For example, Memorial Day is now seen as a big barbeque weekend. The official "kick-off" of the summer season. The vast majority of Americans do absolutely nothing to honor the war dead. To them, it's a three-day weekend. Ditto for Labor Day, which for most, is simply the other bookend to the "summer season".
In between, you have Independence Day, more commonly referred to generically as "4th of July" and again, very little actual observing of our Declaration of Independence going on here. It's another long weekend to cook on the backyard grill, go to the beaches and maybe take in some fireworks at night.
Need I go on? Flag Day has pretty much disappeared. Washington's Birthday and Lincoln's Birthday have been combined into a meaningless "President's Day" which has been co-opted by the automotive industry in order that they can push last year's model cars off their lots by holding blowout sales at their dealerships with balloons, popcorn and other such nonsense.
We do "observe" Martin Luther King's birthday - no signs of that morphing into a generic "Famous Black Dude Day" anytime soon. But seriously, does anybody not working for the government get that day off?
You know what, I give up. Why don't we just do this: Do away with all holidays and just designate a three-day weekend once a month so we can have our barbeques, our car sales, our day at the beach, and whatnot, without having to worry about what it is we are actually supposed to be observing.
It had already begun but intensified with Santy Claus, Xmas,
Easter bunnies, egg hunts, etc.
National holidays became “long weekends” and big fireworks shows according to the smiling faces on TV who had something timely to say which was all scripted. Our holidays, most on Mondays, became escapes from having to report to work and excuses to go out of town and spend money.
Fill-in reporters, TV anchors and DJs, weather talkers, and recent graduatess auditioning on-air for those broadcast jobs had no idea what America was all about but could talk on and on about Mother Nature this and Mother Nature that.
Eventually, America got fouled up during my generation. Which is why I feel responsible to clean up the mess we made. Easier said than done, unfortunately. But, FR is a place to start.
Just adding a little to what you posted.
I hear you.
I am happy to say, though, that Flag Day, June 14, is not forgotten in Baltimore at Ft. McHenry, the location of the battle that inspired Key to write the “Star Spangled Banner”.