So a couple days ago I was trying to remember if Thanksgiving was the fourth Thursday or the last Thursday. I had to google to be sure. I was talking about this to the woman who runs the coffee shop - she told me about a customer who was
convinced
that Thanksgiving was the last Thursday of the month - when he was told it was the fourth Thursday, he was convinced that "they" must have changed it recently, as (apparently) part of some capitalist conspiracy to add an extra week of Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving.
Ok....
when he was told it was the fourth Thursday, he was convinced that "they" must have changed it recently, as (apparently) part of some capitalist conspiracy to add an extra week of Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving.
Except for the "recently" part, that's more or less true.
Huh. When did that happen?
Before 1941, the date of Thanksgiving wasn't proscribed by law, it was set by the President. During the depression, Roosevelt changed the date from the last Thursday of the month to the second-to-last Thursday, so that there would be an extra week of Xmas shopping. Except that opponents of Roosevelt refused to support him, and celebrated it on the last Thursday anyway.
Finally, he compromised with Congress, and they passed a law setting it on the 4th Thursday of November.
Huh. In'eresting.
Maybe the guy who told that to the coffee lady was a time traveler. Or had just gotten back from some long journey traveling close to the speed of light.
Alf Landon, Roosevelt's Republican challenger in the 1936 election, called the declaration "another illustration of the confusion which [Roosevelt's] impulsiveness has caused so frequently during his administration. If the change has any merit at all, more time should have been taken working it out... instead of springing it upon an unprepared country with the omnipotence of a Hitler."
Wow. He actually Godwin'd FDR.
Article on Stephen Colbert: [link]
He actually Godwin'd FDR.
In fairness, he was probably the first one. Seeing as Godwin hadn't even been born yet....
