"Special"

Hmmm...the word "special" has changed SO much over the last....decade or so, that I think it's about time to talk about it.  I can remember when I was a kid and my Mom would talk about a "special" occasion.  It was usually someone's birthday, or a holiday, or just some day that was out of the ordinary.  It was the appropriate word, and indicated that something "good" was going to take place.  For "ME" it was not only the...certain chance for a meal that was out of the ordinary, but also a chance to dress up!  Yeah, yeah....I know, I was the only little kid that liked to dress up...RED FLAG...believe me....times have changed (not the RED FLAG characteristics, just that I don't like to dress up).  Any way, a special occasion was just that.....special.  NOW-A-DAYS the word "special" is either used; A.) In a derogatory way,  B.) As a way to be politically correct or C.) As a down right LIE!!!  In the late 80's and early 90's, Saturday Night Live had a character (played by Dana Carvey) called the Church Lady.  The character, Enid Strict, was a holier-than-thou Christian that when hearing something that she thought was off color or inappropriate would say her popular catchphrase "Well isn't that SPE-CIAL?!?"  It was the equivalent of saying, "Wow...how nice...you should be SO proud of yourself."  So just an overall derogatory way of now using the word.  Quite a departure from the "special" occasion that I used to get so excited about!  So then there were knock offs of "special" and the word started morphing to mean yet still OTHER things.  Picture it...an uptight, prude woman referring to a child with Autism.  She couldn't just be a human and say that the child is Autistic....instead, she has to say....in a hush voice....she's "special."  Really.  Well I know several parents that have children with Autism, and it's not "special."  It's a very frustrating disease that we really don't even know the origin!  I have NEVER heard them refer to it as "special."  In my mind, "special" is something that you want!  I don't really think that anyone WANTS to be Autistic.  And the whole hush part.  Why is it that when people need to say something bad, they have to whisper it?  Take for instance...."she has cancer."  OK people, saying it quietly does not make it better or go away.  A fact is a fact....just say it.  Another one... COMPLETELY unrelated to what we are talking about (surprised?)....Mexican.  The other day I was talking to someone and they said that the person in question was Latin American.  I shook my head, agreeingly and said, "Oh, where are they from?"  The person talking to me said, "Mexico City."  So "I" said, "Well then they're not Latin American, they're Mexican."  You would have thought that I had just called a black person the "N" word.  I was reprimanded and told that was not a nice thing to say.  I went on to tell them that being Mexican is NOT a bad thing....all it means it that the person is from Mexico.  Much like a Canadian person is from Canada (poor bastards...they can't help it....and be nice....my relatives are Canadian).  OK, sorry, but I told you that I was about to go off on a tangent so you cannot say that you weren't forewarned.  Now....in keeping with my shorter, quicker read blogs....my last deviation from the true meaning of the word "special" is when it is just a down right lie!  Take restaurants, for example.  It's one of those things that makes me go "hmmmmm" (one of many these days), but it always concerns me when you go into a restaurant and the waiter (server...whatever the politically correct term is today) comes up to the table and says, "We have a couple of "specials" today."  When they read them off....they don't usually sound too "special".....which makes me come to the ultimate conclusion that these "so called" "specials" are not "special" at all, but rather about to go bad quick and they need to move them.  Funny how a lamb chop (VOMIT) can be $35 for the entree one night and several nights later they are on "special" for $20.  So, who over bought lamb chops and what happens if they don't sell?  It also makes me wonder when this same "server" comes up to the table and just pushes the hell out of something.  If you know me....I think that all 37 of you (and some creepers) do, I am forced to ask the "server", "Is there some kind of bonus for the person that sells the most of these "specials" tonight?"  They always look at you and laugh it off....and then walk away from the table saying to themselves, "Hmmmm...I guess I was a bit obvious....I need to smooth that out a bit."  So, short and sweet and to the point, those are just a few of my current deviations on the word "special."  Depending on your age, you may or may not still use the word, and if you do, I'm sure that it has a MUCH different meaning from person to person.  So please....DON'T use "special" as derogatory....if you don't think it's "special" just say what you think it is!  DON'T use "special" to be politically correct...because it's NOT, it's really just offensive that you minimize something that is probably not "special" at all.  And most of all DON'T ORDER the special....I promise it's just old meat that's about to go bad!!!  Thank you for reading today.  You are all very "special" to me.  (you can decide WHICH "special" that was!)  XOXO!