Before Christmas 2004, there was a commercial – I forget whether it was for Circuit City or Best Buy or somebody else – where the jingle began, “It’s OK if you’re a Christian, a Muslim or a Jew . . .” and concluded “Merry Christmahannukkwaanzakah to you! (And pagans too!)” Some Dopers pitted it as in bad taste, but I thought it was funny.
I haven’t seen that ad this year. Presumably they’ve still got it in the can. Have they refrained from airing it because the current flap over “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays” makes the whole thing too touchy, and they’re afraid of a Christian-conservative consumer boycott? Or do they just not want to repeat the same old gag?
(Or maybe the ad is running and it was just never on while I was watching TV the past few weeks.)
I don’t know what forum this belongs in. Mods, please move if appropriate.
Virgin Mobile has a new ad this year. It’s very weird. It’s a telethon type of setting… and… uh, it is kind of hard to describe. I think it just started to play in the last few days.
But Kwanzaa starts on St. Stephen’s Day, so it still makes sense. Even if a thousand years from now Kwanzaabot will still have to be handing out “What the hell is Kwanzaa?” booklets.
Uh, where did they say that? I don’t recall that at all.
FWIW, in the latest ads, they have people playing the parts of a Hindu, a gay elf, a Buddhist, and Zeus. If all these people can celebrate Chrismakwanzach… whatever, then surely Muslims can join in by buying Virgin mobiles, too.
I don’t think that “Chrismahanukwanzakah” is supposed to be limited to the followers of the Abrahmic religions. After all, they’re pretty clear that it’s O.K. if you’re agnostic and you don’t know what to do!
