More on the “liberal war on Christmas”
22 November 2005 by RonSalon has a nice piece by Michelle Goldberg (”How the secular humanist grinch didn’t steal Christmas“) on the mythical “liberal war on Christmas” and the history of this particular piece of witch-hunting. Definitely worth a read, especially if you think this bit of “Red Scare” — or, “Godless Scare” — tactic was invented recently by Bill O’Reilly and Jerry Falwell. As she sums it up in the subtitle: “The right-wing crusade against the liberal “war on Christmas” is great for rallying the troops. Too bad the war doesn’t exist.”
The opening bit on some of the history, to whet your appetite:
In 1959, the recently formed John Birch Society issued an urgent alert: Christmas was under attack. In a JBS pamphlet titled “There Goes Christmas?!” a writer named Hubert Kregeloh warned, “One of the techniques now being applied by the Reds to weaken the pillar of religion in our country is the drive to take Christ out of Christmas — to denude the event of its religious meaning.” The central front in this perfidious assault was American department stores, where the “Godless UN” was scheming to replace religious decorations with internationalist celebrations of universal brotherhood.
“The UN fanatics launched their assault on Christmas in 1958, but too late to get very far before the holy day was at hand,” the pamphlet explained. “They are already busy, however, at this very moment, on efforts to poison the 1959 Christmas season with their high-pressure propaganda. What they now want to put over on the American people is simply this: Department stores throughout the country are to utilize UN symbols and emblems as Christmas decorations.”
According to the JBS, this assault on yuletide iconography was “part of a much broader plan, not only to promote the UN, but to destroy all religious beliefs and customs.” The pamphlet called on all Americans to fight back by informing department stores that those with improper ornamentation wouldn’t be getting their business.
Very nice piece. Actually worth going through the extremely annoying “Watch the ad for a day pass” thing that Salon enforces now. And I wouldn’t usually say that; mostly that thing is enough to get me to turn back.
22 November 2005, on 6:01 pm
So were I pagan and complained no one says “Happy Solstice” anymore, you think I could generate mass outcry? There is such a pagan bias in this country today!
Fucking selfish assholes.
22 November 2005, on 10:27 pm
Everybody in this country celebrates Xmas to some extent, even us. This is xians re-hijacking a holiday that they originally hijacked from pagans in order to stamp out dissent. Gotta love the tactics these fuckers come up with….
23 November 2005, on 1:00 am
I made a similar post today on my blog as well. It’s all quite ridiculous.
23 November 2005, on 5:12 am
Not everybody celebrates. My family and I don’t, and we have both atheist and jewish friends who don’t.
23 November 2005, on 11:16 am
I like the day off work, for sure. I enjoy hanging with the fam too. I even sing the carols with them since they don’t mean shit. Then I get to add to the old man’s prayer every year. For instance, when he does the old Thanksgiving prayer tomorrow, I’m gonna add my two cents (everyone anxiously awaits my input every year):
And lo, LORD (Praise the LORD!) thank you for the hurricanes that hath smited the sinners this year. And thank you for the poor and weak; the sick and the stupid. Clearly your warning not to stray from the many different versions of your word. In Bert’s name we pray, rAmen.
26 November 2005, on 7:39 pm
Interesting tidbit: The man who wrote “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” was a Jewish Communist. It’s great when things like this slip past Jeebus worshippers.
30 November 2005, on 2:05 pm
It is indeed like the red scare, but the communism was a movement that
existed. While Christians are indeed being prosecuted in China and a few other
places, the idea of an “anti-Christian Conspiracy is the biggest frauds of our time.
4 December 2005, on 8:29 am
By the way, I used to work at Salon, and that day pass ad has been one of the few things that has helped them survive. Give ‘em a break. Even buy a membership. The “free” press in this country is virtually non-existent, and has a very hard time funding itself. Salon has remained a unique and courageous voice — and has to jump through many a hoop to figure out how to stay alive. They should be commended for the fact that they are still alive and pumpin’.
4 December 2005, on 8:36 am
BTW, members of my family, even though they are atheist, do a little xmas thing, mostly for the kids. I, however, have done nothing for about 15 years. I mean, nothing. No tree, no presents, no lights, no anything. The day comes and goes, my company pays me for a day off, I sometimes go out and walk the mostly empty streets on the day itself and enjoy the peace and quiet, but otherwise, NOTHING. So not everybody does something on xmas. I do nothing at all. I like it. It’s the only time each year that my neighborhood is QUIET (unless, of course, the landlady lets her manic childred come over too early — and then it is POUND POUND on the ceiling).