By Steve Woodward
On this date 79 years ago Joe Biden was a toddler and, across the Atlantic Ocean, the defining U.S.-led offensive of World War II roared to life along the French coast near Normandy.
It is an anniversary during which every American can attempt to remember our country when citizens were proud of our military servicemen, when we knew who the bad guys were and when we believed in our exceptionalism.
In today’s poisoned culture D-day is not the focus as June begins. Corporations, politicians, educators and the media instead are fixated on B-gay. Many Americans no longer care if our military is equipped to defend freedom but they’ll suck the oxygen out of the air lamenting whether it is adequately woke.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s pride month across America and there’s no escaping the rainbows and unicorns. Crack open a cold Bud Light, sit back and witness our crumbling culture.
Pandering over profit is visible as far as the eye can see. Anheuser-Busch (where pride month came early this year). Target. Kohl’s. Barnes & Noble. Reebok. H&M (clothing retailer). Sony PlayStation. Levi Strauss. Converse. Absolut Vodka. Lego. Ralph Lauren.
When visiting our neighborhood Harris Teeter, we encountered pride bouquets in the floral department, and pride salutes affixed to shelving price tabs for selected Proctor & Gamble products. At Sunrise Theater, put down $10 to see a pride-centric film every Thursday in June. All ages are welcome. This week: Beautiful Thing, a love story starring two gay adolescents.
Actually, it feels more like prod month, one continuous poke in the ribs.
Even the networks can’t help themselves. CBS Sports’ PGA golf broadcast of The Memorial tournament last weekend is a case in point. CBS forced broadcasting legend Jim Nantz to salute the “strength and resilience of the LGBTQ community” during its live coverage. Memo to CBS execs: Who do think watches pro golf on TV? Of all the sports on the calendar, golf by miles is the straightest. Straight guys with hot wives.
We can be thankful that the pride brigades decided to hijack June for their festivities. Most of the kids are out of school by now. Can you imagine how some of our most woke teachers would seize the moment? That’s why organizations like GLSEN rolled out its pride educator’s tool kit to help teachers make students “feel safer and more affirmed.” What atrocities befall them in prior months. That never comes up. Most likely, none.
A random Google search landed us on the Durham (N.C.) Public Schools’ website home page, which features a full-screen pride flag. Perhaps Durham educators should take a moment to review the Department of Public Instruction’s most recent school performance grades. There are at last count 40 schools rated C, D, or F. By far the dubious tally finds most are D-rated (24) or F-rated (four). If making complete idiots out of your compassion filled kids is your goal, Durham schools are the ones for you.
We deceive ourselves if we try to explain away the pride movement as a harmless, passing trend. Compassion is the default mode for most Americans, at least those of a certain age. Because the tenets of LBGTQ pride are so heavily focused on children and young adults, it is apparent that the propagators of pride-ism desire fostering coming generations devoid of moral or spiritual cores. God, if there is one, is a flawed creator, they infer.
The boys who stormed the beaches 79 years ago fought and died to crush Germany’s evil regime. The ones who came home went to work building an economic superpower, raised their families and worshipped God. They never once complained that there were no safe or affirming spaces to be found on the blood soaked sand.
For their memory and legacies, we rightly burst with pride.