Friday, May 10, 2013

Taking Mom to Hooters

Sunday, you know is Mother's Day in the United States of America.
 
Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908. Mother's Day in its present format that is. The celebration of mothers, motherhood, maternity, and the influence of mothers in society is centuries old, as in the Roman festival of Hilaria or the Christian holiday Mothering Sunday.
 
No, American Mother's Day is held on the first Sunday in May, and founded by a movement inspired by the dead mother of Anna Jarvis. The day took a turn for the worse as commercialization took it away from its grassroots beginnings and everyone started to make money out of the day. Anna Jarvis was not happy with that turn of events, but what can you expect? The only holiday that has not been commercialized is Ascension Day.
 
Like Hooters. You know, Hooters, the restaurant that sports a man-cave décor and features waitresses, er, servers dressed in tight fitting T-shirts and short shorts. Hooters is advertising a sales promotion for Mother's Day. If a mother goes to eat at a Hooters on Mother's Day, and buys a drink, Hooters will pay up to 10 smackers for her meal. One caveat: at least one of her progeny must also come and eat.
 
No really.
 
Hooters is not really known as a family restaurant. Not really very well known for its haut cuisine. There are actually only two things that it is known for, both the left and right ones.
 
It is more likely that fathers will enjoy themselves more at Hooters than mothers.
 
So I guess this is yet another attempt at gross commercialization and expanding a clientele that up to now has been male-dominated. I wonder what Anna Jarvis would think of this development? Adding the hooters of Hooters to the list of things to honor motherhood?  
 
Here in America we over-commercialize every holiday - except maybe Ascension Day. So far Ascension Day is safely non-commercialized and we haven't figured out a way to make yet another million dollars on that holiday.  
 
Not yet, anyway.

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