The LJ posts that haven't made it to fruition this month

[zebra363]

1. The one I was composing in the car this evening about my irritation with a (non-LJ) friend on the other side of the country. However, imagining the responses some of you might give me convinced me to take a more charitable view of the situation. Thanks for your advice

Comments

[psycho_tabby]

I think it does.

I like the last non-post, I think it deserves postdum :)

[zebra363]

I've found the anti-Christmas (or rather, anti-expecting everyone to participate in Christmas) posts I've read rather joyless, but I might feel the same way if I thought there was much of a religious element to Christmas festivities. Which I don't! As far as I'm concerned, it's just a convenient time for organisations to hold functions and for me to make gingerbread.

[psycho_tabby]

All the Christmas events I have attended have been about the people. About relaxing and celebrating (what we are celebrating seems to be more end-of-the-year, and drink, and food, not religion) I am very non religious, but in Australia I don't think Christmas has to be all that religious any more, its just an excuse to chill out, get presents and have a holiday *grin*

[doctor_k_]

It makes a post.

I just made myself go to a Christmas party full of people I didn't know (and cricketk), because I force myself to be in that sort of social situation just once a year, for practice.
I left early, and am home with a headache, comfort TV, comfort internet, and chocolate. Phew!

[zebra363]

I'm relatively comfortable going places where I don't know anybody, because there are all the basic getting-to-know-you questions to work with. Plus, you may never see them again anyway. It's being around people I do know that's the problem.

Congratulations on getting through your once-a-year exercise!

[shayheyred]

Honestly? I'm not Christian and I couldn't give a flying rat's ass about "not being included" in Christmas. I like the season, the feeling, the trees, the decorations, the gift-giving, the dinners, all of it. I don't feel left out and I often roll my eyes at those who do, uncharitable though that may be. I suppose I am a "melting pot" kind of person, and I deplore how we fragment ourselves by national origin, religion, race and sexual orientation.

[zebra363]

I'm the same (though I expect the season and the feeling are a bit different over here, since it's summer)! I can't quite see how there's anything to complain about in being invited to a Christmas party.

[malnpudl]

I missed my first couple of corporate Christmas parties more or less by accident (car trouble one year, sick pet the next) and decided it was such a great precedent that I would make it personal policy. In 20-some years, I never went to one. I call that a win

[kremmen]

There's the problem with that part of the US mentality. There is no reason for something to do with Christmas to be inappropriate, let alone offensive. When I lived in Singapore, the locals happily "celebrated" (in the sense of dinners, parties, whatever, minus the religious aspect) Christmas and then did it all again for Chinese New Year. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with enjoying the festivities of other cultures/religions. Sounds like the "multicultural sensitivity training" should have been given to the employees, not the supervisor.

[malnpudl]

But for devoutly religious people -- which I am not, mind you; I'm agnostic -- it is offensive (especially in the workplace) to be forced to participate in the activities and observances of another faith. And for those people, it is not possible to mentally divorce "Christmas" from its religious origins and significance.

There's an arrogance in telling people that what they feel and believe is wrong, and that they shouldn't think or feel that way. Instead of butting heads over that, it's simple enough to say "holiday party" instead of "Christmas party" and "gift exchange" instead of "secret Santa". Lets everyone feel respected and included and free to have fun without feeling like they're betraying their own faith.

[kremmen]

It's a form of PC-ness gone berserk. Renaming it doesn't change anything. The fact that we call something a "Christmas party" refers to the rough time of year at which it occurs, not necessarily because any of us are Christian at all and certainly not because we are doing anything explicitly Christian.

If there are devoutly religious people who can't see that, then I would suggest that they have a problem with coping with the idea that other religions/cultures exist and that wanting the majority to change their traditions because of them is the height of arrogance.

[kremmen]

2. After so many years working in IT, mostly for small companies, I can only wonder what other types of Xmas parties are like. Ones I went to never demonstrated any evidence of work power structures. ... but then, the workplaces themselves seldom demonstrated work power structures either. :)

4. America is really stupid that way. Because some people of non-Christian religions get in a snit about Christmas being uninclusive, the media all toady to them and say "happy holidays" rather than "merry christmas", so it makes it seem like it matters. Vicious circle. There are a lot of yanks who are very xenophobic and uninclusive and I'm sure that's what feeds the whole mess.

[zebra363]

2. I'd say there's a power structure any time someone is in control of or can negatively affect another person's job, or in other words at virtually any workplace. It wasn't really that bad - I'm just uncomfortable being trapped in a situation where I have nothing to say and just have to wait it out until I can leave. I feel like this at most social gatherings, not just work ones.

4. That's the way it looks from here, anyway. I tend to find political correctness very tedious, but I'd probably feel differently if it was an issue I actually cared about!

[kremmen]

About the only affect of the power structure that I saw was that the boss could stand up and speak and we'd listen. Not a big imposition, since he was paying.

How can you possibly have nothing to say? Those times when some people bring out boring photos of children/absent partners/dogs/whatever, you could just whip out an alpaca photo and immediately be the source of much interesting conversation.

[zebra363]

What I mean is that the more senior people can set the topics of conversation and those much further down the hierarchy can't easily avoid them without looking like a killjoy.

I could discuss alpacas with someone who hadn't already heard about them, but these are work colleagues I see regularly. Topics like that get covered on ordinary work days, leaving things like Bree Maddox's attractiveness or lack thereof for social functions.