Thursday, November 19, 2015

NOT a Dirty Word

I refuse to be one of those people who snarkily responds to the checkout chick at the local Target with a haughty “Merry CHRISTMAS” in response to their forced “happy holidays”.  I just won’t.  While it irritates me that the majority cowers to the minority, my becoming snotty and screaming at innocent people that they should see it MY way is no better than any of “them” who are mortally wounded by my use of the word Christmas.
At the risk of offending more of the perpetually offended I do choose to offer the following completely neutral observation:  Ummm “Christmas” is an official holiday.  Just like Kwanza.  Or Easter.  Or Valentine’s day.  Or Boxing day.  Or Halloween.  So that having been said, is it really so offensive to the Atheists that the rest of us celebrate a holiday by it’s given name?  Christians are not running amok insisting that Jewish folks stop celebrating Hanukkah.  Heck, anyone with even a modicum of history in his or her back pocket realizes that celebrating Columbus day is essentially a gigantic slap in the face and a flying middle finger to American Indians.  Soooo, again, why are we allowing the minority to dictate to the majority?
To that end, I offer this article.  Are we so caught up in the minutia that the idea of an Air Force officer encouraging his troops to participate in the gathering of Christmas gifts for under-privileged children that we’ve completely lost the forest for the trees?  Hell, I would submit that we’ve freaking torched that same forest.  At what point will we stand up to the perpetually offended?  It really is completely OK to have differing opinions!  It’s one of the things that sets our country apart.  Can we please get to a point were we stop screaming at each other and leave each other be?  Because frankly, if a child goes without a Christmas gift because some asshole doesn’t believe in God and is so mortally wounded at the thought of someone else celebrating a holiday that only in the loosest of terms actually bears any resemblance to Christianity, then I can’t think of a more selfish and entitled existence.  Shame on you.

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