A moronic statement from the district after the storm broke:
For fuck’s sake, Santa ceased being a religious symbol a long time ago. Sure, he’s based on a supposed Christian martyr but he has zero to do with Christianity now. Anybody who would take offense at an image of Santa is a fucktard, whatever their religion.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1984 " that the city of Pawtucket, R.I., had not violated the Constitution by displaying a nativity scene accompanied by “secular” decorations like a Santa Claus house, reindeer, a Christmas tree and an elephant." Santa Clause house - secular, you narrow-minded school-district killjoys. Let the kids enjoy seeing Santa at Christmas in the schools, assholes. I guarantee no kids are going to run from the class screaming “I’m so offended!”. They exist only in your fevered imaginations. And if some stupid parent comes in complaining tell them to blow it out their ass. Santa isn’t Christian any more, live with it.
I celebrate Christmas in a wholly pagan, Santa-oriented sort of way, but I see the wisdom in not overtly celebrating it in public schools. Santa might not be a strongly Christian image, but he’s a strongly Christmas image, and it is, after all, a religious holiday.
My son literally got sent to the principal’s office in third grade because when he was asked by another kid if he believed in Santa he said no (we’re Jewish). And no, he didn’t mock or tease the kid, he simply said “no”. He was accused by the teacher of spoiling everyone else’s Christmas. Yes, please keep this out of the schools. The Christian kids get all the celebration they could want and school can be a place where non-Christian kids can just not be reminded once again they aren’t part of the majority.
There is this to consider. I never liked the Santa Claus traditions because unless their parents get very lucky with the Make-A-Wish Trees, Toys for Tots etc., it just seems like a way to make poor kids feel more miserable on Christmas. “Didn’t get the toys, you wanted. Guess you just weren’t good enough.”
I am not offended by images of Santa but to say that he has zero to do with Christianity is just plain wrong. It is amazing how many people buy into the idea of secular Christmas - there is no such thing.
Mr. Claus is undeniably a Christmas thing. I oppose all things Christmas, especially in the schools. (Although I did have a small part in our 5th grade Christmas play, in which Santa was a main character. Things were different in 1969…)
So the fuck what? The Supreme Court has made bad decisions in the past based on current “feelings” as opposed to legal reasoning. The decision was 5-4 in Lynch v. Donnelly and in the dissent by the narrow minority, it was said: “The effect on minority religious groups, as well as on those who may reject religion, is to convey the message that their views are not similarly worthy of public recognition nor entitled to public support. It was precisely this sort of chauvinism that the Establishment Clause was intended forever to prohibit.”
Then in 1989 in the County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union case, the crèche was found to be unconstitutional due to its placement.
No thanks. What educational value is Santa providing anyways? Might as well talk about the Snuggle Fabric Softener bear and have valuable time spent on that too.
“We have no policies or directives around this issue, we merely want to remind staff that we need to create inclusive and welcoming spaces for all of our students and realize that many of our students-because of their religion, culture, or other beliefs-do not feel comfortable (and in many cases may not be allowed by their parents) participating in activities that are holiday-based or religious in nature, or being surrounded by imagery that is a direct affront to them.”
Is this an example of that “projection” all the kiddos are talking about nowadays? Because actually, being bothered by this action is the narrow minded thing.
I celebrated Christmas as a child for several years before I learned that it had a religious significance for some people. The first time I sang Silent Night it confused me because I didn’t know what it was about. (The obscure language didn’t help.)
My mother was culturally Christian and a Quaker humanist. My father was an atheist Jew who thought Christmas would be more fun for the kids than Hanukkah.
It was a totally secular holiday for us, and it still is.
Why are my family traditions less real/valuable than anyone else’s?
Seems to me that restricting ‘Santa’ is an odd choice - if you want to be sensitive to those that dont celebrate, then you should restrict all decorations - for all holidays - not just a single image from one specific holiday.
Or, you find a way to show images from all holidays that your class represents as a way of expanding childrens knowledge of ‘other’ holidays - but of course, I’m sure there are a few who will be offended by that.
For those that celebrate none - (for religious or other reasons) - the holidays suck no matter what , kids are cruel little beasts.
But the later note makes it clear that this only applies to Santa displays that are excessive or over-the-top. Students who aren’t comfortable with normal Christmas displays are out of luck.
Too bad for you, at least in the Hillsboro School District.
The point is, for the most part the people who are arguing that Christmas is a secular holiday are usually trying to minimize the frustrations and concerns of non-Christmas celebrators, usually those who actively participate in another religion.
While some people may celebrate Christmas in a totally secular way, that does not convert Christmas into a secular holiday. Just like that some people emphasize religious teachings along with thanksgiving, doesn’t turn Thanksgiving into a religious holiday.
Of course there is. I celebrate Christmas, and I’m a secularist. Why on earth would secular Christmas not be a thing?