WWJD?

Easter is over a month away, but of course the shelves of our local variety store are stuffed with Easter candy, Easter cards, Easter toys, Easter baskets, Easter dishes, decorations, dreck. Good Pagan that I am, I don't celebrate Easter. Sometimes I acknowledge the original holiday, Eastre, which celebrates the vernal equinox, spring, the awakening of plants and the birth of many animals. In other words, like the Christian celebration, LIFE. Hence, eggs as one of the symbols of modern (and ancient) Easter/ Eastre.

So could someone please explain to me why it would be appropriate in anyone's mind to give an Easter basket to a child that is filled with war toys? This one has several combat planes, a camouflage hat, pilot "shades," and the ubiquitous candy. It's for ages 5 and up. Didn't Jesus represent peace and love and kindness? Don't you think he'd roll over in his tomb if he knew his resurrection holy day was being celebrated by children playing with war toys, pretending to bomb and kill and destroy?

Granted, these companies have toned it down a bit over the years. They used to sell Easter baskets with all sorts of toy weapons - guns, knives, hand grenades - a real GI Joe sort of package. Maybe they still do in other regions, but those don't go over too well in Portland.

I was involved for a number of years in a women's peace group called Code Pink. One of our favorite stealth actions was to go into a Walmart (the ONLY time I've set foot in one!) armed with stickers that said things like: "Violent Toys Make Violent Boys" and "War Toys Are Not Appropriate For Young Children" and "War is Not Healthy for Children and Other Living Things." We'd find the toy aisles and put stickers on as many of the violent toys we could find. It was quite a rush. I like to think we caused some mom or dad or grandma to think twice about buying that toy tank for their kid.

This doesn't even get to the issue of all the plastic crap that flies off the shelves around all the holidays. I find that appalling too. Of course, the toys are made in China, often by children the ages of those who will be playing with them briefly before they tire of them or break them and throw them away. The resources involved, the pollution it causes - and does it really bring joy to the recipient? Besides the sugar high?.

And I dreamed I saw the bomber
Riding shotgun in the sky
Turning into butterflies above our nation
---Joni Mitchell

More about the history of Easter.

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