Best Buy Bans Use Of Merry Christmas In Stores

Originally posted by jsobecky

mensnewsdaily.com

Best Buy considers the use of “Merry Christmas” to be disrespectful.

Interestingly, I cannot find where Best Buy says that Merry Christmas is disrespectful. Nowhere did they say that. The writer of the article added that themselves (and you'all fell into the drama trap). On the contrary, what they're doing is to be respectful of everyone.

It's not about people being offended at hearing Merry Christmas! It's about more people being included in the holiday wishes.

Originally posted by mrwupy
I find this to be a really dumb ideology fight

Exactly!

And for all of you who are offended at hearing "Happy Holidays" when you are perfectly free to say "Merry Christmas", you've got control issues. Do whatever you want and let other people do what they want. If the greeters at these stores are offended at saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, they can always get a job at WalMart!

Hmmmm...

Il be buying my electronics from Circuit City, HHGreg or somewhere else. I freaking hate PC companies.. they do this move to encourage Jews, Blacks (kwanza.. that is a celebrated holiday I guess..) and who ever else happens to have a holiday at this time, to buy presents at their store. Well, kind of pisses Christians off, and folks like me who despise any kind of PCness.. il just do my shopping else where.

I don't understand what the problem is here. Instead of just including Christmas in their seasonal theme around the stores, they've included other holidays from other faith's as well, when saying "Happy Holidays."

To those who feel that they are taking "Christmas," out of retail, I would like to ask, would you be opposed if they included Ramadan, Kwanza, or Hanukkah themes to the store? If a greeter said, "Ramadan Mubarak," or "Happy Hanukkah," when you entered the store, would it offend you?

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
Plus, I dont want to hear Merry Christmas. It's an insult to my lord Satan. As a matter of fact, it's good business on their part. If I heard it, I'd walk right out of the store, and accross the street to Circuit City, where they respect me by saying Happy Holidays.

but you're still accepting the 'holiday' and the holiday is in celebration of jesus christ's birth, hence you're still accepting the christian holiday.

this is basically political corrections gone too far, we have the same problems in england.

Originally posted by Thousand
Keep in mind that Best Buy saying "We want to be respectful of all religions' ..

But Christmas isn't 'all religions' ... it's CHRISTIAN. It's the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour.

The Jewish, Muslim, and fake-holiday of Kwanza are have their own holidays. At Christmas you say 'Merry Christmas' if you wish. At Kwanza you say 'Happy Kwanza' if you wish.

It's CHRISTmas so say Merry Christmas.

BTW .. I've said 'Merry Christmas' to a few store employees over the years who first said 'Happy Holidays' to me. They were DELIGHTED that I said that! So my free advice to anyone who wishes it ... say "merry CHRISTmas' anyways ... especially if you see store managers.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
... It's about more people being included in the holiday wishes.

If they want to be included in the CHRISTIAN holiday of Christmas then they should be able to handle being told 'Merry Christmas'. If they don't want to hear it then they should learn to be TOLERANT of other people's religions, the same as Christians are being told to be tolerant of Jewish and Muslim holidays.

Originally posted by DJMessiah
If a greeter said, "Ramadan Mubarak," or "Happy Hanukkah," when you entered the store, would it offend you?

Hanukkah - no offense. Ramadan - yes offense.

But know what? I'd deal with it and be tolerant. Either that or I'd stay out of the department stores for 3 weeks while all the Muslims did their Ramadan shopping. It's really not that hard to do. Be tolerant of the CHRISTian holiday of CHRISTmas or understand that it's a major holiday for a majority of Americans and stay out of department stores for 3 weeks.



[edit on 11/27/2006 by FlyersFan]

Originally posted by FlyersFan
The Jewish, Muslim, and fake-holiday of Kwanza are have their own holidays. At Christmas you say 'Merry Christmas' if you wish. At Kwanza you say 'Happy Kwanza' if you wish.

That's the problem. When a business has a high traffic of consumers entering the store, the employee cannot ask the consumer for their religion, and cannot then go down a list of holidays that occur for that religion, and specficily state "Happy ______" to each and every customer. I find the "Happy Holidays" to be much more effective in greeting customers of such high traffic.

that is so much BS. I will be going to best buy, and im going to try my best to get one of them to say marry christmas.

After that, im boycotting Best Buy.

Originally posted by DJMessiah
[ I find the "Happy Holidays" to be much more effective in greeting customers of such high traffic.

Well ... you do have a very good point. High traffic. I'll give that some consideration.

Still, CHRISTMAS is a CHRISTIAN holiday ... so people should expect that when they are in the stores during that time of year when a majority of Americans celebrate a CHRISTIAN holiday - they should expect to hear Christian themes.

Originally posted by TheDesigner
im going to try my best to get one of them to say marry christmas.

Like I said .. go to the MANAGERS and be sure to say 'Merry Christmas'. They are the ones that have to go to meetings with higher-ups. If enough people say 'Merry Christmas' to them, they will remember that and it will be reported at the meetings that customers were saying 'Merry Christmas' just as much, or prehaps more, than Happy Holidays.

It could make a change.

Originally posted by mrwupy
I find this to be a really dumb ideology fight

Not only do I totally agree with this statement, but it also brings something to mind that, admittedly, is somewhat off topic.

Anyone remember Edgar Cayce's prophecied end of times where he specifically mentioned Religious wars? Could it be possible that THESE types of religious wars are what were meant as opposed to PHYSICAL warring? Just a thought...dont mean to derail


AB1

[edit on 27-11-2006 by alphabetaone]

I think some people here need a history lesson on Christmas.

en.wikipedia.org...

The popularity of Christmas can be traced in part to its status as a winter festival. Many cultures have historically celebrated their most important holiday in winter because there is less agricultural work to do at this time. Examples of winter festivals that have influenced Christmas include the pre-Christian festivals of Yule[1] and Saturnalia. Many of the traditions associated with the holiday have origins in these pagan winter celebrations.

The origins of the holiday actually go back to pagan times. The idea that December 25 was Jesus' birthday wasn't even popularized until 221 A.D. My point with all this is that people celebrate holidays for different reasons. As I mentioned in a post above, I don't have any religious ties to Christmas. But to me the word means more than any religious connotation that it has garnered over the centuries.

My point is that this is, once again, PC going nuts. EVERYTHING everyone does is bound to offend someone. And it is true, this is about the almighty dollar. And personally I am a very open-minded person and I try to be sensitive to all races, religions, ethnicities etc. But to me this is being closed-minded ... PCness is turning the things that made us all unique into blacklisted taboo.

I won't shop at Best Buy now ... not particularly because of this topic, as I mentioned above, but because many online vendors sell the same goods for much cheaper. If I had to run out though for something in a pinch, yes I would be more likely to go to Circuit City. PCness is just going too far ...

If I am Christian and I tell a Pagan "Merry Christmas" odds are that Pagan will not be offended. If that Pagan told me "Happy Winter Solstice" I would not be offended. On both sides each is sending good message and a hope that ones holiday will be delightful. Why can't we as a society see it like that and respond to a holiday greeting with your own holiday greeting? If that is not "pc" I do not know what is. The best part about it is you can not offend anyone! So to start the peace in holiday greetins just reply and respond with your default holiday greetings and leave the corp.s and the gov. out of it.

This thread proves humans are a lost cause. The amount of stupidity and ignorance and hypocrisy in this thread is more than i can stand. I am talking about everyone on it i am so sick of all of the bickering of everyone i just cannot stand much more.

hypocrisy 1. a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.

ignorance : the state or fact of being ignorant; lack of knowledge, learning, information, etc.

stupidity 1. the state, quality, or fact of being stupid.
2. a stupid act, notion, speech, etc.

Dracmoor,

I don't know who you're talking about. I hope you're not talking about me, because that would make the baby Jesus cry.

Originally posted by shaunybaby
but you're still accepting the 'holiday' and the holiday is in celebration of jesus christ's birth, hence you're still accepting the christian holiday.

I can't believe you took that quote seriously. I said I worshipped Satan for Christ's sake.

If I had to define my beliefs I guess I would be a christian (although most mainstream every Sunday christians would say I'm going the hell), but I really don't care about this one way or the other. I can see Best Buy's point, but it's damned if you do, damned if you don't. Their mistake is in feeling that they needed to tell the world at large they would no longer be saying "Merry Christmas". If they had just told their employees to say Happy Holidays and forgone the press release, all would be cool (till the christian employees ran their mouths anyway). It doesn't matter what group you cater to, you're gonna piss someone off when you change a customer relations policy. It's the law in our new PC world.

[edit on 11/27/2006 by yadboy]

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
Plus, I dont want to hear Merry Christmas. It's an insult to my lord Satan. As a matter of fact, it's good business on their part. If I heard it, I'd walk right out of the store, and accross the street to Circuit City, where they respect me by saying Happy Holidays.

LOL...sorry for the small reply but that was funny

+

I go with happy holidays. until i gety a merry christmas in reply,
but that's a personal thing.... The business is trying their darndest
to be non-provocative, who knows if a radical fundamentalist would
become incensed at a 'merry christmas' slogan & cut your throat with a box cutter?
imo, BestBuy is taking a lawyers legal defense strategy to insulate itself from suits by the workers whom might get punched, stabbed, fingered, spat on,
or any number of types of assaults....by uttering something offensive to others







I kinda like the old Seinfeld sitcom answer to 'christmas' or 'holidays' slogans.....George's dad created his own FESTIVIUS and greeted eyeryone with a "Happy Festivius" !! , greeting/salutation/slogan

What gets me is both network and cable TV bombard us with liberal ideals daily and nobody complains about that.

For example: As a Christian I could easily be offended by the Geico caveman commercials passing along the idea that everyone just accepts evolution as fact and then makes a joke out of it.

Instead I laugh because I am not going to make a big issue out of everything I disagree with.

If something has been in place for years and years on the order of Merry Christmas, why can't it just be left alone?!

Would the employees of BestBuy mind if I couragously shout out, "Merry Christmas to all and all a good night?" Would I be taken in by police/security?

Doorsman, "Welcome, Happy Holidays."

Me, "Merry Christmas!"



BTW, I don't mind it if they ban the use of Merry Christmas for the use of Happy Holidays. It's just some other denotation. No biggy.