Why do people freak out about "Happy holidays"?

[kulade]

People only complain about "Happy Holidays" when their lives are without real trouble and they haven't met their human quota of inconsequential things to complain about.

 

[CaptainF]

Because they want something to freak out about.

Cleo

That or they have no lives.

I'll play it safe and just say they have no lives.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

Why do people freak out about "Happy holidays"?

Maybe because they feel that they are being pressured to be happy when they have been too busy all year being unhappy?

 

[amadeus]

No it's not.

It is to nearly 80% of Americans. I should also add that if I had my choice of what people would say to me, I'd prefer just a simple "thanks for shopping here" or "have a nice day" and cut the season out of it entirely.

Some non-Christians DO celebrate what they call "Christmas".. for convenience's sake, if anything. I mean, there is a Christmas tree, you eat food with family, share gifts, get drunk, might as well call it Christmas, right?

I'm pretty sure that's how most Christians celebrate Christmas too, warpus... it's become more of a cultural holiday than a religious one, which is why I say we should just call it "Christmas" and stop bastardizing the language to save the feelings of a few nitwits.

 

[warpus]

It is to nearly 80% of Americans. I should also add that if I had my choice of what people would say to me, I'd prefer just a simple "thanks for shopping here" or "have a nice day" and cut the season out of it entirely.

Which is better, if you don't know somebody's name:

A) Happy birthday, Steve!
B) Happy birthday, dude!

?

Even if 80% of people where I lived were named Steve, I wouldn't risk insulting 20% of my customers by calling them something they are not. That is bad for business. It is also annoying.

I'm pretty sure that's how most Christians celebrate Christmas too, warpus... it's become more of a cultural holiday than a religious one, which is why I say we should just call it "Christmas" and stop bastardizing the language to save the feelings of a few nitwits.

Yeah.. but.. you get the part where not everybody celebrates Christmas, right?

 

[admiral-bell]

I'm pretty sure that's how most Christians celebrate Christmas too, warpus... it's become more of a cultural holiday than a religious one, which is why I say we should just call it "Christmas" and stop bastardizing the language to save the feelings of a few nitwits.

The English language is already an incredibly bastardized language. French, German, Latin, Greek, etc. English has stolen extensively from all of these languages. There is no purity to protect in the language, he's very promiscuous bastard.

Oh, and I'm sure that calling every single Jew and all of the others who don't celebrate Christmas "nitwits" is accurate. Actually, I'd call those who leap to protect a silly word (Christmas) the real nitwits.

 

[History_Buff]

No it's not.

Holidays means Christmas, new years eve, Hannukah, Saturnalia, Kwanzaa, or whatever people end up celebrating and/or doing over the break.

Muslims don't have a particular thing to celebrate during that time, but they think highly of Jesus anyway.. and like.. imagine you're a Muslim guy living in the U.S. It's cold outside, you get a couple days off, as do all your friends, family members, loved ones, etc. Not only that, but EVERYTHING CLOSES DOWN. You might as well get together with people you care about, socialize, have a meal, etc. Right? Cause that's what some muslims end up doing during the "Holidays"

They don't do it over Christmas, because they're not celebrating Christmas. Neither are Jews, some atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, and whoever else.

Some non-Christians DO celebrate what they call "Christmas".. for convenience's sake, if anything. I mean, there is a Christmas tree, you eat food with family, share gifts, get drunk, might as well call it Christmas, right?

Anyway, you are way wrong dude.

Well put sir.

 

[Zkribbler]

O'Reilly just wants it to be univerally acknowledged that Christianity is the One True Religion.

 

[civ_king]

It is to nearly 80% of Americans. I should also add that if I had my choice of what people would say to me, I'd prefer just a simple "thanks for shopping here" or "have a nice day" and cut the season out of it entirely.


I'm pretty sure that's how most Christians celebrate Christmas too, warpus... it's become more of a cultural holiday than a religious one, which is why I say we should just call it "Christmas" and stop bastardizing the language to save the feelings of a few nitwits.

so tell me, are you a happy anti-Semitic?

 

[Quackers]

They use "Happy Holidays" to appease the very vocal angry minorities who for some reason hate Christianity. I'm an athiest and if anyone said "Merry Christmas" to me I'll say it back! What is the big deal?

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

They use "Happy Holidays" to appease the very vocal angry minorities who for some reason hate Christianity. I'm an athiest and if anyone said "Merry Christmas" to me I'll say it back! What is the big deal?

I usually response by saying "have a happy Baby Jesus Day."

I don't get many responses from that.

 

[MobBoss]

I think I want to challenge the point of people actually freaking out. I see people use 'Happy Holidays' and also Merry Christmas' all the time. I dont see people freak out about it.

I think people freak out about people being rude this time of year. Not over the use of a polite greeting.

 

[Formaldehyde]

In other words, you didn't read the article or watch the videos I posted on page one? That you are totally oblivious to this "war on Christmas", which Fox News and the Christian right have been "fighting" for years now?


Link to video.

 

[Smellincoffee]

Just recently I heard a song from the late fifties or sixties titled "Happy Holidays". I'm guessing Bill'O pulled the war on Christmas out of his ass. People get excited about it because people like to get excited about things -- doesn't matter how trivial or ill-considered.

 

[civ_king]

Just recently I heard a song from the late fifties or sixties titled "Happy Holidays". I'm guessing Bill'O pulled the war on Christmas out of his ass. People get excited about it because people like to get excited about things -- doesn't matter how trivial or ill-considered.

when was the last time he had an issues with something real and not a fail strawman?

 

[MobBoss]

In other words, you didn't read the article or watch the videos I posted on page one? That you are totally oblivious to this "war on Christmas", which Fox News and the Christian right have been "fighting" for years now?

Not sure how many times I have to say this before it finally sinks in for you. I am not a big Bill O fan.

I dont think there is a 'war' on Chistmas per se, but I do think there are small groups that do indeed think they are waging war on Christmas....ie. the quasi-militant athiests who insist on publising extremely rude messages during the holidays.

I actually dont mind people telling me 'happy holidays' as I realize there are much worse things they could say, and I consider saying HH as being polite. The group responsible for putting up such signs that say 'Yes, Virginia There Is No God' are just a bunch of rude asshats out to be confrontational. Nothing more.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Not sure how many times I have to say this before it finally sinks in for you. I am not a big Bill O fan.

Not sure how many times I have to say this before it finally sinks in for you. Mentioning that you are not a Bill O'Reilly fan is an obvious red herring.

Although a close variant of the term "War on Christmas" is believed to have first been coined by British American journalist Peter Brimelow in 1999,[12][13] the concept of a modern-day "War on Christmas" only became widely discussed in the United States and Canada during the first few years of the 2000s decade, often credited particularly to an exposure of the issue by American commentator Bill O'Reilly.[14][15]

The claim among Brimelow, O'Reilly, and later a variety of prominent media figures and others was that any specific mention of the term "Christmas" or its religious aspects was being increasingly censored, avoided, or discouraged by a number of advertisers, retailers, government (prominently schools), and other public and secular organizations.

A variety of Christians and non-Christians alike[8][16][17][18] have agreed with these claims to varying degrees. Some believe that this perceived censorship also extends to Easter and Good Friday, where generic terms—particularly "Spring holiday"—are sometimes used to avoid reference to those holidays.

While O'Reilly was an early proponent of this predominantly right-wing religious crusade to try to force retailers into using "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays", it is obviously not limited to him and his sycophants.

You can try to pretend that there is no widescale "war on Christmas" campaign being waged by the Christian right, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. But it is obviously not going to change anything. The facts continue to be the facts.

Happy holidays.

 

[El_Machinae]

I totally trolled one of my co-workers yesterday with a "Happy Holidays". It was hilarious. It was at the end of a lengthy colleague chat and everyone knew I was digging at him.

It can be innocent as an expression, obviously. But it can also be used as code for "I'm trying to ruin the Christ in Christmas!". Or, in my case, it was "I'm pretending to ruin the Christ in Christmas!"

 

[EnglishEdward]

If a person tell you off for saying "Happy Christmas",
I suggest you wait until they say Wednesday or Thursday
and then announce that you don't believe in Wodin or Thor.

 

[El_Machinae]

Not sure how many times I have to say this before it finally sinks in for you. Mentioning that you are not a Bill O'Reilly fan is an obvious red herring.

You can try to pretend that there is no widescale "war on Christmas" campaign being waged by the Christian right, despite the overwheliming evidence to the contrary. But it's obviously not going to change anything. It just shows that you are apparently deliberately not reading the articles or watching the videos I have posted.

You know what? It doesn't matter if he pays attention to your posts. He wasn't replying to you when he commented in the thread. He doesn't have to care about your position. And pointing out again that he didn't watch your videos, when he says he doesn't care doesn't move a conversation forward either.

Yes, you have tons to say about Bill O'Reilly. We can still have our opinions or insights. We don't have to watch your videos.