Thursday, December 08, 2005

Enough with this "War on Christmas" bullshit

So today I managed to get myself pulled into this "War on Christmas" debate. This has to be the absolute most ridiculous shit I've ever come across. (And believe me, I've seen some ridiculous shit in my day. I'm talking people getting in suitcases and tumbling down a flight of stairs for fun here, haha.) Anyway, I responded to an article called "Why the World Rejects 'Christmas'" with the following:

It isn't about rejecting Christmas or its religious connotations, it's about accepting and including those who don't celebrate Christmas but do happen to celebrate some sort of major holiday, (whether religious or secular, whether they call it Chritmas, Hanukkah, Solstice or whatever), around the same time that Christians celebrate Christmas. Is that really so hard to understand?

So someone (I have no idea if it was the original author or not, as the website gives no names) decided to respond:

No, it is NOT difficult to understand. We Christians have been sharing Christmas with those who do not share our beliefs for centuries. We have been most tolerate and understanding. It is the other side who insists that "MERRY CHRISTMAS" cannot be uttered in the public square any longer. It is the "other side" who insist on being intolerate! We have not told anyone they cannot say "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings." Many Christians have even adopted (unfortunately) the story of Santa Claus and allowed him into their homes. No, we have been tolerate and accomadating. But enough is enough. No more Christian bashing from you secularist! Please! And MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A fairly incoherent argument to be sure, bearing no real relevance to the original article (aside from the mention of Christians embracing Santa Claus, which I frankly don't give a shit about, that's their problem, not mine) or to my comment. The point of the article is that "Jesus is why we celebrate Christmas!" My point, of course, is that not everyone celebrates Christmas. So here's my reply to this person, (which they apparently haven't posted yet):

First of all, how exactly am I bashing Christians? I never said a single negative word towards Christians in my post. As a matter of fact, while I may be a secularist (which you seem to be using as a pejorative, so you might want to be careful when talking about bashing people), I strongly believe in respecting ALL religions, including Christianity (as I was raised in a very Christian environment).

No one is saying that "Merry Christmas" can't be uttered. Saying "Merry Christmas" to someone that actually celebrates Christmas is absolutely fine. However, you can't just disregard that there are other holidays being celebrated. Saying "Merry Christmas" to someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas is a mild faux at best, and if you insist on saying it to everyone whether or not they celebrate it, that is just downright ignorant. Now how might one extend a greeting over a holiday season without actually knowing what particular holiday the other person celebrates? "Happy holidays!" How about a large crowd of people who, while some might celebrate Christmas, others might not? Rather than potentially excluding some by specifying a holiday, (how would you feel if it was insisted that they only acknowledge, for the sake of argument, Kwanzaa, to the exclusion of everything, including Christmas?), saying "Happy holidays" includes everyone.

Then, if you take into account that people who celebrate Christmas might also be celebrating the New Year holiday, and you might have Canadians or Britons who also celebrate Boxing Day, it's pretty logical to use "happy holidays" in such a context as well, rather than saying something as long-winded as "Merry Christmas and a happy New Year (and if you're Canadian or from the UK, happy Boxing Day)."

As a matter of fact, I happen to celebrate Christmas (like I said, I was raised in a very Christian environment), so Merry Christmas to you, too. And happy holidays to anyone reading this who celebrate other holidays.

All of this "War on Christmas" crap is just indicative of a nasty persecution complex and really has no basis in reality. These conservative Christians, (it's only the conservatives, I know a number of liberal Christians who think this is all ridiculous as well), are just upset that they no longer have a monopoly over the idea of what religion is, (especially in the United States). They feel threatened. I think my point here is pretty well stated, so I'll just leave it at that and I guess report back if the discussion continues.

posted by Jonathan at 9:27 PM