Oh, it's not that I don't like St. Patrick's Day. I remember it fondly from school days. We made shamrocks, sang some Irish songs in music class, learned to jig, read legends about leprechauns and stories about real life in Ireland. We were mostly kids of Italian descent, and it was a fun day where you wore green and learned about someone else's ethnic heritage.
Now it seems to exist mostly as an excuse to get drunk. Did we need another holiday for this? New Year's Eve has certainly held the title for years. Then came St. Patrick's Day in hot pursuit, and now Cinco de Mayo is vying for the lead as another day where you slurp down as many margaritas as you can. Let's not even talk about the Super Bowl, which apparently is now an unofficial American holiday, and one where you stock up on too-numerous-to-count six-packs of beer.
I'm not the only one who thinks so, per this report on NPR this morning: Shamrocks and Stereotypes.
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