The War On Christmas
It's that time of year again, when we loathsome "secular-progressives" man the barricades, take up arms and take aim at Christmas. Our mission: to ban Christmas and replace it with a pagan feminist gay abortion black mass ritual.
At least that's what you'd think if you listened to Bill O'Reilly: Christmas is an endangered species. Okay, now let's introduce Reality to the equation. How the fuck did all this silliness get started? A few years ago, somebody thought it would be a good idea to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" , so as not to offend those who don't celebrate Christmas. Too bad that hardly anyone, regardless of religion, was offended by anything other than the conspicuous consumption aspect of Christmas until this issue was raised.
The Christmas/Holiday dichotomy is so silly that it probably would have expired on its own, had there not been Christian extremists blowing their minds on an Indignation High. Then it was "Onward Christian Soldiers!" Every December, they march through the malls listening for Christmas music, and not "Jingle Bell Rock" either, it has to be righteous Christian hymns that mention the baby jeebus by name. They scrutinize store displays for Nativity scenes and monitor the stores whose employees say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas". Then they go home and pass out from the sheer ecstacy of the Persecution High. That, for some, is the True Meaning Of Christmas.
All the War On Christmas shit, the arguments over which greeting is appropriate, which displays are offensive or not, and the religious right's unrelenting insistence that they're somehow getting shafted, always makes me think of my favourite Christmas card (yes, even atheists send Christmas cards. Holiday cards. Whatever.). It was the one I sent out in 2001, the Christmas after 9/11. On the front was a very simple graphic of a dove hovering over a little green globe, and inside the words: "One world, one wish, one hope, for peace". And I find myself longing for someone to win the War On Christmas so we can get back to remembering what this season is really about.
At least that's what you'd think if you listened to Bill O'Reilly: Christmas is an endangered species. Okay, now let's introduce Reality to the equation. How the fuck did all this silliness get started? A few years ago, somebody thought it would be a good idea to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" , so as not to offend those who don't celebrate Christmas. Too bad that hardly anyone, regardless of religion, was offended by anything other than the conspicuous consumption aspect of Christmas until this issue was raised.
The Christmas/Holiday dichotomy is so silly that it probably would have expired on its own, had there not been Christian extremists blowing their minds on an Indignation High. Then it was "Onward Christian Soldiers!" Every December, they march through the malls listening for Christmas music, and not "Jingle Bell Rock" either, it has to be righteous Christian hymns that mention the baby jeebus by name. They scrutinize store displays for Nativity scenes and monitor the stores whose employees say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas". Then they go home and pass out from the sheer ecstacy of the Persecution High. That, for some, is the True Meaning Of Christmas.
All the War On Christmas shit, the arguments over which greeting is appropriate, which displays are offensive or not, and the religious right's unrelenting insistence that they're somehow getting shafted, always makes me think of my favourite Christmas card (yes, even atheists send Christmas cards. Holiday cards. Whatever.). It was the one I sent out in 2001, the Christmas after 9/11. On the front was a very simple graphic of a dove hovering over a little green globe, and inside the words: "One world, one wish, one hope, for peace". And I find myself longing for someone to win the War On Christmas so we can get back to remembering what this season is really about.
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