(no subject)
Ok, so I am on the AFA (American Family Association)'s mailing list. This is primarily for laughs, and because the rants and boycotts they do usually tell me which companies I want to buy from (I would never have known how supportive Pepsi is of gay rights if the AFA hadn't told me to boycott them).
But sometimes an email comes down the pipe (tube) that gives me pause. It becomes worth commenting on.
November 17, 2009
Dear Tim,
Gap has responded to AFA's call for a Christmas boycott of their Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic stores with a commercial that takes a cavalier approach towards Christmas.
The video entitled Ready for Holiday Cheer features a group of people dancing and chanting:
Two, Four, Six, Eight, now's the time to liberate
Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanza, Go Solstice.
Go classic tree, go plastic tree, go plant a tree, go add a tree,
You 86 the rules, you do what feels just right.
Happy do whatever you wanukkah, and to all a cheery night.
Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, go whatever holiday you wanukkah.
Did you notice it? Gap compares Christmas to the pagan holiday called "Solstice." Solstice is celebrated by Wiccans who practice witchcraft!
Gap also encourages you to "86" or "dismiss" traditions and "do what feels just right."
Take our Poll! Since Gap has now included the word "Christmas" in a television ad, should AFA call for an end to the boycott of their stores? (emphasis THEIRS, not mine)
First of all, the whole premise for the email is a lie. The Gap had that ad in place prior to any boycott by the AFA, so claiming that it's a response to them is not factual.
Second of all, and I apologize to anyone I might offend with this but here it goes, I don't know what Wiccans they think they know of but I have yet to meet one who has actually claimed to be performing witchcraft in any sense of the word as the AFA uses it. There is no dark magic, ritual summoning, or goat-praising-satan-worshiping-bacchanalian-activity going on. Beyond that, the Solstice is not a holiday. It is an event that happens in alternating fashion twice a year that happens to have a variety of religious celebrations timed around it.
Ok, so I don't actually expect the AFA to do their homework about what they're hating. I don't expect them to even bother to be factually correct with what they're spewing. Like I said, I mostly consider them to be a good chuckle and a nice way to point me towards companies I like. But for some reason this one got to me, this one offended me. I'm staying on the mailing list though, because it's a lot harder to find out about good companies from groups that like them than it is to find out about them from groups that hate them.
But sometimes an email comes down the pipe (tube) that gives me pause. It becomes worth commenting on.
November 17, 2009
Dear Tim,
Gap has responded to AFA's call for a Christmas boycott of their Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic stores with a commercial that takes a cavalier approach towards Christmas.
The video entitled Ready for Holiday Cheer features a group of people dancing and chanting:
Two, Four, Six, Eight, now's the time to liberate
Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanza, Go Solstice.
Go classic tree, go plastic tree, go plant a tree, go add a tree,
You 86 the rules, you do what feels just right.
Happy do whatever you wanukkah, and to all a cheery night.
Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, go whatever holiday you wanukkah.
Did you notice it? Gap compares Christmas to the pagan holiday called "Solstice." Solstice is celebrated by Wiccans who practice witchcraft!
Gap also encourages you to "86" or "dismiss" traditions and "do what feels just right."
Take our Poll! Since Gap has now included the word "Christmas" in a television ad, should AFA call for an end to the boycott of their stores? (emphasis THEIRS, not mine)
First of all, the whole premise for the email is a lie. The Gap had that ad in place prior to any boycott by the AFA, so claiming that it's a response to them is not factual.
Second of all, and I apologize to anyone I might offend with this but here it goes, I don't know what Wiccans they think they know of but I have yet to meet one who has actually claimed to be performing witchcraft in any sense of the word as the AFA uses it. There is no dark magic, ritual summoning, or goat-praising-satan-worshiping-bacchanalian-activity going on. Beyond that, the Solstice is not a holiday. It is an event that happens in alternating fashion twice a year that happens to have a variety of religious celebrations timed around it.
Ok, so I don't actually expect the AFA to do their homework about what they're hating. I don't expect them to even bother to be factually correct with what they're spewing. Like I said, I mostly consider them to be a good chuckle and a nice way to point me towards companies I like. But for some reason this one got to me, this one offended me. I'm staying on the mailing list though, because it's a lot harder to find out about good companies from groups that like them than it is to find out about them from groups that hate them.