 34 I BUSINESS I December 12, 2018 W
- Page 36 and 37: 36 I December 12, 2018 WEST NEWSMAG
- Page 38 and 39: 38 I December 12, 2018 WEST NEWSMAG