Geesh!! You can't even be nice now days!

bitslammer · Dec 21, 2006

[Long rant warning on]

I just wrapped up a training session here and at the end concluded by saying that I wished everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

Well sure enough I had one written comment on a feedback form and one person come up to me and say something along the lines of "...you should really say Christmas..." These idiot Christmas Police are unbelievable.

I told her that my "well wishing " was in fact meant to include all of the people in class. I pointed out that there were several people who were born and grew up outside the US who might not celebrate Christmas. I also noted that I was including New Years as well as many are going to be off work until the new year, and there will be among other things: bad weather, increased traffic, numerous parties, an increase in drunk drivers, an increase in fires due to candles and lights, and many other reasons to be extra cautious about safety.

Not a good enough response she just said something like "well I'm still offended." That did it!!! I told that if her religion taught her to take offense at someone wishing her happiness and safety during an active part of the year then I guess she should have a rotten Christmas and a miserable New Year. She obviously wanted to carry on and argue but I said I was busy and left.

Honestly??? Have things gotten so bad that we can't make an expression of good wishes to another person without having to worry about stepping on someones toes? I have no idea what version of Christianity this lady subscribes too but it's certainly not anywhere close to the version I was taught.

Sorry for the rant I'm just really sick of the increasing number of idiots who think they're part of "God's Police Squad" sent here to tell everybody else what they are doing wrong.

Jaygnar · Dec 21, 2006

I feel your pain.
The way that some people seem to have nothing better to do than to look for any opportunity to become offended just so that they will have something to do is amazing to me. I mean seriously, what kind of person has a problem with someone wishing them happiness and safety? I just wish that people could accept kindness as kindness and not have to twist everything into something negative.
Sorry that you had to put up with that crap. I doubt that I would have been as courteous in handling the situation. I commend you for your restraint. I would have given her an earful and probably felt crappy about it later.
Anyway, Happy holidays everyone.

IsaacHayes · Dec 21, 2006

It may not just be that, I've found people feel the need to complain and pick apart and find any reason to complain to someone. Like they actually seek it out and somehow get some sort of enjoyment from complaining about any and everything, when there is nothing to complain about at all.

It really baffles me sometimes, why a person is wasting my time and theirs complaining about something that isn't there to complain about at all!!

I run into this all the time, and it weirds me out. Is everyone going nuts? It sure seems that way!

Well Happy Hollidays, if you don't like it, well then SCROOOGE YOU!

:wave:

bwaites · Dec 21, 2006

Some of us have just gotten tired of listening to everything being politically correct!

Check out this video:

http://www.guzer.com/videos/nightbeforexmas.php

While I would certainly agree that your message was appropriate, and hers not so, sometimes the pendulum swings the other way, too.

Bill

Norm · Dec 21, 2006

These days a lot of people that would call themselves Christians just don't seem to know the meaning of the word.
Norm

bitslammer · Dec 21, 2006

Jaygnar said:
... I doubt that I would have been as courteous in handling the situation. I commend you for your restraint. I would have given her an earful and probably felt crappy about it later...

LOL. Well I'm normally pretty open mided and try to see the good in people despite the outer wrapper. This was also a fellow employee so I really couldn't light her up without possible issues so I had my say and walked out.

I'm not much a follower to any belief but I'm sure that in some way there will be a type of "bad karma" that will catch up to a person like her because if she's walking around with a big chip on her shoulder itching to berate people who try to wish her well she's going to find a way to be even more pathetic and miserable than she already is.

Maybe I caught her on a bad day, but she seemed to have a very "pratcied" air about her when she started up.

Empath · Dec 21, 2006

Bill probably put it in the right light. You've not only got the "PC Police" watching, you've got the "AntiPC Police" watching. Express yourself in a manner that appears inconsiderate toward anyone's beliefs, politics or situation, and you'll have the PC Police coming down on you. Express yourself in a manner that might appear guarded against offending someone, and you'll have the AntiPC Police coming down on you.

It's not PC to be too callous, and it's not PC to be PC. Figure out where to go from there.

greenLED · Dec 21, 2006

From a local newspaper commentary:

But when a person says to another person "Merry Christmas," does it mean "you have to celebrate my holiday"? Or does it simply mean what it sounds like — a goodwill gesture of wishing the other person seasonal cheer? I'm guessing that when most people say "Merry Christmas" they're not meaning to infer something about the story of Jesus or the practice of Christianity. They're meaning that they hope the other person has a cheerful holiday. If somebody said to me, "Happy Hanukkah," I wouldn't be offended simply because I'm not Jewish. I would thank them and wish them the same, because no matter what holiday they celebrate or I celebrate, this time of year brings most people together under the idea that there's something left in this world to celebrate, a reason to be joyful, and a cause to treat the people and world around you with respect.

But respect doesn't have to mean sanitizing our actions to the point that we cease to have culture. I respect everyone and their holiday, but I think that a holiday-specific greeting is not a terrible disrespect to someone else. It's a personal identification, it's a message of good intentions that comes from the heart. What's offensive about that?

(emphasis mine)

Those are pearls of wisdom written by... a highschool student! So many "adult" people should consider that and focus their attention on solving real problems.

IMO, as we become more and more "developed" and "civilized" we are socially heading towards a Dark Age (one maybe even darker than the previous one). And I'm an optimistic person (with a realistic view, perhaps?)...

With that out of the way, from the bottom of my green heart, I wish y'all

Merry Christmas and my best wishes for the New Year!

raggie33 · Dec 21, 2006

next time shoot em all a bird and tell em to go to hell.nah dont really do that.just makes me laugh thinking a ya doing it. i say all ya can do is try to be nice ya cant please everyone

bitslammer · Dec 21, 2006

Um...Empath..can I get the Cliff Notes version.

That was deep and somewhat paradoxical.

In any case I'm sad & happy to see this just isn't me experienceing this. Normally I get 5-10 people after these classes who stay afterwards thanking me for the info and asking more questions. If I don't see that I figure I didn't do a good job. I even schedule and extra 30 minutes for me after class so I can spend time doing that so this was a first. I felt somewhat ambushed but oh well. It's virtually Friday to me since I'm off tomorrow and I got better things to dwell on.

IlluminatingBikr · Dec 21, 2006

I think it's hard to see through the eyes of people who you have never been.

Thujone · Dec 21, 2006

I do think that the "War on Christmas" is an alarming trend in America, but I would have said the same thing if I didn't plan on seeing the people until after the first of the year. I think you handled it well. Besides assaulting a zealous Christian wouldn't be very Christian like would it

bitslammer · Dec 21, 2006

Thujone said:
Besides assaulting a zealous Christian wouldn't be very Christian like would it

...but I'm a Neopagan Voodoo Druid...

bwaites · Dec 21, 2006

I hope none will take this as a political statement, but simply as illustrative of the difficulties faced in todays United States of America:

From a friend of mine who lives in Washington, DC.

For My Democrat Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, (meant without impugning the value of any other seasonal holiday by comparison), practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. May you enjoy this season amongst friends and family (both traditional and non traditional), or in solitude if you prefer. I also wish you a fiscally successful (not necessarily meant to imply that fiscally successful exclusively suggests an accumulation of wealth), personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country, nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting these greetings, you are accepting the aforementioned terms as stated. This greeting is not subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wishor to actually implement any of the wishes for herself/himself/others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wishor. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wishor.

For My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thujone · Dec 21, 2006

bitslammer said:
...but I'm a Neopagan Voodoo Druid...

I apologize for my lack of sensitivity! :ohgeez:

Thujone · Dec 21, 2006

bwaites said:
I hope none will take this as a political statement, but simply as illustrative of the difficulties faced in todays United States of America:

From a friend of mine who lives in Washington, DC.

For My Democrat Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, (meant without impugning the value of any other seasonal holiday by comparison), practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. May you enjoy this season amongst friends and family (both traditional and non traditional), or in solitude if you prefer. I also wish you a fiscally successful (not necessarily meant to imply that fiscally successful exclusively suggests an accumulation of wealth), personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country, nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting these greetings, you are accepting the aforementioned terms as stated. This greeting is not subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wishor to actually implement any of the wishes for herself/himself/others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wishor. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wishor.

For My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

God Bless.. Thank you for this... :lolsign:

greenLED · Dec 21, 2006

I dunno, bwaites... it'll always be Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to me, regardless of where on the political spectrum I consider myself.

bwaites · Dec 21, 2006

Me too, but evidently, as we all suspected, DC is a little different!

Bill

h_nu · Dec 21, 2006

Empath said:
It's not PC to be too callous, and it's not PC to be PC. Figure out where to go from there.

Perhaps I am too successful at balancing on the line. People have accused me of being a robot like Data on Star Trek.

Merry Christmas.

Big_Ed · Dec 21, 2006

I get so sick of people who insist that everyone say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. PC or not, it's my right to say whatever I want, and wish whoever I want whatever sentiment I hope them to have about whatever holiday or occasion I choose. In either case, wishing someone a Merry Christmas is a well wish for them, even if they don't celebrate Christmas. I'm not Jewish, but if someone wished me a Happy Hannukah, I wouldn't be offended because they are wishing me well. That goes for any holiday. Recipients of the greetings need to see the intent and sentiment, rather than the exact words. I bet these people who are complaining about being offended are the same ones who try to preach tolerance!

Geesh!! You can't even be nice now days!

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