Happy Holidays
Bill O'Reilly and the right-wing Christian whackos are politicizing the Christmas season by taking offense at people and businesses who use the phrase "Happy Holidays". I've used "Happy Holidays" ever since I first started hanging with Jewish people. If anyone I say "Happy Holidays" takes offense, I will be happy to revoke my greeting, and offer them the opposite.
(Muttering underneath his breath - "These Christian Taliban assholes are really starting to piss me off . . .")
posted by Dan at 12/23/2004 06:21:00 AM
5 Comments:
Opinion from a Christian with friends who represent many faiths (or no faith):
I usually say Happy Holidays because it is thoughtful, considerate and inoffensive. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with saying Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, etc., but some who are more sensitive take offense. Why offend if you don't have to? Especially when the purpose of the greeting is to share some good will.
When someone of another faith wishes me a pleasant holiday from their faith, I take it for what it is - someone wishing me well. I don't assume they are beating me over the head with their faith. I don't assume they are trying to convert me. Friends wish each other well. We should all relax, enjoy the fact that many people are celebrating something and just bask in the glow of some mutual good will. We should be considerate in our greetings, but accept with gratitude the greetings of others even when they do not carefully choose their words.
God bless you all!
(For those of you who are agnostic or atheist, please understand that I am wishing you well, not trying to force you to believe something. You need not agree with me that there is a good and wonderful God. You only need to understand that I believe it is so and that I am wishing you the best this holiday season)
Res - I am in complete agreement with you. Merry Christmas.
What I don't understand about O'Reilly and his crew with this particular complaint is that "Happy Holidays" INCLUDES Christmas. Christmas IS a holiday last I checked so by wishing somebody a "Happy Holiday" you are inhrently wishing them a Merry Christmas.
Interesting question (in the spirit of fun so don't take it too seriously): How do you take it if an atheist says "God bless you"?
dolphin
http://www.dolphinsdock.com/blog
Dolphin:
Great question. For me, it all depends on the tone (assuming I guess it correctly). If an atheist is wishing me well, I'm glad for the kind thought. I figure, as long as someone's trying to be kind, I'm not going to worry too much about how they express it. Life's too short to worry about things like that. Now if someone hits me with a big stick, I'll get upset about that, regardless of their race, creed, color or sexual orientation.
Res nullius
LJ:
Perhaps my language was a tiny bit harsh, but Bill "falafel" O"Reilly and anyone else who decided to criticize people for using "Happy Holidays" are as I described them. Sorry, but I call 'em like I see 'em.
This whole topic has generated so much muddled thinking, it's incredible. My brother-in-law made a point of wishing me a Merry Christmas on Christmas Day, apparently under the wholly mistaken impression that I would take offense. I am happy to have people wish me any kind of good will - it's the lunatics (that's another word you can chide me for, LJ) who want to get up in your grill for using "Happy Holidays" that need a good slap upside the head. IMHO.
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