Fairy Tales and Super Sales
'Tis the season for parents everywhere to demonstrate for their children the real meaning of the holidays.
I'd like to take this minute to learn the Bill O'Reilly crowd a thing or two.
You shouldn't worry about whether the local courthouse has a Baby Jesus out front. Don't spend a whole lot of time yelling and screaming, "Merry Christmas, Goddamn It!" when a person wishes you "Happy Holidays."
Those of us who want to include all cultures and religions aren't the ones murdering Christmas.
Those who have declared a real war on Christmas are Christians just like you.
THEY are the ones killing your special Jesus-loving day. THEY are the ones trampling people to death and THEY are the ones killing fellow Christ-lovers over a goddamn toy.
Ain't no Jews, Muslims, or agnostics out pullin' that shit.
Take it up with yourselves - Bill-O's mouthbreathing followers.
And leave the rest of us alone.
6 Comments:
I heard about this incident and, while your point is taken, the notion that Mr. Damour's death is somehow the fault of the "Bill O'Reilly crowd" or Christians in general (or even specific) is pretty specious. You might as well blame it on American consumerism and a tanking economy; people are trying to support a luxury-item-heavy buying pattern on subsistence wages went crazy at the opportunity to get the goods they're told they want and need for a holiday that's become more about proof-of-love-through-commercialism than any spiritual significance. Or, better yet, blame the bands at those arena concerts in the 80s who generated such a following that stories of teens crushed to death in a press to get as far forward as possible were commonplace for awhile.
As for "Ain't no Jews, Muslims, or agnostics out pullin' that shit," I feel I sort of have to point you to the Mumbai incident or the ongoing hostilities in the Gaza strip. The point being, no faith is above reproach, but then again, no faith is the root cause of these things. The root cause is people. People went crazy and they did it without the help or hindrance of any particular faith, other than possibly the false idols of advertising and consumer-culture.
So, yes, people who get bent out of shape about someone saying "Happy Holidays" or "Blessed Solstice" or whatever probably have too much time on their hands and just need to have a nice cup of hot chocolate and watch "Holiday Inn" and let it go. Linking their fussy-ness, however, to Mr. Damour's death or the insanity at the Toys-R-Us is just inflammatory and as reactionary as the right-wing, conservative. evangelical politics you rail against.
I'm glad you get my point.
To be clear - I do not believe the O'Reilly crowd is responsible for anyone's death. I do believe they are fighting the wrong battle when they yell about the Happy Holidays crowd murdering Christmas. The ones murdering Christmas are the ones who trample to get a toy.
Those Muslims overseas are not the same as those Muslims who benefit from an inclusive "Happy Holidays." I rag on faith at other times. Here, I'm saying that the problem with a Christmas devoid of meaning has nothing to do with Muslims, Jews, or agnostics. It's really losing meaning because of Christians.
Much like my argument about gay marriage. Divorce is fucking up marriage and making it less sacred. Not including more people into the fold!!!!
That's what makes me different than the rightwing, evangelicals you tried to link me to. Because with me - you actually need a brain to get my point. ;-)
Aight, you wanna dance?!? Let's Dance!
See, I agree with your main point (step, step...) that those losing their shit over "Happy Holidays" are as big a part of the problem as those who they're irked at (cha cha cha). But where I disagree is you using that as a segue into calling out Christians and comparing them to other faiths while putting the snarky blame on them for destroying the season. (foxtrot, bitch, foxtrot like you've never foxtrotted before...wait, HAVE I ever foxtrotted before?)
I guess you can make the argument that "those Muslims overseas are not the same as those Muslims who benefit from an inclusive 'Happy Holidays'" (as we awkwardly move into the Electric Slide), but you're using a fairly broad brush elsewhere, so I'm not sure why you would (suddenly, we're square dancing, American Square Dancing).
In point of fact, many of the challenges to public Christmas displays that actually lead to nonsense like battles over "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas" do begin as challenges to the Christian faith tradition by groups such as athiests, Jews and Muslims (time for a frenetic, yet pointless, polka). Now, the argument as to whether those displays should ever have been as deeply ingrained in our society is neither here nor there, but the divorcing of meaning from season can not honestly be laid at the feet of only Christians or other faith groups. Everyone's climbing on their high horses and trying to dictate everyone else's behavior when, really, all anyone should be doing is enjoying their family, their friends and the blessings they have (this would be a good time for a slow sway, preferably to Air Supply).
So, yes, perhaps Christians are forgetting the reason for the season, but to deny that other faith assemblies are in some cases working quite actively to divorce the two is really just bias (aw shit, I didn't stretch enough for this Capoeira we're now playing around at) and too attempt to link Christians to Black Friday's tragedies is almost as unfair as me trying to link you to right wing evangelicals, which I didn't really do if you didn't link Christians with those tragedies (tango!)
Meh, whatever, let's just jump up and down in the 80s Bop-Hop and have a Happy Whatever.
Bottom line. People aren't being human, and so far they haven't come up with a pill for it. So we are just gonna have to keep the flickering light of reason lit, and teach our kids to love until it hurts, but then do that leg sweep and round house like they learned in the dojo. For most people are sheeple, and they will do as they're spiritual guide tells them. As for the savages that took a man's life in NY, perhaps there is now a market for all those returning veterans with warzone skill sets.....
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Hag Samaiach and a Good Yuntif to you and your family, Kate
Okay, "this would be a good time for a slow sway, preferably to Air Supply" is the funniest line of the week.
I'm still chuckling...
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