On Political Correctness: Wish me a Merry Break
Now
that the Christmas season is over, we can all breathe a sigh of relief,
many of you because the shopping marathon has come to an end, or
because you sent the in-laws off this morning, or because you dodged a
bullet and succeeded in fulfilling your greedy child’s wishes.
Me, I am just happy that the stores will begin taking down the decorations, the marketers will turn their attention to Super bowl, or Valentine’s Day ads, and people will just return to saying hello, or, as is most often the case, brazenly ignoring each other as they push old ladies down on their way to catch the 8:20 train. And I’ll have until around next October to live free of hearing such expressions as Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, or, my personal favorite, “Have a terrific December-based obligatory gift giving all inclusive period of time.”
You see, as nauseatingly sentimental as Christmas once was, I have found its politically correct sterility even more aggravating, as hollowed of meaning as International Talk Like Pirate Day.
But wait Christopher Hitchens, before you go adding my name to your hit list of Christian fascists you should know that yes, in most every case, I am a secularist. I’m not only a secularist, but a non-believer. And I’m not only a non-believer but an often radical crusader against Christianity.
But, for me, Christmas doesn’t fall into that category of teaching evolution, abortion, the Ten Commandments on courtroom walls, or prayer in school. You see our education is a right and necessity of all citizens, as is the justice system, as are reproductive rights. It doesn’t seem like a legitimate part of the debate over secular government. And in fact, Christmas might be the only non-oppressive aspect of popular Christian culture. So for this one time every year, I am not put off by the overt religiosity in Christmas greetings, decorations, or practices.
That is because Christmas is a choice. It has nothing to do with government, law, or fairness. Christmas is a Christian holiday, imported to this piece of land along with many features of Christian European culture. We may not be a government of Christianity, but we are a nation of mostly Christians. We may be a nation of equality, but we are not a nation void of an historical cultural identity. And that happens to be mostly Christian. If you don’t believe me, take a look at so many of our traditions, like wedding and funeral practices. Look at how Puritanism pervades our attitudes about sex.
Christianity is tattooed in our social consciousness, whether we like to admit it or not. It is a part of our art, our literature, and our music. And though time has allowed us to be more open-minded about how we define our values, we still owe a great deal of our national culture to the culture of Christianity. And not least among that culture, is this yearly celebration.
So if there is any real relevance in Christmas, it is in its historical and religious meaning. And one does not have to be a believer to learn about and appreciate those facts. We know that it is not actually Jesus’ birthday, but so to do we know Moses did not part the red sea. I guess the Jews should remove that from the Seder. We know that pagans from the British Isles inserted the tree into the celebration, but so too do we know that Columbus slaughtered thousands of Native Americans, and never set foot on United States soil. And he gets his own day.
The point is Christmas is a tradition, built on myths and irrational customs, and that makes it a cultural phenomenon, like Aztec mythology, or pagan fertility rituals. So it’s the lack of religion in Christmas that kills any meaning, and leaves nothing left but rampant materialism, and what is usually a fairly tense and awkward family dinner. And those meaningless holiday greetings.
It is true that traditions must evolve over time. And so too must Christmas, as immigration continues in this country, and American values and beliefs begin to incorporate those from other cultures. But we non-faithful are given a wealth of various other traditions and customs to throw our support behind. I don’t see why we even need Christmas to feel like it’s ours. So let us end the contrived attempts to increase its marketability. No one has convinced me that Christmas is a right, nor that it should even be considered a publicly endorsed holiday. It belongs to a particular cultural and religious group. And yet each year we fumble around trying to figure a way to include everyone.
If you are not Christian, then don’t celebrate. It’s as simple as that. Jews have managed for quite some time. As their Christian friends stay in Christmas day to open presents, they go to see Fiddler on the Roof in an empty theater, while their Muslim counterparts sit in the theater next door and watch their family favorite, Infidel on Our Land. And everyone is happy.
And for those Jews, or Muslims, or Hindus, or atheists who feel left out...well, I can see no reason why the holiday should change to suit your beliefs. There are 364 more days in the year. Celebrate how you believe, when you believe. And if you like Christmas, then partake as much as you wish, but don’t ask the more devout celebrators to water down their culture to the point of a mundane, sterile, political correctness, for if you were living in India today, you wouldn’t ask the Shiva statues be removed from your office building. Nor would you travel to the Middle East during Ramadan, and ask everyone to tone down the public display of Allah-worship.
And remember, for most of the year, radical Christianity is attempting to control our politics, teach ignorance in schools, and oppress women. Give them this day, and let us take back the rest of the year.
Me, I am just happy that the stores will begin taking down the decorations, the marketers will turn their attention to Super bowl, or Valentine’s Day ads, and people will just return to saying hello, or, as is most often the case, brazenly ignoring each other as they push old ladies down on their way to catch the 8:20 train. And I’ll have until around next October to live free of hearing such expressions as Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, or, my personal favorite, “Have a terrific December-based obligatory gift giving all inclusive period of time.”
You see, as nauseatingly sentimental as Christmas once was, I have found its politically correct sterility even more aggravating, as hollowed of meaning as International Talk Like Pirate Day.
But wait Christopher Hitchens, before you go adding my name to your hit list of Christian fascists you should know that yes, in most every case, I am a secularist. I’m not only a secularist, but a non-believer. And I’m not only a non-believer but an often radical crusader against Christianity.
But, for me, Christmas doesn’t fall into that category of teaching evolution, abortion, the Ten Commandments on courtroom walls, or prayer in school. You see our education is a right and necessity of all citizens, as is the justice system, as are reproductive rights. It doesn’t seem like a legitimate part of the debate over secular government. And in fact, Christmas might be the only non-oppressive aspect of popular Christian culture. So for this one time every year, I am not put off by the overt religiosity in Christmas greetings, decorations, or practices.
That is because Christmas is a choice. It has nothing to do with government, law, or fairness. Christmas is a Christian holiday, imported to this piece of land along with many features of Christian European culture. We may not be a government of Christianity, but we are a nation of mostly Christians. We may be a nation of equality, but we are not a nation void of an historical cultural identity. And that happens to be mostly Christian. If you don’t believe me, take a look at so many of our traditions, like wedding and funeral practices. Look at how Puritanism pervades our attitudes about sex.
Christianity is tattooed in our social consciousness, whether we like to admit it or not. It is a part of our art, our literature, and our music. And though time has allowed us to be more open-minded about how we define our values, we still owe a great deal of our national culture to the culture of Christianity. And not least among that culture, is this yearly celebration.
So if there is any real relevance in Christmas, it is in its historical and religious meaning. And one does not have to be a believer to learn about and appreciate those facts. We know that it is not actually Jesus’ birthday, but so to do we know Moses did not part the red sea. I guess the Jews should remove that from the Seder. We know that pagans from the British Isles inserted the tree into the celebration, but so too do we know that Columbus slaughtered thousands of Native Americans, and never set foot on United States soil. And he gets his own day.
The point is Christmas is a tradition, built on myths and irrational customs, and that makes it a cultural phenomenon, like Aztec mythology, or pagan fertility rituals. So it’s the lack of religion in Christmas that kills any meaning, and leaves nothing left but rampant materialism, and what is usually a fairly tense and awkward family dinner. And those meaningless holiday greetings.
It is true that traditions must evolve over time. And so too must Christmas, as immigration continues in this country, and American values and beliefs begin to incorporate those from other cultures. But we non-faithful are given a wealth of various other traditions and customs to throw our support behind. I don’t see why we even need Christmas to feel like it’s ours. So let us end the contrived attempts to increase its marketability. No one has convinced me that Christmas is a right, nor that it should even be considered a publicly endorsed holiday. It belongs to a particular cultural and religious group. And yet each year we fumble around trying to figure a way to include everyone.
If you are not Christian, then don’t celebrate. It’s as simple as that. Jews have managed for quite some time. As their Christian friends stay in Christmas day to open presents, they go to see Fiddler on the Roof in an empty theater, while their Muslim counterparts sit in the theater next door and watch their family favorite, Infidel on Our Land. And everyone is happy.
And for those Jews, or Muslims, or Hindus, or atheists who feel left out...well, I can see no reason why the holiday should change to suit your beliefs. There are 364 more days in the year. Celebrate how you believe, when you believe. And if you like Christmas, then partake as much as you wish, but don’t ask the more devout celebrators to water down their culture to the point of a mundane, sterile, political correctness, for if you were living in India today, you wouldn’t ask the Shiva statues be removed from your office building. Nor would you travel to the Middle East during Ramadan, and ask everyone to tone down the public display of Allah-worship.
And remember, for most of the year, radical Christianity is attempting to control our politics, teach ignorance in schools, and oppress women. Give them this day, and let us take back the rest of the year.
posted by Nick Denney | 4:09 PM
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