It stands to reason that big-box retail establishments like Walmart or Target should be places where families feel comfortable taking their kids. All year around, that is. But there's a problem, and it stems from a phenomenon that one sees in social issues.

Every social controversy - civil rights, same-sex marriage, you name it - starts with some legitimate grievances. But the problem is that there is a lot of money in social activism, and plenty of the more vocal advocates end up as minor-league celebrities, and so when the movement achieves their goal, they can't just fold up their tents and go back to their regular lives. No, the movement has to keep going so the graft can be kept up, and that requires the issue to become more and more ridiculous, and the request for acceptance becomes demands for approval and then for celebration until the whole thing descends into absurdity.