Seems that a South Carolina Publix supermarket bakery clerk believes that "Summa Cum Laude" is obscene rather than a phrase honoring a great achievement by a graduating student.
Believe it or not this happened and a young man's mom is really ticked off because when she ordered a special cake online for her son, Publix decorated her cake by using three dashes to replace the word "Cum".
The kid had graduated from his home school program with a 4.79 grade point average earning Summa Cum Laude honors. But when the mom's friend went to pickup the cake...well you can see for yourself what she got.
In case the people at Publix don't know it, the term "Summa Cum Laude" is a Latin phrase that means "with highest honor." Guess that doesn't say much for the educational level of the people who work there.
I know South Carolina is in the Bible Belt and, as I have discovered since moving here, the espousing of religious beliefs (largely conservative and Protestant) is everywhere. Billboards promoting Bible verses are common along Palmetto State highways. There's even a tiny roadside chapel not far from my house on Highway 501 for people to stop off and pray if they feel the need.
But to think that somehow the word "Cum" in the term "Summa Cum Laude" is obscene either indicates that the person who made that decision is incredibly stupid, or his or her mind is firmly planted in the gutter.
I think that person ought to stop at that little chapel and pray about that.
Now, the kid's mom has to go home and explain to her children what other connotation there might be to the word "Cum." That's got to be uncomfortable, to say the least.
In fairness, I did not check the veracity of this story -- so maybe it's not really true. But if not, where did the pic of the cake come from?
Pretty strong evidence of a misguided or totally stupid mind, if you ask me.
