Political Correctness – My Personal Crusade

HAPPY HOLIDAYS sums everything up ..

Happy hanukka, happy x-mas, happy atheist day, whatever etc...

Happy Holidays does not discriminate ..

Happy X-mas alienates lot of people .. happy holidays doesn't

[edit on 22-11-2009 by Polynomial C]

Originally posted by Polynomial C
HAPPY HOLIDAYS sums everything up ..

Happy hanukka, happy x-mas, happy atheist day, whatever etc...

Happy Holidays does not discriminate ..

Happy X-mas alienates lot of people .. happy holidays doesn't

[edit on 22-11-2009 by Polynomial C]

You are absolutely CORRECT!

From my OP:

Political Correctness came into vogue as the government began instituting social programs. It was necessary, in their view, to be able to group all of society into one group in order to administer the various programs being implemented "fairly". It is much harder to "govern" (control) people who are all different just as it is much harder to please people (get re-elected) who all have different beliefs.

It is LAZY governance/control!

[edit on 22/11/2009 by Iamonlyhuman]

reply to post by Polynomial C


Happy Holidays isn't what the OP wishes to express. He wishes to speak about Christ as his personal lord and savior. A Muslim celebrating her preferred holidays wishes to emphasize Allah and Muhamed. Its a beautiful thing that they are not restrained by some kind of watered down/ intolerant view of co-existence. They are individuals. This is what it means to live in a free society.

reply to post by Iamonlyhuman


I think its beautiful that you're exercising your freedom of speech. People everywhere deserve the right to stand up, in plain view and say "I am a Christian, Christ is the world's savior" "I am Gay and proud, we deserve equal rights" "I am a socialist, capitalism is a crime against the poor." This is what keeps a society vibrant.

reply to post by snusfanatic


Like i said, i do not want to stop them for celebrating their respective holidays ... all i want is a little respect for the rest of us that don't celebrate that particular holiday.... just say HAPPY HOLIDAYS to the unknowns and randoms that you find on the street , or just put a sign that says HAPPY HOLIDAYS .. it is easy and like i said before it doesn't discriminate...

[edit on 22-11-2009 by Polynomial C]

reply to post by Polynomial C


What if a person only wants to celebrate Christmas, or just Hanukkah? Why should they wish all holidays when they only want to celebrate one?

This is exactly what the op is talking about. You're lumping all together and destroying the diversity that makes us all great. People are different, just as you are.

Originally posted by Polynomial C
Yeah .. we should all say what we Believe .. let's throw our respect for other cultures out the window ..



.. In your home you can say whatever you want .. in public .. you should be a little more sensitive to the other cultures (Coexist)

[edit on 22-11-2009 by Polynomial C]

Culture is learned. Culture is not some sort of genetic code that is inherently a part of ones biology. What can be learned can be tempered and should be. If one chooses to ignore their own cultural leanings in order to make other people with different cultures feel more comfortable that is their choice to do so...at least, in a free society. However, when people start telling others how they should speak or behave in public, those people have taken the role of tyranny and have done so for dubious reasons. Coexisting requires an ability to accept the cultures of others as well as reject certain aspects of particular cultures that amount to anti-survival.

Should we accept the cultures of head hunters and cannibals? "Oh, I see you've eaten my wife. Well, in the name of coexistence I suppose all I can say is bully for you! Well done! Wait...what are you doing? No! Please don't eat me too...aaaaghhh!"

Yes, there are certain cultures that are not acceptable in a civilization that hopes to successfully coexist with other civilizations. However, telling a Christian they are wrong for wishing others Merry Christmas in public is not okay. Christians do not threaten coexistence by sharing their religious beliefs any more than Jews do and if a Christian can't tell a Jew "Merry Christmas" and then accept the "Happy Hanukkah" given in response no amount of "political correctness" is going to fix that.

Thin skinned people are everywhere, but to subvert ones own religious or political beliefs in order to avoid offending the easily offended is pointless. If the easily offended where so important to the success of civilization it is doubtful that offensive humor would do as well as it does in the market place. Television shows such as South Park, Family Guy, The Boondocks and even the Simpson's, gleefully embrace offending people as an integral part of their programming. These shows have succeeded not floundered and civilization managed to coexist in spite of those shows.

Perhaps it makes certain people feel superior and moral and just to tell others what they can and can not say in public for fear of offending others and perhaps it has never occurred to those people that their actions are found to be offensive by many...or perhaps they are aware of it and just don't care. Either way, they are free to voice their opinions but they are not free to suppress the voicing of other peoples opinions and beliefs that counter their own. That's an integral part of coexistence, to accept another person regardless of how boorish we may find them, as equally entitled to their own opinion as we are to ours.

This is not suggest that we are not all equal as we are not in a biological sense, not even in a spiritual sense but under the eyes of the law we must all be equal or we will never truly coexist. This means that all people everywhere have the freedom to express themselves how they see fit and no other person has the right to suppress that.

reply to post by Polynomial C


You can parade around all you want wishing everyone 'Happy Holidays.' Perhaps Iamonlyhuman wishes to spread his faith in some way. There's no reason to restrict that. The view that someone should keep their beliefs 'in the home' is the opposite of tolerance. It tells people of conscience and conviction to check their humanity at the door.

I personally do say "Happy Holidays." But I welcome religious wishes and blessings from anyone who will offer them. Keeping every belief you disagree with out of your sight is hardly tolerance. Its intolerance masquerading as tolerance.

reply to post by Seiko


I don't think you understand .. but i am going to repeat it again ..

THEY CAN celebrate whatever holiday they want .. for all i care ...

reply to post by Polynomial C

I have understood. You are telling people not to say things publicly, or to say it the way you prescribe.

I am disagreeing with you.

Let me tell you a little conversation i once had with a "Christian" ..


Christian - " Happy X-mas"
Me - "Happy Holidays , mate"
Christian - "What ?? you don't celebrate X-mas"
Me - " no i don't"
Christian - "Why not"
Me - " i don't know, i am not religious i guess"
Christian - "What????, you are an Atheist?"
Me - " yeah something like that"
Christian - Insert religious sermon here-
-- The guy was so mad at me that he stooped communication with me , never said a word to me again,
- he was a co-worker of mine....

This is how the conversation should have been ( if he used Happy Holidays instead of Happy x-mas)

Christian - "Happy Holidays"
Me - " Happy Holidays mate"
Christian - " okay see you next week, have a nice rest"
me - " Thank you, enjoy your rest too. bye"


[edit on 22-11-2009 by Polynomial C]

reply to post by Polynomial C




Well as an Atheist, i LOVE Christmas and think your suggestions are absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary.

I'd like to remind everyone involved in this discussion the profound effect open tolerance of prostletyzing and religious expression has had on our western society.

When classical liberal thinkers, including the "founding fathers" of America decided to draft a new conception of human rights - open, free and public expression of one's religious convictions was a crucial component.

The Establishment Clause of the constitution was the crown jewel of this idea but not the end.This concept of freedom of conscience and the protections granted by our constitution have been instrumental in the advancement of other fundamental human rights.

Remember at the time of the founding and back a couple hundred years the major black eye for tolerance in western society was restrictions and violence over religious expression, including discrimination.

It was freedom of conscience and other certain classical liberal rights (freedom of association, and right to sell labor) which led the abolitionist movement. When this struggle was put aside after reconstruction, the great women (who had led the abolitionist movement) took these same principals of individuality to form the suffarage and, eventually second-wave feminism.

The freedom that started with classical liberal concerns for free and open proslytizing has been constitutionized since that time, by our highest court to protect among other things;

1. The Anti-War movement (which was truely criminalised for much of our history, in ways people today can hardly imagine)

2. The Civil Rights movement

3. Various left-wing political idealogies (communism, socialism, anarchism, etc) during times of persecution.

4. The Gay Rights movement.

Respect for the public expression of religious rights, was the bedrock of the modern idea of tolerance. It has benefited us in more ways then we can count. It is sad that modern society, which for many ways is starting to turn away from religion (and that is truly beside the point) is starting to forget this history.

Originally posted by Polynomial C
but DON'T parade your own damn holiday in public like yours is the only one that matters ...

Well, it IS the only one that matters. Like it or not.

The only thing that offends me is when someone cuts me off, sheesh I can't stand that, whatever happened to polite drivers????!!!!

Originally posted by Polynomial C
Let me tell you a little conversation i once had with a "Christian" ..


Christian - " Happy X-mas"
Me - "Happy Holidays , mate"
Christian - "What ?? you don't celebrate X-mas"
Me - " no i don't"
Christian - "Why not"
Me - " i don't know, i am not religious i guess"
Christian - "What????, you are an Atheist?"
Me - " yeah something like that"
Christian - Insert religious sermon here-
-- The guy was so mad at me that he stooped communication with me , never said a word to me again,
- he was a co-worker of mine....

This is how the conversation should have been ( if he used Happy Holidays instead of Happy x-mas)

Christian - "Happy Holidays"
Me - " Happy Holidays mate"
Christian - " okay see you next week, have a nice rest"
me - " Thank you, enjoy your rest too. bye"


[edit on 22-11-2009 by Polynomial C]

You cannot hold all Christians accountable for the actions of one. Just as you cannot hold all Muslims, Jews, Aethists, etc. accountable for the actions of one.

In my opinion, this Christian erred but all people err, do they not? You recount ONE conversation, you've not ever had any others?

reply to post by Polynomial C


So what you are saying is that we are supposed to tolerate every sort of behavior under the sun all year long and then to top it off we must all stop saying Merry Christmas because the people we just tolerated all year are intolerant?

By the way I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS Polynomial C.

reply to post by ldyserenity


Fret not. More people will soon lose their cars. Or gas will go back up again. Whichever comes first.

reply to post by Iamonlyhuman


No.. i Don't hold all Christians accountable for the conversation i once had...

reply to post by HotSauce


haha, happy holidays...

But you don't seem to understand .. i do not want to banned "marry x-mans" i do not want to banned your own personal "x-mas" celebrations.. all i want is to show a little respect for the rest of us that don't celebrate x-mas , so instead of putting a big sign (IN PUBLIC) that says "HAPPY X-MAS" just put a big sign (IN PUBLIC) that says "HAPPY HOLIDAYS".. just for the single fact that does not discriminate against the "rest of us"




[edit on 22-11-2009 by Polynomial C]