(no subject)
Responding to a meme about how to respond to various expressions of holiday wishes, an analogy occurred to me.
If I was a gay man, and someone asked me how my girlfriend/wife was, I'd probably say something like "It's my boyfriend/husband actually, but he's fine. Thanks for asking!" That's polite, right?
If someone says 'merry Christmas' to someone who is not a member of a faith that acknowledges Christmas, it's rather like that in my view. I recognize the good intent and appreciate it. However, not mentioning that the expression doesn't apply to you is reinforcing cultural hegemony. It should similarly be polite for my Jewish family members to say something like "I don't celebrate Christmas, but thanks for the well-wishes!"
If I was a gay man, and someone asked me how my girlfriend/wife was, I'd probably say something like "It's my boyfriend/husband actually, but he's fine. Thanks for asking!" That's polite, right?
If someone says 'merry Christmas' to someone who is not a member of a faith that acknowledges Christmas, it's rather like that in my view. I recognize the good intent and appreciate it. However, not mentioning that the expression doesn't apply to you is reinforcing cultural hegemony. It should similarly be polite for my Jewish family members to say something like "I don't celebrate Christmas, but thanks for the well-wishes!"