That’s me (or who I aspire to be) right there!
“I didn’t expect you to be interested. I’ll just be standing over here in the corner in case you decide you like truth and goodness.”
@tripu I knew you would like that character 😆 scientifically engineering public holidays based on the optimal number of yearly breaks for an average number of hours/week and an average amount of stress/hour. Sounds like a dystopia!
😆
Well, I was talking in general there (cold utility calculations, cost/benefit analyses, redesigning traditions, etc).
But wrt fesitivies you forgot the most important point there: picking the best individuals/groups to honour! 😃
@tripu yeah, let's vote every 4 years to decide who we honour on each holiday... I'm sure that won't end up badly at all 😂
Who talked about voting?
I’d start by examining the convenience or the need for official #holidays and #festivities at the national level. I’m not saying I’m sure they’re pointless — I’m just saying it’s not obvious they’re good or necessary as they exist now.
Why stop a whole nation in specific dates? Why not leave that entirely at the discretion of other levels of government (eg regional, local, schools, companies, labour unions, even families and individuals)? There are advantages to not having everyone take time off, buy compulsively, halt important services, congest the roads, etc all at the same time.
The State/government staying out of the business of festivities and letting those groups design their own set of n yearly holidays instead would annul many Culture Wars (“shut up and pick your own, or negotiate your preferences with your employer/town/union”). It would better accommodate personal preferences and needs (caregivers, large families, childless couples, young, old, healthy, sick — they may prefer different weekdays or seasons, different religious dates, different historical figures to honour).
OTOH, shared festivities allow for better, bigger events (economies of scale), probably contribute to integrating immigrants and in general to build a sense of belonging and unity (aside: is that working? is that even good?), and allow institutions and businesses to plan ahead for safety etc.
Many arguments and counterarguments there, for sure.
