We've lost the War on Christmas: Wal-Mart brings back "Merry Christmas"

[flvegan]

and abandons "Happy Holidays"

http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/09/news/companies/walmart_christmas/index.htm?postversion=2006110909
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Wal-Mart has told its employees that it's OK to once again greet shoppers by saying "Merry Christmas" this holiday season instead of the generic "Happy Holidays."

CNN confirmed that Wal-Mart will announce Thursday that it plans to use the phrase "Merry Christmas" in products and around its stores this holiday season.

Screw it. It wasn't catchy, anyway. This year, I'm all about my self-proclaimed "War-ah on the Menorah" WWE style.

[Reverend_Smitty]

1. Ah don't give up...

we may have lost this battle but we 'libruls' haven't lost the war yet :P

[The Wielding Truth]

19. Geez, Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukka ! and Happy all those things.

Let people celebrate their religious holidays. Happy Happy Day!!Are you afraid of being respectful of others during their sacred holidays? Wishing happiness doesn't annoy or scare me. We and they are allowed to enjoy their traditions with respect.

[Reverend_Smitty]

20. I actually meant it more as a sarcastic post

I could care less how people celebrate their holidays...I just get annoyed with the media obsession over it

[The Wielding Truth]

21. Okay. Well ...Happy Thursday! then.... my fellow DUer.

:pals:

[RedStateShame]

2. That does it!! Buddha statues for everyone in my family this year!!!

[Westegg]

3. Time to watch "Santa Vs. Jesus" again!/NT

[Fleshdancer]

4. I want to start the war on the word "Merry" instead.

Why not Jolly Christmas? Fun Christmas? Feel Good Christmas? Give and Receive A Lot of Cheap Crap You Don't Need Because You Bought In To the Corporate Message That Spending Money Equals Love Christmas???

[flvegan]

5. You've just proven that the terra-ists have won.

I HOPE you're happy.

[Fleshdancer]

6. As long as I'm not Merry, all is good

Happy Christmas could work. If that speeds up the terrorist network, then so be it. :D

[SacredCow]

7. I understand the point behind the anti "Merry Christmas" movement...

But I think it's a waste of time to get offended by something like that. I doubt very seriously that anybody, even the most ardent FReeper says, "Merry Christmas" with the intent to offend.

[Dangerously Amused]

13. Well I agree, I don't think anybody (or not many) say it TO be offensive, but

...that is the problem encapsulated: they don't even realize that it might be offensive. And if you told them it was offensive, then they would get offended because you are trying to oppress them from freely imposing their religious opinions on others.

[SacredCow]

14. I can accept that some of that...

But it's not a one-size-fits-all arguement on either side. Is someone trying to impose their religious opinion by simply saying "Merry Christmas?" I find that concept a little far-fetched in this day and age, when Christmas is viewed by the vast majority as a holiday about Santa Claus and getting presents.

It's a fine line, but my overall assertion is that people offended by somebody saying "Merry Christmas" are probably looking to be offended (knowingly or otherwise).

And, for the record, this is coming from an agnostic! I'm not belittling anybody's view- just stating my own! :-)

[Dangerously Amused]

18. My thoughts.

I appreciate your views whether or not we agree. I do agree that it's not a one-size-fits-all argument on either side, and I also agree that most people are not trying to "impose their religious opinion on others" by simply saying "Merry Christmas" in any but the broadest sense. Perhaps "imposing their opinion" was not a good choice of words to support that position. Let me try another perspective:

I think that most people who greet strangers with "Merry Christmas" would be offended if one responded with a sincere and heartfelt "Satan loves you," spoken with all the goodwill and spirit as the Christmas greeting. I think the Christians would be offended for all the same reasons that many others people are frustrated and offended when they are presumptively "Christian" unless and until they are required to inform another otherwise.

What do you think?

[SacredCow]

28. That makes sense to me...

I think the biggest disconnect for me is the simple fact that I've developed the ability of selective hearing.

As a gay man that is out only to family and friends I hear plenty of gay bashing jokes at work. It used to offend me, but I came to the realization that many of them probably wouldn't say anything if they only knew about me. It's not their fault that they don't know- I keep it that way because I like my privacy. In the same fashion, I don't have a qualm with anyone who says "Merry Christmas" out of habit. When someone says something I don't like, I just let it roll off.

Then there's the whole notion of outlawing, or making rules against saying certain words because it might offend somebody- I'm not a proponent of that, simply because it is blatant "thought police." If we, as Democrats, want free speech, we have to take the good with the bad.

And, by the way- I also appreciate your views regardless of whether we share them. Nothing wrong with agreeing to disagree! :-)

[Avalux]

8. CNN said they may even have a baby Jesus display.

And then the female prompt-reader noted "that could start a whole new controversy". :o

[flvegan]

9. "Attn Wal-Mart shoppers, big sale on Pampers, just like the ones on baby Jesus...

going on now. And don't forget to pick up the new Kraco toddler car seat, just like the one baby Jesus will be riding home in."

[LeftyMom]

22. The baby Jesus has cloth diapers, dear. Swaddling cloths, not paper, gel and dioxin.

Mary musta been a hippie or somethin'.

[flvegan]

26. Not the WalMart version.

This nativity scene brought to you by...
Proctor and Gamble: good enough for Jesus, good enough for you;
and
Sony: we bring history (as seen by some, but not all) to life

[LeftyMom]

27. Well, if this is the WalMart nativity, God bought the Baby Jesus from the Chinese

and Mary couldn't return him because she had no receipt.

[Deep13]

10. What will O'Reilly bitch and moan about this year?

[petronius]

11. Not to worry - as long as one liberal (or even one person who can be called

a liberal) anywhere in the world says one thing that is in the slightest bit critical of Christmas celebrations, then O'Reilly will have a full supply of ammo to whine and moan and fulminate about the liberal war on christmas... There, see, I didn't capitalize it - as soon as Bill sees this post he will have sufficient evidence to prove that liberals are godless, America-hating, anti-christian (oops, I did it again!), anti-Xmas (take that, O'Reilly!) bigots...

[Deep13]

12. Well, I for one am godless, but...

...I'm more of a live-and-let-live atheist than an anti-Christian one.
:evilgrin:

[sarge43]

16. We godless liberals just took Congress away from

the real Christian Americans. (How zat for a Xmas present, darlin'?) He has plenty to rant about for the foreseeable future. In fact, I'm amazed his head is still in one piece.

[Deja Q]

15. So if I tell them "Merry Kwanzaa" or "Happy Hannukah" in return, will I be arrested?

:shrug:

[sarge43]

17. Probably not, but "And you have yourself a rockin' Ramadan!"

might do the trick.

[TheBaldyMan]

23. This is just the opening volley of this year's War on Xmas (WoX)

as Jon Stewart famously said to Bill O'Reilly,

"I'm your enemy, make me your enemy. I, Jon Stewart hate Christmas, Christians, Jews, Morality and I will not rest until every year, families gather to spend December the Twenty-Fifth together at Osama's Homo Abortion Pot'n'Commie Jizzporium"

keep up the fight.

[AutumnMist]

24. You Know To Me? It Doesn't Matter.....

I know why the conservatives are getting their panties in a knot over it...but Jesus (no pun intended)...who the heck cares? The Christians I know do the same damn thing that non christians do for the most part. They spend money and put up decorations. No matter what you call it its a commercial holiday and has no bearings on when or how Jesus was born. Most of our holidays started because the catholics wanted to appease the pagans. Hence Halloween and Christmas. The catholics made the rules that it had to be about God and not about their gods and "poof!" our holidays were born. When I say this it irks my conservative evangelical sister in law to no end. But come on. None of us truly celebrate any major holiday in old school christian terms anymore. Let them eat cake at walmart. I will put my tree up and be fine with it all. There are so many other things to worry about. We have far too many belief systems to consider in the long run and if you don't like the term Christmas? Don't use it......dont bother. Call it Merry Tree day from now on. LOL. Ignore it. Because ultimately it has no bearing on most peoples spiritual beliefs and so forth. Its a label. And we have so many in this world its hard to keep up. I am not being trite at all. I just think that regardless of what you call it its rarely about any religion now, its more about the all mighty dollar. Which is exactly the reason why Wally world changed their stance on the subject. :eyes: Go figure!

[dropkickpa]

25. Until they stop their discriminatory practices and

make it possible for me to pick up one of these babies, I'm going strictly online here!