That would be a ‘staycation’ if they aren’t going anywhere. 
So…your wife, and by extension you, got to be the victim here?
No, no it wouldn’t. :mad:
The guy who complained is a moron. He can be as Orthodox in his faith as Rav Schneerson (z"l) - still the word “holiday” is not offensive. Not in any way. It is, objectively, a holiday.
And no, in Israel Jews don’t walk around wishing “Merry Christmas” to each other around Dec. 25th. Although when I lived there people who wanted to celebrate the secular New Year called it “Sylvester” for some reason (well, I get why - because “New Year” in Hebrew means a completely different holiday, but why name the day for the Catholic saint that belongs to that day if you’re Jewish?). My friends and I called it “fiscal New Year” in Hebrew.
One guy got offended by something inoffensive, which resulted in no actions whatsoever.
Clearly, we’re doomed.
DOOMED, I tell you! DOOMED!!
Yes indeedy. At the Bronx Zoo, they have had an annual event for as long as I can remember called “Holiday Lights”. I’d respect them a little more if they just broke down and called it “Christmas Lights.” There’s never a single Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or any non-Christmas holiday decoration. The music that’s constantly playing is all Christmas. (and worse, it’s the same half-dozen or so songs, over and over. By the time we leave the zoo, I have usually wished about ninety different and imaginative tortures on the composers of “Jingle Bell Rock.”)
I feel bad that Stink Fish Pot’s better half has been accused of causing offense, though. “Happy Holidays” shouldn’t offend anyone. “Merry Christmas” shouldn’t offend anyone either (unless it’s said like this. They’re just good wishes. Take them in the spirit it’s meant, thin-skins.
This seems like the ideal solution. Happy Sylvester to one and all!
Oh … 
Well how about Barney? To each a happy Barney! Yeah, why not? Who could be offended by that?
I’m the most secular person you’ll ever find, yet I love the Christmas season, mostly for its feeling of “celebration.” I even put up a tree every year, decorated with non-religious ornaments (ok, there are a few Santa Clauses). I refer to it as my “atheist tree,” and nobody has had a problem with it.
I wish people a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever, and nobody has a problem with that either.
There are so many things in the world that are more worthy of complaints; pick one of them. Life is too short.
Sort of. A day that everyone (or most everyone) in the company or department gets off is a holiday. E.g. Memorial Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day. If you choose the day off it’s a vacation day.
Wait, I’m confused. So what does he expect people to call Thanksgiving, Labor Day, Memorial Day or Independence Day? Aren’t those holidays? Isn’t holiday a completely secular term?
I hate Christmas and all it’s hideous traditions…but I gotta say 'Suck it up, Buttercup!"
It’s a federal holiday, it’s a national holiday, it’s usually a paid company holiday, it’s a fucking cultural holiday.
So yeah, Suck it up, Buttercup! I would rather it all went away but not everyone feels the way I do and I do not have the power to bend them all to my will. * In the interest of health and happiness, we have to learn let shit like this go. You can start by wearing the pointy hat and sit facing the corner till you learn to pick your battles a little better.
[sub]* YET![/sub]
Red blooded American checking in.
“Vacation” is something you take on your own. When everyone gets the day off, it’s a holiday.
My question wasn’t very clear… I didn’t mean to imply that Jews in Israel walked around saying Merry Christmas on Dec. 25th (nor should they). What I was asking is if any other country other than the US is so sensitive that anything said that puts a majority out front is questioned as being insensitive. My example/question was in Israel, do they put up Happy Hanukkah signs in the office, and if so, could say a Christian complain and get those signs taken down? Or an Arab who says that offends him? I’m guessing no, but i’d love to know for sure. ISTM that life is full of these small “inequalities” that people tend to just shrug off and go about their business. If I lived in Israel, I would think that Jewish Holidays would be the ones observed by the country, and any company-related holidays would follow the Jewish calendar. Not the Christian calendar. And that would be just fine with me. I mean, if I was living in an area where western Christian holidays were not observed because of the prevailing population, that would be just the way it is. I can’t imagine anyone would get any traction by complaining about the lack of equal time. Same if i lived in Russia and their christmas fell in January. i would guess i would be working during those days in December i’d have off in a country like the US (or I’d take vacation days if I had to have them off) and i’d be home in early January when the rest of the people celebrated their Christmas and companies shut down.
This is a fine question, and i have no idea. I’m not sure if the guy really thought it through, because clearly he was annoyed that the “holiday” dinner fell in the middle of December, which is closer to Christmas than Hanukkah (given where Hanukkah falls this year, I’m not even sure if there are more or less days between Hanukkah and the dinner, or the dinner and Christmas). So (and i’m guessing here) he feels the holiday celebration is actually a Christmas celebration. Which i guess it is… Or it was at one point… That’s why almost every company is shut down to some degree during the week of Dec 25th to Jan. 1. People take time off, companies may perform something like inventory since it is slower, and only keep a skeleton crew on. But Christmas was the holiday that this is all based around, and that’s not going to change. People are used to having those days off in the US.
I don’t know if i made this clear, but this holiday “dinner” is being held during the normal work day, so it will start in the early afternoon. And it isn’t mandatory (hence the question asking for a headcount), so if people want to go home, they can. Or they can enjoy a nice meal and some free drinks on the company dime. Spouses are invited to attend, but luckily I can’t make it. Woo hoo! And I think this is the case for most people, since it is being held during the day. But if i wanted to go, i’d be welcome, as would any other spouse.
But it isn’t in any way meant to offend ANYONE. I guess if you fast as part of your religious celebration, and that particular day was the day chosen for the dinner, well maybe that could be considered poor form. But in this case, there is no negative intent… Just a small holiday party, which basically boils down to a nice dinner, and a couple of glasses of wine, beer, soda, or water. No kegger!
I guess some people just need something to be bothered by.
This is a bit off topic, but i’m surprised to see so many Jewish atheists on the board. I thought those two words were mutually exclusive, but apparently not.
But thanks all for your input on whether “holiday” is offensive or not. (I may be clueless, but at least not about “holiday” being an offensive word.)
Why would you think the two words were mutually exclusive?
The guy is just a psycho. In the U.S., it’s perfectly common for Jews to use the word holiday to refer to Jewish holidays. “Passover is my favorite holiday” or “Where are you going for the holiday?”
Really? I’m not sure I know any Jews that aren’t atheists, or at least non-theistic. Remember that Jewish isn’t just a religion but a culture. Plenty of folks are culturally Jewish, including observing holidays, but don’t actually believe in the supernatural stuff.
FWIW, I’d throw myself into the non-theistic Jew category. I don’t care enough to be an actual atheist.
You know, truthfully, I don’t remember any Happy Hanukkah signs in offices (and Hanukkah is really a minor holiday) or signs for any other holidays. But if there were one, I am pretty sure there would be no complaints from anyone.
Jewish identity is tribal, not religious. You’re born a Jew, you’re a Jew, whatever your religion is.
Well Santa is hardly religious, OK he was based on a saint but still I don’t consider him religious. He may be considered part of the cultural lexicon of us dispersed Europeans who are/were mainly Christian.
I think most of us here would be in favor of that. I mean, humanity’s gotten a number of formal warnings (the latest by TubaDiva for “unrepentant asshattery”).
But I might, from the smoldering ruins of the last bastion against the formless darkness, start an ATMB thread (to ask “I notice the utter breakdown of society as we know it. Did Western Civilization get banned?”)
Yes.