Friday, December 23, 2005

 
WHY THE RIGHT KEEPS TALKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS.
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If you've been watching Fox News, you know that conservative pundits have been spending the last few weeks promoting boycotts against companies that say "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas."

Why are they making such a big deal about this? Do you think they really get offended when someone says "Happy Holidays"? No.

They're picking this fight because they are trying to frame the left as anti-Christmas, anti-Christian, and anti-religion. They're doing it by making very poor arguments that are easily countered. And the left is biting the bait, positioning themselves exactly where the right is trying to put them.

Progressives need to reframe the issue properly, and the correct issue is this one: Is it right for the majority to force its religious views on the minority?

I'm pro-Christmas. I'm pro-Christianity and pro-religion (although I'm opposed to fundamentalist extremism). But I'm against the majority forcing its religious views on the minority. Why are conservative right-wingers trying to ruin Christmas by creating a divisive fight by insisting that people impose their religious views upon people who do not share their faith? It's anti-American.

This is The Official Record. 11:01 AM
link to this item: http://www.creamy.com/blog/2005/12/why-right-keeps-talking-about.html

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So far there is/are 6 comment(s) since 1/1/2005. Click here to leave one.

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For the same reason that any extremist wants to rally behind a "cause", even if that cause has no relation to reality. Certain Irish-Americans continue to perpetuate a pro-I.R.A. call to arms/show your support or else mentality which no longer has any relevance to the current atmosphere in either the Republic or the North of Ireland. They are driven by a need to "prove" themselves as truely "Irish", no matter that their words are inciting hatred and violence.

By striving to alleviate their personal insecurities and deficiencies, as with your political conservatives and progressives, these pundits try to form and strengthen a gathering of like minds which can attack and feel superior to others. Claiming to represent countless/nameless/silent others, all they really are is selfish. It is not a matter of a majority trying to impose its views on a minority. If anything it is the opposite - it is simply a highly vocal minority and its claims of speaking for "the masses", while the masses aren't even bothered enough to demonstrate otherwise, with either the issue itself or the vocal minority claiming to be representing them.

Question: You declare you are "pro-Christmas. ...pro-Christianity and pro-religion". But why specify one religion, and not others? Would it be inappropriate to say "Happy Chanukah"? The holidays happen to coincide this year, so perhaps it is too much of a mouthful. But if the Jewish holiday was last week or next, would you not wish anyone a happy holiday then, and even go so far as to identify which holiday for which you are expressing good wishes?

# posted by  T : Saturday, December 24, 2005 5:28:00 PM

 

I didn't mean to single out Christianity, and, in fact, I am not Christian. I agree with the argument that if you're going to specify Christmas, you ought to include Chanukah, Kwanza, and the possibility that the person is not religious at all, and that's a mouthful that is more sensibly shortenned to "Season's Greetings" or somesuch. But making that argument is buying into the right wing's game. It's positioning yourself as anti-Christmas. My whole point is that we need to sidestep that argument, and reframe the issue properly.

# posted by  David : Saturday, December 24, 2005 6:06:00 PM

 

No, I am not buying into that game, nor am I presenting myself as anti-Christmas. Indeed, it is the expression not the words which matter. I only pointed out that with your assertion, not only did you neglect to support your own argument, you have now stated three times that the "issue needs to be reframed properly" without addressing just what you mean by "issue" and by "properly".

As I said above, your identification of the issue being whether or not "it is right for the majority to force its religious views on the minority" cannot be the issue in this situation if these sides are neither majority nor minority. The answer to your question is of course "no." I don't doubt that you have a point you wish to make, but then you must more clearly articulate what you consider to be the real issue, and how to reframe it properly.

By declaring these two sides as majority and minority, aren't YOU the one buying into their arguments? Isn't it the minority who are vocal and the majority who are silent, or disinterested in this pointless political rhetoric?

# posted by  T : Saturday, December 24, 2005 8:42:00 PM

 

According to the US Census Bureau, 77% of Americans identify themselves as Christian, and that's what I was getting at. But I have no argument with your point, which I think is more orless consistent with my basic position.

So, let us say then that the issue is this one: Is it right for one group of Americans to force its religious views on all other groups? I agree with you that this is a significantly better way to state the issue.

# posted by  David : Sunday, December 25, 2005 1:11:00 AM

 

All of these political and religious labels needlessly obscure the true meaning of this holiday season, namely the coming of the winter solstice and the miraculous rebirth of our beloved Sun God. I don't understand why you people can't see that.

# posted by  Krang of the White Elk Clan : Sunday, December 25, 2005 4:16:00 PM

 

Well, I don't think it is so much obscuring the true meaning as that our "modern societies" have long ago stopped acknowledging the origins of this, and most other, holiday celebrations.

Historically, agrarian populations were completely dependent on the lifecycle of the annual harvest, so the recognition and commemoration of the renewal of the growing season attained religious significance. Whether the advent of the shortest day of the year was attributed to a sun god or to the natural passage of time, the celebration of "rebirth" of light - the source of life - manifested itself in different ways across disparate populations. The desire or need to celebrate may have common foundations, it is the interpretation and attribution of what has happened/is happening which differs.

Thus "true meaning" is whatever a society declares or believes to be true. The origin of observances and activities is not the same as the religious interpretations ascribed to them.

# posted by  T : Monday, December 26, 2005 5:26:00 PM

 

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