No Offense but … Merry C****tmas!
Merry Christmas from Escape From America Magazine
Finally some good sense is beginning to prevail in the Western world as according to a Rasmussen Report, Americans recently polled reveal that they would far rather hear and issue the greeting ‘merry Christmas’ than they would ‘happy holidays.’ It seems that the days of political correctness are slowly but surely coming to an end – or at least being ignored by the average man and woman on the street – and you can colour us happy as a result.
Christmas is an ancient and traditional Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, however its origins may be steeped in pagan ritual for all we know – and simply because the very nature of the festival is one of positivity, of giving and sharing, of families, love and even regeneration, the celebration of Christmas has bridged cultural, religious, social and ethnic divides.
The celebration of Christmas has spread around the world to the point at which it is now a festival enjoyed in some form or another on all continents of the globe. Expatriates have been responsible for the spreading of the traditional Christmas celebration in some parts of the world, but elsewhere a celebration at this particular time of the year that focuses on anything and everything from the secular trappings of the festival such as gift giving, to specific celebrations that reflect different cultural, religious or national traditions is common.
In spite of these undeniable facts, there are those amongst us who for years have entered gamely into the sport of ‘Christmas bashing’ in the name of political correctness.
In Birmingham in England Christmas was ‘rebranded’ Winterval to ensure that it was an inclusive festival that did not alienate non-Christians. In Dundee in Scotland Christmas was cancelled and replaced by the Winter Night Light Festival where there were intentionally no references to the story of the Nativity so as not to offend those of alternative faiths. This year there has been public outcry as the Capitol Building in Washington has banned all holiday related symbols and displays after it allowed atheists the right to a display last year. The atheist display stood alongside the traditional Nativity and angered Americans across the nation – therefore this year the Governor of the state, Chris Gregoire has banned all non-government displays from inside the building to get around all arguments. In so doing however, she has given in to pressure from both minority atheist groups and those who believe that the erosion of the Christmas festival is right despite the fact that America is a nation founded on Judeo-Christian traditions.
Since when did freedom of speech and expression become a crime in nations such as America and Great Britain?
Since when did it become appropriate for those of the Christian faith to be made to feel ashamed of their religious holidays?
And since when did it become acceptable that we should be a people who have reverential and courteous respect for faiths such as Islam and Judaism, but who have to accept Christianity being treated with such disregard and such contempt?
The absolute irony in all of this is that it is politically correct Christians who are guilty of mocking, disrespecting and denying Christmas – it has absolutely nothing to do with those of alternative faiths complaining that they find our festival offensive. In Birmingham there have been no anti-Christmas tree riots by Muslims, in Dundee there have been no anti-baby Jesus demonstrations by Buddhists, and in Washington as far as we know none who follow the Wicca religion have been caught burning Santa Claus at the stake.
In forcing the acceptance of the politically correct will upon us when it comes to the celebration of Christmas – or lack thereof – we are being forced to deny this festival and to turn our back on the religious connotations that Christmas has.
Now, there was a time when it was feared that the increasing over-commercialisation of the Christmas festival would ultimately be responsible for the erosion of the religious connotations of it, but it seems that some intrinsic international Christian fear of offending others of alternative religions has taken over and is forcing the biggest hush-hush of them all.
But where did this fear come from?
Well, there is no denying the fact that despite nations such as America and Great Britain being very multi-cultural in terms of the demographic make-up of each country, and of people from all walks of life and all religions living and working together in such locations, there is absolutely no meeting of people’s minds when it comes to the way they thinks about their own faith’s religious festivals or holiday periods. Christians celebrate Christmas. Jews celebrate Hanukkah. Muslims celebrate Ramadan. And so on…
However, perhaps if the Muslim minority in America tried to make Ramadan as big a commercial deal as Christmas or the Jewish minority in the UK tried to make Hanukkah as big a national celebration as Christmas, the Christian majority in each country would naturally feel very alienated and perhaps even aggrieved. Therefore, one suggestion is that the fear that has brought Christians to be over-politically correct and to be the biggest bashers of Christmas comes from not wanting to over dominate others because Christians themselves do not want to be over dominated by other religions’ celebrations and beliefs.
When you look at it in this way it is understandable at least – but why can’t we celebrate Christmas, accept that others have their own religious holidays that they would like to celebrate and just get on with it. Expatriates living around the world who celebrate Christmas find that they are welcome to enjoy their festivities. And whilst they might find it hard to get their hands on a Christmas tree in Saudi Arabia, a Christmas pudding in Turkey or a Turkey in Pakistan perhaps, the fundamentals of this joyous festival can be recreated around the globe. Gifts can be exchanged – tokens of love and appreciation – good food can be shared, thanks can be given, carols can be sung and time can be shared with family, friends and loved ones.
These are the fundamentals of Christmas that supersede any argument about religion, and these are the fundamentals of Christmas that are welcomed, accepted and celebrated by people from many religions, nations and ethnic groups; therefore these are the fundamentals that should be promoted, and because they go hand in hand with celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, we should not be embarrassed about that fact.
If we all spent some time living and working abroad in other cultures and with people from different religions, perhaps we would appreciate individual differences and understand that we can all live together harmoniously and still do our own thing.
Merry Christmas…
Escape From America Magazine.
Well said! Political correctness has become an excuse for Christian bashing and it’s amazing so many are blind to it. Now some schools are allowing islamic students to take time to pray in dedicated prayer rooms several times a day in our public schools, while restricting those same rights of prayer and free speech to American Christian children. Korans can be brought into the schools while Bibles cannot. What is wrong with this picture? Will we have to move out America to freely celebrate Christmas in a few years?
Sam
Well said. When I interact with those who are of different cultural backgrounds, I do not expect them to apologize for their cultural practices, nor should I (or we) have to apologize for our own. In an attempt to be all inclusive as opposed to celebrating our rich cultural differences, we do nothing but “wash away” our cultural expression as well as that of others.
Merry Christmas!
Nathan
Oh how lovely! Someone has spoken out at last, even though it is in the USA and not here in Britain. This gradual corosion of the right to celebrate our Christian heritage has been spreading around the world so gradually over the last few years and only now have people realised exactly what is going on.
I’m not knocking other beliefs: everyone has a right to their own religion so why should we apologise and try to hide ours? When America does something, Britain usually follows so there is hope for us all.
Merry Christmas to one and all!
Very very happy to hear it. As a hindu, and a fanatic at that, I dont have any problems wishing people merry christmas and happy new year. This political correctness is just another way of getting down on your knees in front of muslim intolerance. THEY get offended when you mention christmas. Because their faith is not strong. I as a non-christain, I dont get offended. This political correctness is just another name for bending backwards to appease muslims.
Actually there are plenty of Americans out there who don’t “secretly” celebrate Christmas and we certainly don’t want yet another reminder of the religion that dominates our culture. I am not a Christian and do not celebrate Christmas. It DOES annoy me when people wish me a merry Christmas. So now you have officially heard from someone who DOES want to hear Happy Holidays. And I can guarantee you that my circle of 50+ friends and all the people they know feel that way as well. I am relating this to you because you somehow think this is some “politically correct abstraction” when in fact it did arise out of real people’s actual feelings.
I’m sorry that as a Christian you are bothered by your holiday not being the only one acknowledged. But just because other traditions are numerically in the minority it does not make them less important than yours.
I am rather disappointed with the direction this magazine is taking. Between the anti-immigrant rant in last month’s issue and this editorial, I feel that this ezine is moving away from what it is supposed to be discussing-the expatriate lifestyle and those who live it and aspire to it.
Rachel Silverstein
This article confuses at least three completely independent ideas. I agree that this kind of article makes me less likely to continue reading this magazine. The few sentences that are relevant to expat living are almost competely buried by unhelpful political/religious opinions.
First, the US government is not supposed to “establish” any religion, which is generally accepted to also mean it should not promote any one religion over another. Christianity is a religion, and as a non-Christian, I think it is pretty important that the government (at least at the Federal and State levels) not favor Christianity. So let’s not have religious displays on government property, please. If they are allowed, then any other religion should also be able to put up a display, as long as it is not disrespectful of other religions. Why in the world would anyone get upset about an athiest display next to a Christian one? It sounds perfectly fair to me. However, I prefer the solution of not mixing government with religion at all, so hooray for Washington State.
Even if America were founded on Judeo-Christian values (debatable), that’s no argument for violating the constitution or for encouraging “mob rule” to make minorities feel like lesser citizens.
Second, private citizens on private property should be allowed, if not encouraged, to express their faith. So bring on the Christmas (or any other holiday) decorations and displays on private property, paid for with private funds. And of course, any individual is free to celebrate according to their own beliefs.
Third, as for the greetings. I prefer to say Happy Holidays, because I don’t want to assume that the other person is Christian. If I know their religion, I’ll tailor my greeting appropriately. Otherwise, why would I want to make someone already in the minority feel even more like an outsider? It’s a simple matter of empathy, courtesy, and common sense. When someone who doesn’t know my beliefs greets me with a Merry Christmas, I am slightly annoyed, but take no offense and reply back with cheer, acknowledging their good intent.
We can all get along. Just don’t shove your religion down my throat where it is inappropriate to do so, such as on governmental property. I promise I won’t shove my religion down your throat either.
I completely agree with you Rachel, and was right about to post something along the same lines until I read your post. I am a former Peace Corps Volunteer, and I discovered this ezine in the early 2000′s when I came back from my service. I’ve been puzzled by the “rightward” slant this site has taken the past year, starting around the election. I can no longer recommend EFAM to my friends. I can read the Weekly Standard or peruse Pajamas Media.com if I’m in need of a rants like this. Very disappointing.