Letters to the Editor
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Keep the "mass" in Christmas
What the fundamentalists and other right-wing Protestants conveniently forget is that Christmas is short for "Christ's Mass". It is the name of a Catholic holiday. So let's all remember to keep the "mass" in Chrstmas and get the protestants to stop stealing this traditional Catholic holiday and spoiling it with their heresies!
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The world's tiniest violin...
...is playing a dirge right now.
As they say on the internet, "Bitch, please!" I'm constantly appalled and amused by members of the world's most powerful religion crying about how oppressed they are, and EVRYBODYS SO MEEEEEN OMG!!! Just what the hell do these people want, anyway? It makes no sense to me that someone railing about their "sacred traditions" not being respected could do so in the same breath as complaining that department don't exploit their religious symbols enough. Excuse me, but wouldn't the use of Christ's name and life for the purposes of moneygrubbing fall under the heading of "blasphemy"? I'm sure I read that somewhere.
Do they want their god treated with respect or don't they? Really, these people have got to make up their minds, because they're giving the rest of us rational folks a migraine.
Oh, and one more thing. As a member of another religion, it's my opinion that Christmas should never have been made a public holiday in the first place. If there's anything that proves that our government is in any way in cahoots with any religion, it's that. Let these paranoid nutjobs spend a few years trying to figure out how they'll manage to take time off work to fulfill their religious obligations, not to mention dealing with the eye-rolling and dismissiveness of people who don't share those obligations. That'll teach them just how damn PRIVILEGED they are.
And provide great amusement for the rest of us into the bargain.
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Happy Holidays
Back in the late 1950s, I worked in a department store while going to college. The habit in those days was to say to everyone "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year".
First of all, that was a mouthful, and secondly, it didn't address diversity, so "Happy Holidays" killed two birds at once. There was no intention to take Christ out of Christmas. It was simply a recognition that the season had three holidays and people may have had different perceptions about their meanings.
In addition,as long as I can remember you could buy non-religious holiday cards that may or may not have refrenced the word "Christmas".
Lastly, does anyone actualy think that Bill O'Reilly believes a word he says. He's just found a really good-paying gig.
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I wish there was a war on christmas
If only the Christian right themselves would declare a war on what now passes for Christmas. We have garishly decorated box stores, giant lightup Santas and incessant, insipid christmas songs shoved down our throats the day after Halloween and their complaint is that MalWart doesn't write "Christmas" on their signs? Frankly, if these people are looking for religion at JC Penny, Wal-mart and Target, the war has been won.
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Happy Holidays?
Being upset that you are wished a Happy Holidays rather than a Merry Christmas on December 25 is one thing. Still rather graceless, of course, but some people are just built that way.
But resenting the fact that you aren't wished a Merry Christmas every time you shop after Thanksgiving? Give me a break. It is NOT CHRISTMAS. The day after Thanksgiving, it isn't even Advent yet (in Western Christianity, anyway). There are plenty of religious festivals during the Holy Shopping Period, even plenty of Christian ones (Saint Lucia, anyone?). Which is only to be expected, since it occupies an entire month.
The only person I feel sorry for in this story is the Wal-Mart customer service person. I hope he or she is living happily ever after somewhere in a job that pays a livable wage.
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They prefer fighting wars against non-existent problems.
The problem with fighting a real problem is that sometimes you win and then you can't keep raising money and rallying the forces to your side. When labor unions in Oregon pushed for a minimum wage with an annual COLA increase there were political consultants and experts who shared their concern about the risks of taking such a winning issue off the table. Without COLA, Democrats and others can use minimum wage to highlight the GOP lack of concern for the middle class. With COLA, that issue is no longer viable.
So, it makes perfect sense for the religious right wing organizations who are more about raising money and power-brokering than winning to select non-issues who are by virtue of being symbolic, not real, can never be be won. This preference for losing is demonstrated by their unwillingness to win anti-choice legislation by exempting the situation where the mother's life is at risk. There are dozens of examples of huge steps they could have taken to advance their agenda that were frustrated by their unwillingness to make the slight accomodation for human decency and common sense. Why? Because winning stops the rivers of money that pour into their so called charities.
They're wrong of course. Considering the paranoic whining of the Christian evangelicals in America (the fastest growing and most politically powerful religious faction) about how they are persecuted for their faith, etc. etc, it appears to me that the religious right can win a thousand battles and still feel beleaguered and beset because they are essentially self-obsessed whiners eaten away by envy and hatred and no amount of victory will ever make them feel anything but persecuted.
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Actual Holidays
Best I can tell there are no US holidays from Dec 1 to 20. So saying Merry Christmas is stupid. I don't say Happy Independence Day starting on June 12. During that period we should say nothing, or if we are in the seasonal mood: Happy Holidays or Seasons Greeting. On Dec 21 it may be polite to say "Happy Solstice." Dec 22-23 back to the default. Since Chistmas Eve is generally recognized as a holiday--state and federal agencies are closed--it would be polite to begin saying Merry Christmas for 2 days. At sundown of Dec 25 it makes sense to go back to the generic or start saying Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. On the 26th switch to Kwanzaa until New Years. See, it is so simple.
Of course the last thing on most Americans minds is what holiday is it. So follow this guide instead:
Nov 26-Dec 24 say: Happy Spend Yourself Into Orgiastic Oblivion
Dec 25: Happy What Did You Get ME, ME, ME Day
Dec 26+: Happy Don't Kill Youself Over your Credit Card Debt even Though The Card Companies Bumped Yuur Rate to 26% For a Payment 3 Days Late