Thinking about Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is not a real holiday, in that it was invented one day out of whole cloth. (side note: it’s a day for pacifists–originally a political holiday invented by someone who today would be considered almost unpatriotic by some).
But the current story is close to perfect. It matches the worldview of moms (who rightfully believe that they deserve a little credit) and of families (who feel at least a little guilty.) It was a story that was easy to share, easy to spread and completely viral in nature.
Hallmark, restaurants and others have managed to tell this story over and over again, building a multi-billion industry around a simple idea.
This is an important lesson because it shows how the right story, a story that fits an archetype, can run and grow so fast. The Mother’s Day story was a story most of our grandparents already "knew" and "believed" even though they hadn’t heard it before.
My mom, who I miss every single day, didn’t like Mother’s Day at all. She was in the minority, but she felt manipulated by the commercial system and the expectations of everyone who benefitted from the holiday. I bet, though, that she would have liked these mugs: davistudio: Modern Table Art.