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The last time I checked America is mostly a Christian country and Christmas has been a national celebration since this nation's founding. If immigrants are offended by this, then why do they come here?
If I were to immigrate to Isreal, I wouldn't complain about someone telling me "Happy Hanukkah". Nor would I be offended if I immigrated to a Muslim country and someone told me "Happy Ramadan".
America was created by Europeans. And Europeans have made up most of the population of this nation ever since. If you don't like the fact that this country has customs based on Western Civilization and Christianity, then please leave. Don't stay here and make things miserable for the majority population.
Now I am just waiting for someone to say "well the Native Americans were here first". What I have to say to that in response is that this continent was wildnerness when they lived here. Immigrants didn't have any interest in coming here until Europeans carved a great nation out of an uncivilized continent. So your argument will have no validity to this topic.
For you and me it is the Christmas Holiday, for others it is something else, I do not see the issue.
Casper
For you and me it is the Christmas Holiday, for others it is something else, I do not see the issue.
Casper
Their argument emerges from the same source that all the arguments of this nature emerge: they, ultimately, want a society full of people who look, think, and worship precisely as they do.
They are threatened by the possibility that they do not have the one true path and that others might have different but equally valid paths.
After reading all this I've had to seriously re-think my December greetings.
I've always said Merry Christmas and I've rarely had people wish me a Happy Holidays at home. All that changed when I got here to the US where either term can be used. I wasn't overly concerned that I'd offend anyone by my habitual use of the term Merry Christmas because I'm already an oddity with my supposed "accent" and seemingly people are just offering and accepting greetings of good will BUT now I see there's a HUGE undercurrent and swirling, seething mass of human emotion attached to such simple things. The implications of which are HUGE!!!! I would hate to think that someone on the receiving end of a Merry Christmas from me would be offended, or worse, thinking I was intending the greeting in any way to force a Christian agenda upon them, or that I have much more than an inkling about the US Constitution OR even WHO the Founding Fathers are, let alone what they meant. NOR would I want anyone to think I was in any way aligned with Bill O'Reilly. It's true, I'm probably a liberal in terms of how Americans categorize but just so we're clear, for any Australians who happen to be reading, I am most definitely NOT a Liberal!
Unfortunately I doubt very much I'll be able to ingrain Happy Holidays as a preferred response before the season is over after decades of saying Merry Christmas SOOOOOO from here on in please accept my use of the very Australian term BONZA CHRISSY!!!! (Bonza being great, excellent, good and Chrissy being Australian for Christmas (something most Australians rarely see as a religious term) but shortened and the Y added to the end in the traditional Australian fashion. )
Please accept my Australian seasonal greetings in the spirit with which they are given. I wish only to extend good will and happiness and seasonal spirit and I am fully prepared now to weather the odd looks and confused expressions that such a term, with accompanying Australian "accent", will probably provoke but I feel it is the only way to ensure that I can be smiled at politely and forgiven any indiscretion as the oddity I am around these parts.
So
BONZA CHRISSY to you all!
And yet.. I've not read a single reply on this board by somebody who claimed to be offended by receiving a Merry Christmas. But a Bonza Chrissy to you and yours as well
((Btw, you probably get a lot of "funny" looks from people about your Australian accent because people are jealous that it sounds a lot better than their accents))
And yet.. I've not read a single reply on this board by somebody who claimed to be offended by receiving a Merry Christmas. But a Bonza Chrissy to you and yours as well
To be honest I'm a little ignorant when it comes to Americans in that most of my experience of them is on message boards and it's not like there isn't some strange things go on on message boards. Of the Americans I've actually been around and spent time with in person it's a rare occasion if I offend anyone and generally that is a misunderstanding because of cultural differences anyway and quickly sorted out. I am only ever offended IF I detect that offense was intended and I assume that folks, no matter where they're from, are pretty much the same as me, well you know except for those that get offended the minute they wake up every morning but there's not a lot can be done for them.
I can understand that people are resistant to change and also that the globalization of the world is making us all multicultural, which on one hand is great but it is also eroding culture and traditions and I'm not sure we'll not all end up one big homogeneous mess in the end. I hope not. There are distinctive things in all cultures that I hope will never change.
But a BONZA CHRISSY, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Felice Navidad, Happy Quanza, Happy Hannukah, **insert whichever greeting you'd prefer here** to you and all!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rita Mordio
((Btw, you probably get a lot of "funny" looks from people about your Australian accent because people are jealous that it sounds a lot better than their accents))
Well I'm not so sure it's that they're jealous. There seems to be a good deal of confusion, starting with the startled and confused look that clearly I'm not from "here", followed closely by the realization that yes, I am in fact, speaking English of some description and then comes the guessing game about where I'm from. So far I've been confused for Kiwi, English and Irish (suits me as I love all those accents ) I even had another Aussie come up and say g'day on the ferry back from Martha's Vineyard because he recognized my accent. Which cracked me up because I STILL don't think I have one! Anyway all that said I love the accents around here and often sit quietly listening to people speak. Not so much to hear what they're talking about (because I hate being an eavesdropper) but just to hear that marvelous accent! Of course my feeble attempts at mimicking it are kept solely for MM's ears only.
I guess this is a bit of a tangent from the thread topic but as far as I can see so far in my experience NO ONE has said anything to me about being offended by my Pavlovian use of the term Merry Christmas so I can only assume that a) they're prepared to cut me some slack for being un-PC on account of my accent OR b) people really do just accept which ever seasonal greeting is extended to them in the spirit in which it is given.
AND if it's because of a) then I see no reason why folks can't extend the same courtesy to all.
No one gets offended if you say 'Merry Christmas'. People understand it's the "Christmas season" and most people celebrate the day in one way or another, even if it has nothing to do with a Pagan celebration of the birth of a Jew.
The only people who get offended at "Happy Holidays" is a small conservative sect.
So, carry on with your Merry Christmases, and a Bonza Chrissy to you!
(and we are jealous of your Australian accent, even though we probably think you're British. Our boring TV accents don't stand a chance against a good looking guy with an Australian accent when it comes to women. Game. Set. Match)
Ah, yes, what is as comforting as the consistent "war on Christmas" theme we know we can expect every year at this time on C-D? I, personally, love it whenever someone starts a thread expressing their outrage as the OP has done here. It's more amusing than anything network television can dream up...which makes me wonder why there isn't a War on Christmas sitcom. They could use several threads from this forum as scripts!
It's great that you find it all so amusing. It's sad that we have no shortage of folks like you who will stand around and laugh while Western civilization burns. Very patriotic. Very culturally aware.
Does that sound very respectful? You can't demand respect or say that respect is key, when you obviously lack that trait as well. Respect is a two-way street.
Stupidity and nonsense deserve no respect. I have about as much respect for "Wicca" as I have for Scientology: Made up trash propogated by either the deranged or the financially-driven and believed by the utterly sad and pathetic. To put any major religion (Yes, this includes Judaism, Islam, etc.) on par with these sick cults would be hilarious if it wasn't so insulting,
I guess that wasn't very respectful. I'll have to ask the moon goddess to reverse my negative aura.
It's great that you find it all so amusing. It's sad that we have no shortage of folks like you who will stand around and laugh while Western civilization burns. Very patriotic. Very culturally aware.
Culturally aware also includes being aware of other cultures. Not just yours.
Happy Holidays!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ReluctantGardenStater
Stupidity and nonsense deserve no respect. I have about as much respect for "Wicca" as I have for Scientology: Made up trash propogated by either the deranged or the financially-driven and believed by the utterly sad and pathetic. To put any major religion (Yes, this includes Judaism, Islam, etc.) on par with these sick cults would be hilarious if it wasn't so insulting,
I guess that wasn't very respectful. I'll have to ask the moon goddess to reverse my negative aura.
Ignorant people.
I could sooo say the same thing about Christianity. Made up trash propogated by either the deranged or the financially-driven and believed by the utterly sad and pathetic.
It can easily backfire. Before you go calling other people ignorant, look at yourself.
Culturally aware also includes being aware of other cultures. Not just yours.
Happy Holidays!
Yes, which is quite important.
It's great for a Frenchman to study Mandarin Chinese, but it doesn't mean it belongs in his country and should be given equal status as French because it's "another culture".
Everything in its place.
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Right! That does it! 
and seemingly people are just offering and accepting greetings of good will BUT now I see there's a HUGE undercurrent and swirling, seething mass of human emotion attached to such simple things. 
The implications of which are HUGE!!!! 
I would hate to think that someone on the receiving end of a Merry Christmas from me would be offended, or worse, thinking I was intending the greeting in any way to force a Christian agenda upon them, or that I have much more than an inkling about the US Constitution OR even WHO the Founding Fathers are, let alone what they meant. 
It's true, I'm probably a liberal in terms of how Americans categorize but just so we're clear, for any Australians who happen to be reading, I am most definitely NOT a Liberal! 
