I’d like to respond to a piece by Mr. J. Aden Lewis that I saw on the opinion page in the Dec. 3 issue of the Sentinel. In the piece, Mr. Lewis describes his observations of the recent Metuchen Winter Festival Parade and his concern, in particular, about the title of the young lady who was Miss Merry Christmas this year.
In short, his opinion was that the very title itself excludes some portion of the female population of Metuchen by its non-secular nature. While I agree that this is very likely true, I cannot agree with Mr. Lewis’ solution to the problem. Like many folks these days, he would change the name to something with a secular connotation, e.g., Winter Princess or the Metuchen Snow Queen. I disagree.
I think that the way to celebrate the diverse nature of modern Metuchen is to add to the parade, not take away from it; i.e., get a bigger car. If there are other legitimate groups, religious or otherwise, who would like to have a member of its organization participate, then make it possible for them to do so. By adding new symbols instead of renaming or removing Miss Merry Christmas, let’s show visitors and even ourselves that like America itself, our diversity is our strength. Thanks!
Bill Vick
Metuchen