Oh, well, that’s someone being a jerk. But sometimes people forget and they say “Merry Christmas!” because they’re used to it. Or my students tell me “Merry Christmas” because they assume I celebrate Christmas…even when they know I’m Jewish. (Not all. But I just got a note from a student saying thank you for something and wishing me a Merry Christmas. :P)
Some people think that Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas. I’m not about to perpetuate that myth by insisting we all say “Happy Hanukkah!” and put menorahs up next to our trees. For ffs, let them do their thing and we’ll do ours. No biggie. <shrug> Just enjoy the sales and free-flowing baked goods that make their way to the staff lounge.
That would be a terrific counter point! Unfortunately the atheists stole all the X’s in order to post **Merry Xmas **on their passive-aggressive nanny signs.
Sometimes I find myself wondering if “Seasons Greetings” was coined some time in the 17th century to avoid offending Puritans by wishing them a “Merry Christmas.”
Exactly, which is why I emphasized some one who really knew me and was trying to make a point. I’ve had one of those…
Either I say nothing or if asked directly (oh, are you seeing your family on Christmas?), I’ll just simply say “I don’t celebrate Christmas, but thanks for asking!”
It seems to me that that’s being literal to the point of rudeness, answering a question that hasn’t really been asked. Kind of like answering “How are you doing?” with a litany of your physical, emotional, professional, and personal misfortunes.
Unfortunately, being part of a minority often involves this sort of conflict. Correcting a stranger is inherently rude, but I think you can make an exception for nicely correcting a member of the majority who is unthinkingly projecting their cultural assumptions on the minority.
If somebody didn’t know much about you, personally, they might assume that you’d taken the days off from work that most of us get around Christmas Day–no matter our spiritual beliefs. And thought you might have spent some of that time with relatives–even without doing any “Christmas” type activities. (I know for a fact that many non-Christians have families.) They weren’t asking if you made it to Midnight Mass…
Now they know that you worked straight through & don’t like to talk about your family…
I assure you it’s not literal to the point of rude.
it’s simply a response in a conversation when we are actually discussing our plans. Again, that’s my answer in reply to a genuine question. I’m not going to sit there pretending I’m doing something when it’s not. Why would would be wrong to let them know what I’m doing? What’s the harm in actually being politely honest?
As I’ve said before- if someone is giving me a socially pleasant “enjoy your Christmas” my response is “Thanks, you too!”. If we’re discussing holiday break- again, that’s fine. But if someone is asking where I’m eating Christmas dinner, why wouldn’t I be honest?
So it would seem, but that doesn’t justify hurting yourself as badly as you are doing on this thread.
[QUOTE=Rune]
…To up-sex the thread a bit I propose that the USA sucks. I hope you get a collective STD and that the russkies nuke you.
[/QUOTE]
See? More stupidity. Russians nuking “us” would lead to a full-scale exchange of arsenals. Of course, you’d be perfectly safe from fallout in your own nation.
:rolleyes:
I have no idea why no one has responded to your second genius-level post here, even with the focus on the OP. Maybe you have already established yourself as a worthless wise-ass on this board, and folks would just as soon ignore you, even in the Pit.
It would be different if you were making a parody of bigotry, but I see no reason to think so.
So, just what is your motivation? Are you trying to make the OP look just a little bit less stupid by surpassing him? Or do you enjoy competing with him?
But that’s the point- the holidays aren’t inclusive in that sense. You are making the wish that the other person is happy. The presumption isn’t you’re wishing them happiness because you’re having fun celebrating your holiday. You’re wishing them happiness as they celebrate their holiday.
Bill and Rush are busy fighting an imaginary war about Christmas because they were both too cowardly and self-centered to help out their country during a real war (Vietnam, not that it was for a good cause) and want to whip up hatreds so that they can profit from them.
Nothing could be further from the teachings of Christ than dividing people up over the lovely winter holidays that so many cultures celebrate. If I happen to know that you are Christian, I’ll say “Merry Christmas”. Peace be with yer peeps! Same for everyone else.
This stirring up shit is no different than the moneychangers in the temple. It doesn’t put a meal into a homeless person, or a smile on anyone’s face. It starts and argument or perpetuates a bigotry.
I can’t. I would never think to wish someone a Happy Hanukkah because I celebrated it. I doesn’t make any sense to me. I go out of my way to find out what holidays people I’m friends with celebrate and try to wish them an appropriate greeting. But it’s unrelated to what I celebrate.
I like to think I am as liberal, progressive, secular, inclusive, and multicultural as they come, but I think this is kind of a peevish attitude. In my friends’ and families’ circles among Indians and Indian-Americans, where there is a tiny minority of Christians and Jews, no one bats an eye at being wished Merry Christmas or Happy Hannukah regardless of the personal identity of either the wish-er or the wish-ee. I, an atheist and a Hindu, have happily wished and been wished on Id.
Eh, if someone is celebrating, why not just take it all in good faith?
I mean, so long as it’s not directly offensive, like “Happy Kristallnacht” or something like that.
Because they are, in good faith, erasing your identity. No single individual means anything but joy, but collectively, it’s a problem. It’s one of those “choose your battles” things, of course. The majority of the time, when your identity is overlooked, you ignore it, accept the good wishes at face value, and move on. Sometimes, however, you need to assert yourself. It’s never okay to be rude, but a little extra assertiveness can be educational.
One of my students gave me a present last week “for me and my wife.” I could have said, “my husband and I will enjoy this, thank you.” In this case, I knew she meant “for you and your spouse,” and so I let it slide and took it in the spirit intended. Occasionally, however, I will correct people on their assumptions. I think responding to “Merry Christmas” is the same. You have to accept it in the spirit offered, but you aren’t required to passively accept being lumped into the mainstream if you don’t want to be there.
Correcting every single person every single time, or doing so jerkishly or rudely, is another story.
I’m a pagan and I wish my friends (most of whom are christian) both a Happy Yule and a Merry Christmas on their respective days. And many of them think to do the same for me. All of us have been perfectly nice about it. I’m happy both when they think of me on their holiday and when they think to remember mine. Honestly, I can’t imagine how I could feel otherwise.
Exactly. If they care enough about me to wish me a Merry Christmas I assume they would welcome knowing that I would appreciate a Happy Hanukkah instead.
For a few years, I got together every week with friends to play Dungeons & Dragons. The group had a Catholic, a Mormon, a Wiccan, a worshiper of the Norse pantheon and me a Jew.
I came up with Groupakas. The holiday is celebrated with the exchanging of gifts, the singing of really nerdy songs, thanks to Gary Gygax, and the lighting of candles on the many heads of a figure of Tiamat, the polychromatic dragon.
