MaxedOutMama
Thursday, December 16, 2004
The Grinch On DU
Honestly, the only reason I'm posting this is because even I wouldn't believe this a few months from now. I would think I had dreamed it.
Here's a thread on Democratic Underground started by a poster worried about "mean-spirited" Christmas displays this year:
"Do you have a lot of rw fundies with in-your-face christmas displays this year? Really mean spirited aggressive ones with huge "merry christmas" lightups? I used to like decorations, but now it looks like some kind of fucked up threat I'll show you deal. I feel like shorting the fucking wires."
Someone agrees:
"I never like Christmas displays but the one I find most disturbing is the one at the Boone Co (AR) courthouse, which features a big American flag as well as toy soldiers and snowmen."
Hey, I think Boone County is trying to be secular, ya know? Sometimes you just can't win for losing! A poster clearly possessed with all the Christmas-spirit peace and goodwill rw fundie stuff replies:
"ok wait a minute how in the hell is "Merry Christmas" mean-spirited? I mean come on now.
"It's not like they have 50 ft blow up * dolls with Bush is Lord on them and shit like that."
And yet another poster agrees with the original post:
"I think that what the poster means is that this year, the content seems to be more religious in content. More creches and fewer Santas or elved. There always have been huge light and ornament displays. But it looks like that this year the preachers -not just the fundie ones either - have put the message out: rub their noses in it.
"At least where I live."
(Ah ha! The vast right-wing conspiracy vision thing is striking again! Those creches! Where are you when we need you, Michael Moore? This is the wrong time to be shaved and suited! Get your scurfy overalls back on and come save us!)
This person isn't me, but does speak for me:
"Take a deep breath man... getting upset ofver Christmas decorations, and thinking they are a direct attack on you personally is, well, kinda weird.
"How can you have a "mean spirited aggressive" Christmas decoration?"
It's obvious! Or so the original poster thinks:
"This is different than before, this is organized.
"This is an aggressive Jesus campaign like I haven't seen since the campus crusade for christ in the early 70's. It definitely isn't a normal pleasant feel that you would normally get."
(Ah, the 70's. Yeeeees. That was when everything started to go bad. It was followed by the 80's and you-know-who. The name we dare not speak.)
The original poster again, in response to further objections along the lines of "I like Christmas lights":
"I swear, it's a "put christ back in christmas, support the troops and bush deal. Never before have I seen so many "merry christmas" lightup signs set out on purpose facing the main streets."
And so it goes. Some defend the lights, while one pagan helpfully provides pagan symbols, or, as an alternative, suggests:
"If nothing else put up a big sign that simply reads "Merry X mas." You can make the X very big."
Nothing like a good case of the open-hearted Christmas jollies, is there? It reminds me of some quote about the Puritans banning bear-baiting not because they disapproved of the bear's suffering, but because they disapproved of the spectators' enjoyment.
Over at Tom Carter's he has a link to Fisher House, which is an organization helping the families of wounded vets from all four services. That seems more constructive than massive displays of offensive Bushitler troop-supporting raindeer. Although I really like the lights, and if you put some up, I appreciate it.
Oh, and by the way - Merry Christmas. I don't mean it in any partisan or offensive way, I assure you.
Here's a thread on Democratic Underground started by a poster worried about "mean-spirited" Christmas displays this year:
"Do you have a lot of rw fundies with in-your-face christmas displays this year? Really mean spirited aggressive ones with huge "merry christmas" lightups? I used to like decorations, but now it looks like some kind of fucked up threat I'll show you deal. I feel like shorting the fucking wires."
Someone agrees:
"I never like Christmas displays but the one I find most disturbing is the one at the Boone Co (AR) courthouse, which features a big American flag as well as toy soldiers and snowmen."
Hey, I think Boone County is trying to be secular, ya know? Sometimes you just can't win for losing! A poster clearly possessed with all the Christmas-spirit peace and goodwill rw fundie stuff replies:
"ok wait a minute how in the hell is "Merry Christmas" mean-spirited? I mean come on now.
"It's not like they have 50 ft blow up * dolls with Bush is Lord on them and shit like that."
And yet another poster agrees with the original post:
"I think that what the poster means is that this year, the content seems to be more religious in content. More creches and fewer Santas or elved. There always have been huge light and ornament displays. But it looks like that this year the preachers -not just the fundie ones either - have put the message out: rub their noses in it.
"At least where I live."
(Ah ha! The vast right-wing conspiracy vision thing is striking again! Those creches! Where are you when we need you, Michael Moore? This is the wrong time to be shaved and suited! Get your scurfy overalls back on and come save us!)
This person isn't me, but does speak for me:
"Take a deep breath man... getting upset ofver Christmas decorations, and thinking they are a direct attack on you personally is, well, kinda weird.
"How can you have a "mean spirited aggressive" Christmas decoration?"
It's obvious! Or so the original poster thinks:
"This is different than before, this is organized.
"This is an aggressive Jesus campaign like I haven't seen since the campus crusade for christ in the early 70's. It definitely isn't a normal pleasant feel that you would normally get."
(Ah, the 70's. Yeeeees. That was when everything started to go bad. It was followed by the 80's and you-know-who. The name we dare not speak.)
The original poster again, in response to further objections along the lines of "I like Christmas lights":
"I swear, it's a "put christ back in christmas, support the troops and bush deal. Never before have I seen so many "merry christmas" lightup signs set out on purpose facing the main streets."
And so it goes. Some defend the lights, while one pagan helpfully provides pagan symbols, or, as an alternative, suggests:
"If nothing else put up a big sign that simply reads "Merry X mas." You can make the X very big."
Nothing like a good case of the open-hearted Christmas jollies, is there? It reminds me of some quote about the Puritans banning bear-baiting not because they disapproved of the bear's suffering, but because they disapproved of the spectators' enjoyment.
Over at Tom Carter's he has a link to Fisher House, which is an organization helping the families of wounded vets from all four services. That seems more constructive than massive displays of offensive Bushitler troop-supporting raindeer. Although I really like the lights, and if you put some up, I appreciate it.
Oh, and by the way - Merry Christmas. I don't mean it in any partisan or offensive way, I assure you.
Comments:
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Thanks for braving the liberal onslaught and serving as a pipeline to their leftist rants. Keep up the good work and a Merry Christmas to you as well.
The Mad Tech
The Mad Tech
SC&A have often suggested that I read your blog, since the two of us are perhaps on different ends of the spectrum politically, but we both try to think about the issues instead of just ragging about the other side.
When it comes to Christmas, and for that matter Hanukkah and other winter time holidays, I tend to think of the discussions as not left versus right, but more focused on hope and joy versus mean spirited grinchliness.
Politically, I am a liberal, and I think it is sad that some liberals cannot enjoy Christmas. I love the Christmas trees in the town parks, especially if the have a menorah next to them.
I love our flag. Yes, I said our flag. It isn't the flag of the left or the flag of the right, it is our flag. I love the liberty and justice that it symbolizes and I will fight hard for my understanding of what that liberty and justice entails, just as I hope those on the left will do the same.
When it comes to supporting our troops, yes, again, I am a lefting and I'm pointing out that the troops overseas are fighting for all of us, and we all need to support them. We've adopted a soldier in Iraq. Everyone should. We had a support our troops decal on the back of our Prius, right next to our Howard Dean bumpersticker, until someone stole it off the back of our car. Perhaps that presented a little too much cognitive dissonance for some rightie.
No, hope, joy, Christmas, Hanukkah, waving the flag, these aren't issues of left versus right, and it isn't accurate to paint the left as those who have abandoned hope. Most of the folks I've heard about that hang Santa in effigy are conservatives. The big sign on I-78 saying that talking to children about Santa is bringing about the moral decay of our country wasn't put up by liberals.
Let's try to move this away from a left versus right discussion to a discussion of hope and joy versus meanspiritedness. Because when we move in that direction, we can together help heal some of the wounds our country carries.
I hope we can all have a joyful Christmas.
When it comes to Christmas, and for that matter Hanukkah and other winter time holidays, I tend to think of the discussions as not left versus right, but more focused on hope and joy versus mean spirited grinchliness.
Politically, I am a liberal, and I think it is sad that some liberals cannot enjoy Christmas. I love the Christmas trees in the town parks, especially if the have a menorah next to them.
I love our flag. Yes, I said our flag. It isn't the flag of the left or the flag of the right, it is our flag. I love the liberty and justice that it symbolizes and I will fight hard for my understanding of what that liberty and justice entails, just as I hope those on the left will do the same.
When it comes to supporting our troops, yes, again, I am a lefting and I'm pointing out that the troops overseas are fighting for all of us, and we all need to support them. We've adopted a soldier in Iraq. Everyone should. We had a support our troops decal on the back of our Prius, right next to our Howard Dean bumpersticker, until someone stole it off the back of our car. Perhaps that presented a little too much cognitive dissonance for some rightie.
No, hope, joy, Christmas, Hanukkah, waving the flag, these aren't issues of left versus right, and it isn't accurate to paint the left as those who have abandoned hope. Most of the folks I've heard about that hang Santa in effigy are conservatives. The big sign on I-78 saying that talking to children about Santa is bringing about the moral decay of our country wasn't put up by liberals.
Let's try to move this away from a left versus right discussion to a discussion of hope and joy versus meanspiritedness. Because when we move in that direction, we can together help heal some of the wounds our country carries.
I hope we can all have a joyful Christmas.
Aldon,
You put it so well - thank you very much for your comment. Yes, all of our traditions and possibilities belong to us all, and what we have inherited has been bequeathed to us by both the "left" and the "right" (if those terms mean anything anymore, which I doubt).
I think most of the "left" in this country is with you, and most of the right. And I think most people in this country really occupy that huge political space in the middle. I don't understand why so many people seem intent on demonizing the "other side", especially since most of the other side is usually really on their sides.
The only way I can personally account for all this overheated rhetoric is a decision by a few thousand politicos not to debate the underlying issues because it is inconvenient. I'm probably wrong about that, but I can't let go of the suspicion that if we took a few thousand average people, they would come to a surprising amount of agreement on many issues. The truth can never belong to one party or ideology.
But then, my politics might surprise you. I'm all over the spectrum on issues. I'm for drug legalization, civil unions (I'd be fine with marriage, but I understand that makes a lot of people nervous), preservation of the bill of rights, privatization of social security with certain safety provisions, against any standing deployment of the military within our borders, etc.... I believe you cannot restrict abortion before viability unless we can come to an agreement about when a person becomes a person or not, because so much of this debate is based on religious beliefs.
The only thing I'm strongly against is tyranny, despotism, indifference to losses of human life and liberty, and nonsense. Most of this blog is about what is nonsense and what is not. I am against the Kyoto treaty because it is nonsensical and not founded on any scientific or economic realities, not because I don't believe that we have to be aware of and responsible for the impacts of what we do.
I tend to vote for Democrats and Republicans in about equal numbers, so I am personally alarmed by the spate of Michael Moore type nonsense getting so much admiration from some in the Democratic party. Thanks for dropping by, and I'll be visiting your site with great interest.
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You put it so well - thank you very much for your comment. Yes, all of our traditions and possibilities belong to us all, and what we have inherited has been bequeathed to us by both the "left" and the "right" (if those terms mean anything anymore, which I doubt).
I think most of the "left" in this country is with you, and most of the right. And I think most people in this country really occupy that huge political space in the middle. I don't understand why so many people seem intent on demonizing the "other side", especially since most of the other side is usually really on their sides.
The only way I can personally account for all this overheated rhetoric is a decision by a few thousand politicos not to debate the underlying issues because it is inconvenient. I'm probably wrong about that, but I can't let go of the suspicion that if we took a few thousand average people, they would come to a surprising amount of agreement on many issues. The truth can never belong to one party or ideology.
But then, my politics might surprise you. I'm all over the spectrum on issues. I'm for drug legalization, civil unions (I'd be fine with marriage, but I understand that makes a lot of people nervous), preservation of the bill of rights, privatization of social security with certain safety provisions, against any standing deployment of the military within our borders, etc.... I believe you cannot restrict abortion before viability unless we can come to an agreement about when a person becomes a person or not, because so much of this debate is based on religious beliefs.
The only thing I'm strongly against is tyranny, despotism, indifference to losses of human life and liberty, and nonsense. Most of this blog is about what is nonsense and what is not. I am against the Kyoto treaty because it is nonsensical and not founded on any scientific or economic realities, not because I don't believe that we have to be aware of and responsible for the impacts of what we do.
I tend to vote for Democrats and Republicans in about equal numbers, so I am personally alarmed by the spate of Michael Moore type nonsense getting so much admiration from some in the Democratic party. Thanks for dropping by, and I'll be visiting your site with great interest.
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