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In a news release redolent of Orwellian Newspeak, Santa Fe canceled its annual “Easter Event.”
In the service of greater public understanding, we attempt here to parse the cancellation statement, starting with “Easter Event.” Surely this must mean the annual Easter Egg Hunt, traditionally held at a city park the Saturday before Easter.
The news release explains that this year’s egg hunt — which would have been the 25th annual — has been canceled because the city “intends to re-focus priorities toward family-friendly healthy lifestyle initiatives that are affordable for all Santa Feans.”
That’s a mouthful, and it may simply be “duckspeak,” the Orwellian term for meaningless quacking by public officials.
“Re-focus priorities” usually means to stop doing one thing and start doing another. OK, we get that the city is stopping the egg hunt. What’s it going to do instead? Organize “initiatives” that are “family-friendly.” It’s hard to imagine a more family-friendly event than the egg hunt, which draws as many as 1,000 kids.
Hard to imagine, too, an event more “affordable for all Santa Feans.” The egg hunt was, after all, free.
The egg hunt might not have been, however, a “healthy lifestyle initiative,” as it involved candy.
But in recent years, it has also involved “jump tents” and a veritable carnival of other activities. And that’s in addition to all the running around required in the search for hidden goodies. Kids being kids, we’d bet the egg hunt participants get plenty of exercise.
Never mind. The Recreation Department has a “new vision” now, which “along with the economic downturn,” means curtains for the egg hunt.
Interim Recreation Department Director Martin Lujan said the city has decided the money for the egg hunt would be better spent on a BMX competition.
Let’s compare. The egg hunt is free and can draw 1,000 egg hunters — plus families — to a grassy city park. A BMX competition is dangerous and requires skill, thus is probably limited to older kids, and only kids with a certain type of bicycle. Is it free?
Our interpretation: This time, Santa Fe’s Recreation Department has really laid an egg.
This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by editorial page staff and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
