On Good Intentions and Privilege
Now for just a moment, let us ponder this lovely FB meme that has been going around like the plague. Who could ever have a problem with a meme telling people to be nice? I mean, isn't that just awful?
Ok. Loading the deck. In the fake "war on Xmas", this is the soft weapon of defense -
And look at how inclusive it is. It's not just a defense of people wishing other people "Merry Xmas", it also takes into account people wishing you a "Happy Hanukkah", a "Seasons Greetings", a "Happy New Year" - because THOSE are also problematic - if you stand on one foot, twisting your arms around and squinting really hard. When RJ Cavender posted it on his wall, he really meant to defend all the Jews running around going "Happy Hanukkah and getting attitude from their goyish friends. Fun fact - Jews getting a lecture for saying "Happy Hanukkah" is absolutely the WORST thing to ever happen to Jews ever in the history of Judaism.
Apparently "Happy Pagan Tree Festival" and "Fuck Jesus" are not on the list of holiday greetings that you should take well. So if someone wishes you a "Fuck Jesus" you are perfectly allowed to punch them in the face.
Ok. Now let's back up so I don't entirely look like a Christ Killing Jew (if the motherfucker ever showed his face, I would totally kill him though. Because that's what you do with zombies). I don't think that people wishing me a Merry Christmas are doing anything that isn't automatic. I don't think that they intend to convert me to their pagan ways. Nor do I think that they are taking 2000 years of pogroms, genocides and enforced oppression into account when they invite me to celebrate the birth of their favorite cult leader of all time. I just think that they are trying to be nice. As an individual, I am not going to embody the stereotype of the Rude Jew That Hated Xmas. Nor do I have much pride in ever getting annoyed with people assuming that I as Xian when I was converting to Judaism.
But I don't see this thing being posted by non-Christians. Christians are posting it because in America, they got the privilege. They bore us with their Xmas specials. They send missionaries to New York City to convert the Jews. They can freak out over a mosque or a Muslim Community Center being built anywhere and they are taken seriously. They can cry about someone not necessarily being Xian who doesn't want to hear Xmas music all the fucking time.
Hell, Xians even bitch about Xmas not being Xian ENOUGH. Seriously, what the fuck does society have to do to please you fucking Xians? Everyone puts on a big party and works overtime to allow you to celebrate a holiday and for months before the holiday, our economy is based on you celebrating it. And then you claim that it's TOO COMMERCIALIZED. Suddenly, all of you guys are Marxists bitching about the excesses of capitalism because someone stuck a Baby Jesus on your beer ad. And then you talk about how Santa Claus is evil and you find all those Christmas Carols written by Jews to be suspect because we decided to write about snow and bells and fantasies about flying reindeer.
But we let you bitch about it. We let you "enjoy" your holiday in the only way you know how - by bitching about how it's commercialized and driving out to see your family so you can get into your annual fight with your sister/cousin/uncle about whatever the fuck you're fighting about. There's also a lot of sweaters being passed around. We even listen to your re-gifted fruit cake jokes without punching you in the face.
Is that good enough for you? NOOOOO - not in the slightest. You also want everyone to be happy when you wish them a Merry Xmas because if something makes you happy, why shouldn't it make everyone else in the world happy as well.
Gosh, Xians. I'm so sorry that it's such a burden to consider the perspective of non-Xians who are not necessarily enamored with your holiday. Or at least your god. If this gets out of hand, you won't be able to hold the door open for women without them slapping you for being a sexist pig (a scenario that has happened exactly never in real life, but quite frequently in the minds of douchey college dudes who are trying to tell you what women are like)
So why should people actually sort of tepidly point out that not everyone is Xian and doesn't want to hear "Merry Christmas"? Why can't people be nice when they call Vox Day out for his racism? Don't you know that when your cousin says that President Obama is a Muslim Communist who is trying to sell guns to Mexican drug lords in order to take away your guns that she means it sincerely?
Gosh. I don't know. Maybe it could possibly be a good idea to consider other people for a change - and realize that your words are not going to be accepted by everyone and chill the fuck out. Maybe instead of lecturing the recipients of "Merry Xmas" on what THEIR attitude should be, you can take stock of YOUR attitude that expects everyone to love you when you remind them that they are the minority in this country and that you have the privilege (at least in this regard).
Or is that too complicated for a meme?
Ok. Loading the deck. In the fake "war on Xmas", this is the soft weapon of defense -
And look at how inclusive it is. It's not just a defense of people wishing other people "Merry Xmas", it also takes into account people wishing you a "Happy Hanukkah", a "Seasons Greetings", a "Happy New Year" - because THOSE are also problematic - if you stand on one foot, twisting your arms around and squinting really hard. When RJ Cavender posted it on his wall, he really meant to defend all the Jews running around going "Happy Hanukkah and getting attitude from their goyish friends. Fun fact - Jews getting a lecture for saying "Happy Hanukkah" is absolutely the WORST thing to ever happen to Jews ever in the history of Judaism.
Apparently "Happy Pagan Tree Festival" and "Fuck Jesus" are not on the list of holiday greetings that you should take well. So if someone wishes you a "Fuck Jesus" you are perfectly allowed to punch them in the face.
Ok. Now let's back up so I don't entirely look like a Christ Killing Jew (if the motherfucker ever showed his face, I would totally kill him though. Because that's what you do with zombies). I don't think that people wishing me a Merry Christmas are doing anything that isn't automatic. I don't think that they intend to convert me to their pagan ways. Nor do I think that they are taking 2000 years of pogroms, genocides and enforced oppression into account when they invite me to celebrate the birth of their favorite cult leader of all time. I just think that they are trying to be nice. As an individual, I am not going to embody the stereotype of the Rude Jew That Hated Xmas. Nor do I have much pride in ever getting annoyed with people assuming that I as Xian when I was converting to Judaism.
But I don't see this thing being posted by non-Christians. Christians are posting it because in America, they got the privilege. They bore us with their Xmas specials. They send missionaries to New York City to convert the Jews. They can freak out over a mosque or a Muslim Community Center being built anywhere and they are taken seriously. They can cry about someone not necessarily being Xian who doesn't want to hear Xmas music all the fucking time.
Hell, Xians even bitch about Xmas not being Xian ENOUGH. Seriously, what the fuck does society have to do to please you fucking Xians? Everyone puts on a big party and works overtime to allow you to celebrate a holiday and for months before the holiday, our economy is based on you celebrating it. And then you claim that it's TOO COMMERCIALIZED. Suddenly, all of you guys are Marxists bitching about the excesses of capitalism because someone stuck a Baby Jesus on your beer ad. And then you talk about how Santa Claus is evil and you find all those Christmas Carols written by Jews to be suspect because we decided to write about snow and bells and fantasies about flying reindeer.
But we let you bitch about it. We let you "enjoy" your holiday in the only way you know how - by bitching about how it's commercialized and driving out to see your family so you can get into your annual fight with your sister/cousin/uncle about whatever the fuck you're fighting about. There's also a lot of sweaters being passed around. We even listen to your re-gifted fruit cake jokes without punching you in the face.
Is that good enough for you? NOOOOO - not in the slightest. You also want everyone to be happy when you wish them a Merry Xmas because if something makes you happy, why shouldn't it make everyone else in the world happy as well.
Gosh, Xians. I'm so sorry that it's such a burden to consider the perspective of non-Xians who are not necessarily enamored with your holiday. Or at least your god. If this gets out of hand, you won't be able to hold the door open for women without them slapping you for being a sexist pig (a scenario that has happened exactly never in real life, but quite frequently in the minds of douchey college dudes who are trying to tell you what women are like)
So why should people actually sort of tepidly point out that not everyone is Xian and doesn't want to hear "Merry Christmas"? Why can't people be nice when they call Vox Day out for his racism? Don't you know that when your cousin says that President Obama is a Muslim Communist who is trying to sell guns to Mexican drug lords in order to take away your guns that she means it sincerely?
Gosh. I don't know. Maybe it could possibly be a good idea to consider other people for a change - and realize that your words are not going to be accepted by everyone and chill the fuck out. Maybe instead of lecturing the recipients of "Merry Xmas" on what THEIR attitude should be, you can take stock of YOUR attitude that expects everyone to love you when you remind them that they are the minority in this country and that you have the privilege (at least in this regard).
Or is that too complicated for a meme?