Posted on 12/24/2004 1:07:22 AM PST by Cornpone
Shoppers in the US are being urged to boycott some of the country's most famous stores because they do not say "Merry Christmas". The California-based Committee to Save Merry Christmas wants consumers to avoid shops such as Macy's because they avoid any association with Jesus.
A number of retailers instead stick to non-faith based phrases such as "happy holidays" or "season's greetings".
Macy's said such greetings were more reflective of a multicultural US.
'Catering for all'
Federated Department Stores, the owner of Macy's, said it had no set policy over the use of specific references to Christmas, but added that greetings such as "happy holidays" took in all cultures.
Happy holidays is the pleasant greeting that applies to everyone in every celebration
Wal-Mart
"In fact few, if any, national retailers or businesses now take a different approach to the holiday season," it said.
Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the US, also avoids mentioning the C-word.
It said it had not received any complaints, only a few "curious questions".
Parallel festivals
The company added that it needed to cater to the variety of holidays celebrated at this time of the year by the 138 million US consumers that passed through its doors every week.
These other celebrations include the Jewish Hanukkah festival and Kwanzaa, an African-American event.
"Happy holidays is the pleasant greeting that applies to everyone in every celebration," Wal-Mart said.
The Committee to Save Merry Christmas says on its website that its primary goal is to "preserve the culture and tradition of the vast majority of Americans that celebrate and honour Christmas."
You know your fundamentally weak when the majority is silenced by the a very few...
The majority isn't being silenced. The majority is being forced to share its place with other cultures as it exits said stores. These stores are not catering only to Anglo-Saxon protestants, after all. Aah, the beauty of capitalism.
Christmas is a convoluted holiday to begin with. Isn't jesus the one who is supposed to be receiving presents?
I've shopped accordingly. There is no Christmas without Christ. Period. Wish me a Merry Christmas or do without my money.
It's a celebration in Western culture. Exchanging of gifts is a long-held tradition.
I'm not Anglo-Saxon nor a Protestant and still I celebrate Christmas. Is that unusual where you come from?
I don't think what we're witnessing is the beauty of capitalism. What we're seeing is the banality of greed. We have a retail establishment that in its collective greed has basically said, "Now that we have over 76 percent of the market locked up, let's just disregard their cultural biases so we can grovel for the last blood cent." I think the beauty of capitalism would be more rightly demonstrated by some retailer that says I know who my market is, the 76 percent of Americans who believe Christmas stands for something other than spending money, and sticks to its principles...not sells them.
Then you don't celebrate Christmas the way it is 'supposed' to be celebrated (now, I'm no authority on how holidays should be celebrated, but this particular one celebrates a specific event, one which you do not believe in if you are not a protestant). It is one thing to exchange presents with your loved ones (for whatever reason) and entirely another to celebrate the birth of christ.
Wrong. These stores are catering to EVERYONE. THAT is the beauty of capitalism.
but this particular one celebrates a specific event, one which you do not believe in if you are not a protestant
Catholics don't believe in the birth of Christ? Heck, even Muslims do.
Oh, I see. Kinda like selling drugs or illegal weapons eh?
"but this particular one celebrates a specific event, one which you do not believe in if you are not a protestant"
Yeah, maybe 'believe' was not the right word to use there... I didn't want to be redundant by using 'celebrate' again in the same paragraph. Plenty of cultures 'believe' that the event took place while few 'hallow' it.
My apologies... it's 4 a.m., sue me.
Hey, hey... capitalism has it's laws and restrictions. Capitalism can't do anything illegal. Fortunately, catering to multiple cultures and respecting their beliefs isn't illegal.
That's the whole point. Christmas, as being marked by major retailers today, is not catering to the overwhelming Christian culture of our nation today nor are the retailers who have distorted it into a multi-cultural expression of spending fever respecting our beliefs. Perhaps we should just do away with Christmas and call December 25th "Consummation Day," in celebration of the end of the national shopping holiday season.
For most Americans, deep down, Christmas is a special day of giving. It is inspired by, and embodied in, the spirit of one who gave the ultimate, his life in exchange for the salvation of our souls. You are wrong. Christmas is not convoluted. Christ is not the targeted recipient of gifts. He is the symbol of ultimate giving. Christmas is our day to recognize that and is intended to be demonstrated in our gifts to others. Christmas without Christ is not Christmas.
boycotts suck. they never do anything worthwhile....
boycott of boycotts ping!!!
Please read all the replies before posting. I've already replied to that.
Nordstrom's gift cards say "Merry Christmas" on them. Those are the standards that they give out to whoever tries to buy a gift card - it's not like it's one option, it's the usual.
And mightn't 'Happy Holidays' offend Jehovah's Witnesses?
I respond as I read them....
I'm just looking for a parking spot, short line, and a green light.
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