Somehow I managed to make my way on to one of my employees' personal email distribution list. I'm baffled as to how this occurred, because I am no closer to this employee than I am to any others (read: not at all) and while we engage in the periodic business-related exchanges, we are certainly not pals. I don't know him very well, but since his car is garishly decorated with Confederate flags, Bush/Cheney stickers, and a large bumpersticker that reads "American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God," I think it's safe to assume that we share very little common ground from an ideological standpoint. But for whatever reason he includes me whenever he sends out his flurry of emails. This is fine, because I can hit the delete button with minimal effort and lightning speed. And this skill comes in handy when I receive his instructions to boycott gasoline purchases on the second Wednesday of the month so that we proud Americans can send loud and clear messages of protest to the large oil companies regarding the outrageous price of gasoline. Aw, yeah! Well played, chief! Don't buy gas on Wednesday! Send the message to Big Oil that we consumers are in control, and we can totally wreck you if we decide to! Never mind the fact that if no one buys gas on Wednesday they'll just buy it on Thursday, and presumably buy more of it while they're at it. Hell yeah! Way to stick it to The Man!
This morning when I saw an email in my inbox from this employee titled "BOYCOTT!" I cringed and prepared myself for the onslaught of stupid. I was not disappointed. I was urged to boycott the use of the new dollar coins because they no longer include the words "In God We Trust." First of all, it's yet another in a long line of urban legends. (Apparently there were a very small number of these coins minted without the phrase, but it was due to an error of some sort, not a deliberate omission.) But the email really got me thinking. Yeah, you heard me. I was thinking. And this is where the serious question comes in:
Even if that phrase were omitted from a coin, why is it such a big deal? I ask this for two reasons:
1) While I am certainly no Biblical scholar, I have enough knowledge of the good book to know that The Almighty doesn't appear to be a huge fan of the dinero. Poverty is celebrated in the Bible. There's the whole thing about how it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven, and let's not forget how Jesus started whaling on those dudes changing money outside of the temple. (I'm not suggesting Jesus administered a beatdown. This is for literary effect. Don't email me!) For a deity that, by every account I've heard, is somewhat skeptical if not downright disdainful of wealth, it seems odd to me that people would be so determined to inextricably link the two.
and,
B) A coin? Really? Really? Is the verbiage really that important? Because I say, who gives a crap? I'm not trying to be flip here, but I truly cannot understand why people get so invested in what's printed on currency or minted on coins. Judging by the number of times this email had been forwarded and the multitude of exclamation points contained within the comments pleading people to refuse these coins, this is an issue that resonates deeply with some people. But for the life of me I can't figure out why. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have a dog in this fight, because I don't give a shit what's on my money. It could have a picture of Daffy Duck on it. I only need to know one thing: Can I trade it for cigarettes and vodka? If so, I'm happy.
I am honestly confused by this. I really don't get it. Feel free to insert [joke about stupid] here.
This morning when I saw an email in my inbox from this employee titled "BOYCOTT!" I cringed and prepared myself for the onslaught of stupid. I was not disappointed. I was urged to boycott the use of the new dollar coins because they no longer include the words "In God We Trust." First of all, it's yet another in a long line of urban legends. (Apparently there were a very small number of these coins minted without the phrase, but it was due to an error of some sort, not a deliberate omission.) But the email really got me thinking. Yeah, you heard me. I was thinking. And this is where the serious question comes in:
Even if that phrase were omitted from a coin, why is it such a big deal? I ask this for two reasons:
1) While I am certainly no Biblical scholar, I have enough knowledge of the good book to know that The Almighty doesn't appear to be a huge fan of the dinero. Poverty is celebrated in the Bible. There's the whole thing about how it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven, and let's not forget how Jesus started whaling on those dudes changing money outside of the temple. (I'm not suggesting Jesus administered a beatdown. This is for literary effect. Don't email me!) For a deity that, by every account I've heard, is somewhat skeptical if not downright disdainful of wealth, it seems odd to me that people would be so determined to inextricably link the two.
and,
B) A coin? Really? Really? Is the verbiage really that important? Because I say, who gives a crap? I'm not trying to be flip here, but I truly cannot understand why people get so invested in what's printed on currency or minted on coins. Judging by the number of times this email had been forwarded and the multitude of exclamation points contained within the comments pleading people to refuse these coins, this is an issue that resonates deeply with some people. But for the life of me I can't figure out why. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have a dog in this fight, because I don't give a shit what's on my money. It could have a picture of Daffy Duck on it. I only need to know one thing: Can I trade it for cigarettes and vodka? If so, I'm happy.
I am honestly confused by this. I really don't get it. Feel free to insert [joke about stupid] here.
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