Wal-Mart and other retailers kowtow to RRR bullies ("War on Christmas")

[NMMNG]

Christmas Returns to Wal-Mart Marketing

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s Christmas cheer seems to be a hot trend this season as several other retailers including Kohl's Corp. and Macy's, a division of Federated Department Stores Inc., are also stepping up their Christmas marketing. The moves respond to mounting criticism from religious groups that staged boycotts against Wal-Mart and other merchants after they eliminated or de-emphasized"Christmas"in their advertising.

"We learned a lesson from that. Merry Christmas is now part of the vocabulary here at Wal-Mart,"said Linda Blakley, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman.

<snip>


Still, not everyone is following suit.

"We are going to continue to use the term holiday because there are several holidays throughout that time period, and we certainly need to be respectful of all of them,"said Dawn Bryant, a spokeswoman at Best Buy Co. Inc., whose advertising omits any reference to Christmas.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Nov09/0,4670,WalMartChristmas,00.html




Well, I know where I am not going to spend my holiday shopping dollars.

[tritsofme]

1. I'm certainly not going to decide where I shop

Based on whether or not the cashier tells me Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.

I'll shop where I can get the best deal for the best product, period.

[NMMNG]

2. It's not the matter of what they're saying

It's the fact that they're kowtowing to those fanatical bullies rather than doing the right thing, which is sticking to their regular policy of acknowledging that there are multiple holidays during the time period. The RRR bullies want everyone to cater to them and ignore others, so I'm going to exercise my right not to patronize those places that bow down to those demands.

[tritsofme]

3. It might make good business sense to "kow-tow"

If 10-15% or so of the population is so batshit crazy that if they aren't greeted with a "Merry Christmas" they start a boycott, and everyone else who couldn't care less continues to shop for reasons based in rationality, then I can see why retailers might be moving back towards "Merry Christmas"

[NMMNG]

5. Sure

Then the batsh*t crazy 10-15% is reinforced and continues to think they're "mainstream America", and goes on to force themselves on more and more of the nation.

Just what we all want. :puke:

[spoony]

7. I'm apparently batshit crazy

I don't particularly give a shit what people say to me when I walk in the door. I do, though, dislike the ridiculous extent people go to in order to avoid the word Christmas, while happily accepting money people are spending on Christmas. To call a bloody Christmas tree a festive tree or holiday tree or whatever is a superficial corporate finger wave to diversity. Same thing with schools banning candy canes or whatever. They don't care about Kwanza, people. They just don't want to get sued by antitheists like you who run around looking for things to be offended by. And if you think only 15% of Americans find such silliness annoying, you don't know many people.

[NMMNG]

10. I've already said I don't give a flying rip what people say

They can say whatever they want, as long as they're saying it because they want to. I simply despise the notion of these bigoted bullies throwing their weight around to make everyone acknowledge only their holiday, and places bowing to the pressure.


I'm no anti-theist. I just exercise my right to not spend my dollars in places that suck up to religious bullies.



To call a bloody Christmas tree a festive tree or holiday tree or whatever is a superficial corporate finger wave to diversity.


And I find it amusing so many RR Christians demand it be called a "Christmas Tree"--or else--when it not only was stolen from the Pagans, but it's also prohibited by the very Bible they claim to take all of their values from.

[Berry Cool]

12. There is no prohibition against Christmas trees in the Bible.

That's FUNDIE crap. (And, to be fair, not even all fundies believe it. Go use your Google.)

[Atmashine]

14. Well...

Jeremiah
10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
10:3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
10:4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

and:

Deuteronomy
7:25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therin: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
7:26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.


Must suck to be a fundy. A good site to know thy enemy: http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/

[NMMNG]

27. Yes there is

"Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. . . . They are altogether brutish and foolish." (Jeremiah 10:2-8)



And the fundies are so fond of claiming the Bible is the inerrant word of God, so they shouldn't be having Christmas trees or worrying about what people call them.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

18. No Xmas trees in the Bible?

New one on me! I'll have to research that one. I love DU. Learn something every day.

I sell Xmas trees at our farm and I'll call them whatever anyone likes. I've had folks buy them as Hannakuh bushes, bird feeders, whatever.

I did read once that the red balls on an Xmas tree represent the dripping of Christ's blood. I haven't used red balls ever since.

I like blue balls.

Okay, don't go for the obvious joke, okay? Of course, being a single guy and all Christ probably did have blue... oh nevermind.

[NMMNG]

28. So says Jeremiah

"Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. . . . They are altogether brutish and foolish." (Jeremiah 10:2-8)


So if the fundies insist the Bible be read and followed literally, they shouldn't be freaking out over what the trees are called, they should be refusing to have them at all.


As for me, I really like purple on my tree.

[peacebird]

13. "To call a bloody Christmas tree a festive tree or holiday tree or whatever "

Actually your "bloody Christmas tree" was originally an ancient pagan and/or druid solstice tree.

Back when I was a Christ worshipper I used to call the season "Merry Xmas", because it seemed that with crass commercialism we had lost the true meaning of the season. Now I prefer "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas" - in part because it is more inclusive and in part because I am so offended by the xtian extremists and their perversion of the teachings of Christ.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

19. Most cultural practices have evolved from earlier ones

so the Pagan history of the Xmas tree is cool with me. I like knowing the history of our customs.

It is kind of odd to cut trees down and bring them in the house, when you think about it. But it smells so good!

[TheMadMonk]

15. So since when did the corporate money makers...

...care for anything but their bottom line? And getting your claws into customers who won't patronize your competitors is a win-win, more for you and less for him.

[Swamp Rat]

4. I don't care what they tell me, but there's no telling what I might say in return.

:D

"Thanks for shopping here... have a Merry Christmas!"

"Your welcome. I wish I could but George W. Bush destroyed my city, killed my friends, sent my family to fight an illegal and immoral war, destroyed our economy leaving us with low-wage, high-stress jobs where sneaky, little weenie managers can abuse us for not saying 'Merry Christmas" every time we take a breath."

:)

[NMMNG]

6. I like that response

If someone wishes me a "Merry Christmas" I might just wish them a Happy Eid al Adha and wait for their head to explode. :evilgrin:

[WCGreen]

8. I say, have a peaceful solstice.....

[acmavm]

9. And that's the most appropriate response. Someone says

Merry Christmas why not just respond civilly with your own particular holiday greeting rather than being a jackass and starting a bunch of unnecessary crap? Let it go people. Someone has to act sane and civilized. Too bad no one feels it has to be them.

[NMMNG]

11. We've tried the sane and civilized route

It was met with O'Lielly and the alleged "War on Christmas" where anybody who says Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings is accused of being an anti-American hater. :eyes:

[Brewman_Jax]

21. I'm planning on

Happy Chanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa and seeing this...

[TallahasseeGrannie]

20. Maybe you should make up a business

card. Because that's a mouthful to remember! Put some of your cool graphics on it!

[mikeytherat]

16. Jeebus H. Christ on a Pogo Stick - what a huge non-issue!

What the hell ever happened to:

"Thank you for shopping at Store X and please come again!"

Works 24/7/365, offends almost no one, and is likely to be an honest expression from the employee: "Thanks for shopping here. If you continue shopping here, the store stays open and I keep my job. If you come back and buy more stuff, all the better."

I learned this one many, many moons ago in retail - thank the customer for shopping at your establishment and encourage them to come back.

'nuf said.

mikey_the_rat

[TallahasseeGrannie]

17. What a tempest in a teapot

just say 'em both: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

That covers it.

[spoony]

22. That's how I've always heard it and said it

and it has seemed to do a good enough job with everyone.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

26. Yeah, and if you are tired just say "bye"

or grunt a bit. Works for me.

[spoony]

30. I often go for the half smile and nod :) n/t

[Clark2008]

23. Who cares? I don't shop there anyway.

And, if I lived in a place where that was the only department store, I think Ebay would be getting 95 percent of my business.

[SouthernBelle82]

24. Same here

Anybody who is going over petty things like that doesn't deserve my time either. Best Buy is just better anyways at electronics and whatnot. I can't stand this "War on Christmas" nonsense. Instead of doing that we should be coming together and learning about our culture likes and differences. It's all so stupid and nothing but a money marketing tool for the rightwingers who have nothing else to do and can't focus on anything else.

[DaveJ]

25. Is Christmas even mentioned in the Bible?

I doubt Jesus would care is Wal-mart pushed the Christmas Buying theme or not.

Hard to believe any Christian group would waste their time on this rather than actually doing something good for others.

[donco6]

29. I don't shop there anyway. It's a horrible place.

I buy most of my stuff online anymore.

[ComerPerro]

31. Here's my question: Why the fuck does Christmas have to last two months?