When Dennis, our son, married Celeste, he told us that she came without a filter. That meant that almost always what was in her brain came out of her mouth. Anyone who knows Celeste has declared that to be one of her most endearing traits. People say “you know where you stand with her at all times.”

When they lived two blocks away from us and attended a young couples’ Bible study, her friends remarked one night when only she could attend, that they had Celeste “uncensored” because Dennis wasn’t there to provide her filter. What fun they had that night! You see, Dennis told us his job was to provide a filter for her thoughts and the longer they were married the finer his filter screen became.

Now if you take all this to mean Celeste is not too smart, that would be a mistake of colossal proportions because her mind is as quick as a cat on a cricket…it is just unfiltered and that’s not bad.

I even want to suggest that we as a society need to emulate her because our screen has become so fine that things needing to be said are piling up and can’t get through the filter. We have become a nation walking around with our feelings out our sleeves, just waiting to be hurt or offended. Take the season just past: the Christmas season.

First, someone got the itch that he was offended if he didn’t believe in Christ and didn’t want to be wished “Merry Christmas,” willy-nilly by everyone he met. That person persuaded the stores (seeing their first black ink of the season because of all the Christians buying gifts to celebrate said birthday) to change their greetings to “Happy Holidays.” Now the only ones to be offended were about 85 percent of the shoppers out spending money. A poor trade, I would think, but nevertheless it was done.

There was just about a knock down and drag out fight if a poor sales clerk, befuddled by all the fuss on how to close a bargain with a shopper wished a Christian “Happy Holidays.” That offended believer would answer with a self righteous tone, “Merry Christmas.” He probably even had a bumper sticker that proclaimed “It’s Christmas Stupid” or something equally kind. You can see the problem!

And that’s not all! There are a lot of people out there who are scared of a cross. At least it seems that way (can it be they are vampires?} because the mere sight of one on a road side — in the desert, in a tee shirt find themselves so mentally distressed they are driven to the nearest judge to seek relief from their anguish. Frankly, I think we all need a looser filter — one that doesn’t jam up with all those hurt feelings trying to fall through. Just go to the next size up. Most likely no lasting damage would be done and we could all be a little more like Celeste: an open book.

If we could only say what needs to be said I know of one very talented young woman who lost a great promotion because her bosses were unable to speak frankly with her about the certain “flaire” with which she dressed. She worked in a luxury environment where the clientele all dressed in scandalously expensive clothes, expected their every whim to be catered to and they paid for it by George! This unfortunate girl did not understand that she had to dress for the part to act on that stage.

Being unable to discuss “style” with the hapless girl because of draconian political correctness, she was passed over in favor of an employee who wasn’t as capable but who understood the dress code. There was that darn filter, and it is imposed by the correctness police who are stalking our nation waiting for someone to speak in plain language what everybody is thinking.
I wrote that Celeste be put in charge or we change our filter. At least if the Emperor had on no clothes, we could tell him and save him the embarrassment.

PATRICIA HALL, the publisher's wife