Well, I used to be one of the poor movie theater managers that used to work on the holidays, and let me echo the other posters in saying the OP is thoroughly bone-headed. We, as employees of the theater, knew that evenings, weekends, and holidays are part of the job. Same with restaurants. Same with convenience stores.
I’m a Christian and I treasure “family time”, but after “celebrating” Christmas with my wife–presents, dinner–why can’t we enjoy ourselves at the movies? It’s one of the few days she gets off, so it was the only reason she got to see Dreamgirls. This is our way of having fun, getting out of the house, going on a “date”, whatever.
So the OP’s family wanted to have fun and he decided to be a killjoy about it, all on some half-witted principle. Imposing your sense of “fun” and “propriety” on everyone else–that is being an asshole.
No kidding, “put a halt to it” even. Tyrant fascist fuckwit.
(My rant against Christians only applies to those who think their beliefs should be put into law and traditions and rules that govern the rest of us. Even though I am thoroughly sick and tired of Christian bullshit everywhere, I do realize that a lot of Christians are pretty cool. And sane. Like those Christians who have the nerve to leave home on Christmas day and go feed and distribute presents to poor and homeless people. I know that goes against EVERYTHING Jesus believed, stood for and taught, but risking the wrath of God, they do it because they’re kind-hearted souls, and good for them.)
Man, I thought I had a chip on my shoulder. You are QUITE the hate-filled little monkey-descendant, aren’t you?
FTR, I’m somewhat AGNOSTIC, with atheistic leanings. I don’t really believe there is a god, but rather hope there is something else waiting for us. If there IS a god, I don’t believe anyone I’ve ever heard has a clue as to what it is, or what it wants, if anything, from us.
Sometimes it’s nice to have special occasions to gather together with friends and family and call that day special. Wanna call it something other than Chrismas? Suits me, but the day is already there, has been celebrated for longer than I’ve been alive, so I’m gonna make of it what I will.
What am I upset about, you might ask, since I’m not religious? Well, I work retail, and I JUST FUCKING HATE PPL, especially the way they get so damn pushy and pissy during the holiday. Oh, we don’t HAVE that, sorry. You’re upset? Well, too bad they sprung the holiday on you, they should’ve scheduled it, oh I don’t know, THE SAME TIME EVERY YEAR so you could plan in advance, huh?
We probably feel about the same way about the holiday(day off, pretty lights, hanging with family and friends), only I’m guessing you no longer deal with the public in a retail capacity(if you ever did). Make the fucking pushy, pissy masses stay home one day. Play one of those new DVD’s you probably got. They can do whatever they want, as long as they all fuck off.
“SOME of you here must remember back when almost everything was closed EVERY SUNDAY, when stores and restaurants didn’t stay open 24/7. . . somehow, people survived.”
I barely remember, but even when I was a kid I thought Blue laws were stupid, and I was a good little Christian kid. Thank goodness reason prevailed (in most of the country) and Blue laws got their asses kicked. Why where they called “Blue” laws anyway? I can’t believe that someone would bring up Blue laws as if they were a good idea.
Well, “ppl” survived before the Internet too, didn’t they? And yet, here you are, using the Internet, which necessitates technicians being on call on Sundays and holidays to maintain the infrastructure that keeps it going.
“Ppl,” presumably including you, survived before interstate highways. I’ll bet you’ve used highways on civic holidays, right? Well, what about the cops who have to work holiday shifts to patrol them, or the guys who drive plows and sanders in northern climates on holidays to keep them open?
“Ppl” even survived before electricity. And yet there you were on Christmas using electricity, and the power company had to have people working that day to keep your greedy ass in kilowatts.
Do you have any carpeting in your house? It’s probably made of nylon. Guess what? Nylon plants - I used to work in one - run 24/7/365. Why, it’s entirely possible the BCF nylon in your carpets was extruded and spun on Christmas Day! Oh noes! Gonna throw your carpet out now? I mean, why not? “Ppl” survived before carpeting.
If people don’t want to work on Christmas they can find jobs elsewhere. Life sucks, get a helmet. I don’t like travelling on Sundays, but I do it because it’s my job. When I decide the irritation isn’t worth the benefits, I’ll quit. All jobs have an element of sucking in them; that’s why you have to pay people to do them. And truth be told, lots of people want to work that day - I always wanted to work holidays at the nylon plant. Who the fuck are you to tell other people what to do with their lives? I’ll go to the movies if I damn well please and anyone who doesn’t like it can jam it up their ass.
And just to piss off the OP, next year I’m taking my Dad to the movies on Christmas Day.
I sympathize with the OP. I’m not sure I go so far as to agree with it, but it’s definitely not a dumb thread.
As The The has pointed out, in earlier generations no one would have taken offense at having one day out of 365, or even one day out of 7, when pretty much everything was closed so that people could have a day off.
At the very least, all those big fans of the Ten Commandments ought to sympathize. From my reading of the Old Testament, it seems to me that the essence of the Sabbath commandment is that, on that day of rest, you don’t do any work and you don’t make anyone else work either. In biblical times, this would have been servants/slaves/members of ones household. Today, it would be employees, service personnel (like waiters, cashiers, delivery people), etc.
Well I for one am with the OP. No one should go to Chinese or Indian restaurants on Christmas so the owners and employees will have the time off to celebrate like the good Christians they are - hey, everyone’s a Christian, right? :rolleyes:
I’m not so hate-filled now that I know you’re not a lousy Christian of the type who tries to tell others what they can and can’t do with their days.
You just don’t like working Christmas and wish people would stay home so you wouldn’t have to face them. I get it.
Oh now I’m all smiling again. I think we’re on the same page. Some people are just no damn good, but see, they’d be no damn good on any day, as you’ve unfortunately found out. Sorry you had to work Christmas and had to face morons galore. I feel for you, but I’m nice to service workers, having been one many times, and I’m still going to go to the movies. Maybe my smile and polite please and thank yous (and big tips) will ease the worker’s pain just a touch.
Most people nowadays get days off. They’re usually called “weekends” but specific days differ depending on the job. Thank you labor laws. Why should I care because of how it used to be?
Did everyone get the day off (what, December 25?) back in Bible times? What does the Sabbath have to do with Christmas?
I was thinking more about the OP as I was driving around, grabbing dinner for tonite.
Even if this was a 100% Christian nation and Christmas was up there as the holiest of holy days, things would still have to be open.
Cops and fire fighters and EMTs would still have to work, as would doctors and airline employees.
These people have to move around, so that necessitates cab drivers, public transit workers, toll booth personnel, parking lot attendants, and gas station employees.
All of these people gotta eat. The cops need their cups of coffee and donuts too. Which means McDonalds and Dunkin’ Donuts need to be open.
Which means truck drivers need to deliver the frozen hash browns and Coke products so they don’t run out.
And on and on it goes, until everyone is working on Christmas!
If you ever watch TV on a big holiday, you’re just as guilty as the movie-goers. You’re forcing some poor schmoe to cue up It’s A Wonderful Life while you gobble honey baked ham in front of the fire. The truth is that everyone’s enjoyment is connected to someone else’s. While I share your guilt about making people work on holidays and I would hate to have to be in that situation as a manager, I also know this is life and that we all miss out on SOMETHING because of work.
Have you not read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? Lost of people worked on Christmas Day in Victorian times. Having Christmas Day off is a fairly recent invention.
Yes I do like to spend Christmas with my family, but there have been times when I have been unable to, so working on Christmas Day was better than sitting at home by myself.
Who the hell gets holiday pay for a part-time retail job? God knows I never did.
I do feel sorry for anyone who has to work in some non-essential fashion (and a fucking movie theater is about as NON-ESSENTIAL as it gets) on a day most people have off from work.
