Best Buy Bans Use Of Merry Christmas In Stores

We don't need history lessons on the origins of any of the holidays.

We DO need to take notice when political correctness, takes the joy out of one human simply trying to be nice to another.

Until recently, do you think greeting a stranger with the phrase "Merry Christmas"
could have been construed as a MALICIOUS Attempt to hurt someones feelings?

Now, it can be..and what the heck is up with that?

I may start doing that in traffic..Someone cuts me off? MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Someone tailgates me? Happy Hanukkah!
Take my parking space? Happy Kwanza !

Did I leave anyone out? don't want to hurt any feelings, you know.

This political correct stuff, is fuel for fires, giving us reasons, or excuses, to be pissed off at each other over the smallest, insignificant things.


Merry Chrismas Dammit.

I don't think non-Christians have a problem with "Merry Christmas", this is just some moron in a suit that is attempting to justify his $250,000 salary. As it stands it's a non-issue imo.

But are we sure this is about political correctness? There's a difference between saying something so no one is offended and saying something to let everyone know they're included, if only in intent. And it's a big difference. And while I hate the former, I totally support the latter.

Originally posted by spacedoubt
Until recently, do you think greeting a stranger with the phrase "Merry Christmas"
could have been construed as a MALICIOUS Attempt to hurt someones feelings?

That's not what's being said. That's the dramatic side of things. No one's feelings are hurt by being told Merry Christmas. Bust Buy and others are just trying to INCLUDE everyone in the HOLIDAY. What's wrong with that?

I may start doing that in traffic..Someone cuts me off? MERRY CHRISTMAS!

My husband and I have actually started using Santa Clause as a swear phrase, with much the same effect. (Santa freaking Clause!)

Look, Christians, you can't control what people say and you don't OWN Christmas. Like it or not, many non-Christians celebrate the holiday. Just as many non-Christians celebrate Easter with bunnies and eggs and candy, never even thinking about the real meaning of the celebration.

If you insist everyone celebrate Christmas the way you see fit and for the 'right' reason, then let's talk around Halloween of next year...

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

Originally posted by spacedoubt
Until recently, do you think greeting a stranger with the phrase "Merry Christmas"
could have been construed as a MALICIOUS Attempt to hurt someones feelings?

That's not what's being said. That's the dramatic side of things. No one's feelings are hurt by being told Merry Christmas. Bust Buy and others are just trying to INCLUDE everyone in the HOLIDAY. What's wrong with that?

In a way, it IS whats being said. Merry Christmas is not good enough.
I also think that, through over PCness, people have trained themselves to be on the lookout for potential infractions of the PC code. And they get ANGRY about it. I've seen it happen!..Not just Christmas, but over many things. I think it makes people more and more afraid to talk to each other.

Santa Freakin' Clause: it does, it has just the right rhythm.



[edit on 27-11-2006 by spacedoubt]

REQUIRING someone to say 'Happy Holiday$' is not a spiritual message. But I guess using "spiritual" and the oh so customer and employee friendly "Best Buy" in the same sentence would be a sign of the apocalypse. Whoops now I've done it.

Lowe's apparently feels similar: www.standardnewswire.com...

I would just pick out a lot of expensive stuff at Best Lies, go up to the counter and plan to purchase it as long as the next 20 people that walk into the store are told "Merry Christmas". If Best Buy can force their employees to say things for money then why can't I?

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

Look, Christians, you can't control what people say and you don't OWN Christmas.

That is the oxymoron line of the day! Christians have now lost Christmas! They can't do anything right.

Originally posted by Dracmoor
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 ....

So that means according to you -

1 - YOU are a lost cause.
2 - YOU said EVERYONE that means that YOU are stupid, ignorant and full of hypocrisy.

I have NOT found this thread to be bickering or demeaning. I have seen a HECK of a lot worse on this site (try Slug Fest!!). This thread has been just fine. My thoughts on your comment -

1 - you deserve a warning for your insults towards all the ATS members who posted here.

2 - if that is how you feel then you should go play somewhere else on the internet.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
to let everyone know they're included,

I repeat .. you can't be a part of Christmas without acknowledging the reason Christmas is celebrated ... CHRIST.

Look, Christians, ... you don't OWN Christmas.

Um .. yes we do.

Like it or not, many non-Christians celebrate the holiday.

No they don't. That's impossible. They may get into a secular gift giving frenzy .. but they aren't celebrating CHRISTmas.

Originally posted by spacedoubt
I may start doing that in traffic..Someone cuts me off? MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THAT is the right idea! Seriously. If more people acted that way during the season, and all year round, the world would be a better place.

Merry Chrismas Dammit.

Excellent!

Originally posted by FlyersFan
No they don't. That's impossible. They may get into a secular gift giving frenzy .. but they aren't celebrating CHRISTmas.

To me Christmas is not about celebrating some spiritual or faith based individual/idea, though I don't mind if others do that. It's about being with my family, having a good time, and showing gratitude towards one another.

Ah yes Christmas, a jolly fat man in a red suit gave birth to the lawd Jesus Christ.

and now I leave out cookies and sacrificial milk or shall face the scorn of Santa Claus

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
I said I worshipped Satan for Christ's sake.

That's got to be the funniest thing I've seen all year!

Yup, this is definately a case of over-pc-ing everything possible.
However, at the same time, I fail to see why it would bother anyone what kind of holliday greeting was used by anybody. Happy is happy, for whatever reason.

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Joyous Yuletide!

I don't even remember where I got this from, it's just saved in a wordpad document from several years ago. But here it is. The most politically correct "Merry Christmas" ever:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, nonaddictive gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2004, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishes.
By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher...

Agreed West. Christmas does not now, nor has it ever, had anything to do with the Historical Jesus. As a matter of fact, until a few hundred years ago, it was banned by the church as heritical.

But we all know the history of Christmas, and that's not what we're here to discuss. Christmas, Solstice, or whatever you want to call the 25 of december doesn't belong to the Christians.

flyersfan i never excluded myself. im as quilty as everyone else.
there is no where to go the whole web is like this heck the whole world is like this
lots of disagreements of things that do not really matter. i was just pointing out how i see the world if that makes you angry it kinda proves what i was trying to say. it does not make any difference what we do ppl are going to dislike each based on their beliefs.
i was not trying to make people angry or insult people i was just stating how i felt about the thread. i gave definitions on the words i used i feel they fit (i could be wrong probably am) but its how i see it.

see as i said quilty as everyone else. each of us have our beliefs. i dont think humans are going to change that ever so all the disagreements will go on and on.

look at the world look how we treat each other.

i ask why ? i dont expect an answer or a solution i dont think there is one to either.

sorry i have rambled too much probably made more people angry and not made my thoughts very clear so ill stop here and guess i will move on like was suggested.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't "Christmas" a marraige of the "birth of Christ" and the Roman pagan festival of Saturnallia?

I dont see why so many people are in a disagreement over christmas. Christmas is a holiday celebrated by christains. It's the companies choice to say that they want to screw christmas. In the world people are practically declaring a war against christmas. Is it stupid? Yes. Is it ignorant? Yes it is. Is it arrogant? Yes, it probably is.

If you are fighting to get them to say merry christmas that's your choice and you should go if you want to see what they say but I saw the article and I found the article rather laughable. In a true civil society I bet that this wouldnt even be coming up.

christmas doesnt originate when christ was born

That's very true. Of course the holiday didnt start when he was born.

Plus. If you want to go to church to buy a plasma screen tv that's your choice. If you want to differentiate than that that's also your choice. Other than that, the war on x-mas is plain stupid.

Saying that x-mas should be a mandated hoilday is also dumb. So I say both sides are at fault with this.

Why should I care if some store's policy is changed to address not just my religion but everyones? I am only concerened with my family and friends anyway , why should I care wether a store is wishing me a merry christmas or not? Maybe its a good thing that this is happening...Christmas won't feel so commercialized anymore. If someone tells me "Happy Holidays" I know exactly what that person means without his/her having to say the exact words some people are looking to hear. This garbage goes on every year now "An attack on Christmas" and its getting so played out. Its about time other people are considered when it comes to holidays.

originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
But are we sure this is about political correctness? There's a difference between saying something so no one is offended and saying something to let everyone know they're included, if only in intent. And it's a big difference. And while I hate the former, I totally support the latter.

And there's a difference between wishing everyone a special greeting and excluding a specific phrase. It's not the inclusion, it's the express exclusion of the phrase Merry Christmas.

To my knowledge, Best Buy did not implement the same policy for Hannukah or Ramadan.

Originally posted by jsobecky


To my knowledge, Best Buy did not implement the same policy for Hannukah or Ramadan.

And notably missing is the wailing of Jews and Muslims over the years that this greeting wasn't given to them at this time of year.