Well, it seems that the Politically Correct Police are running amok once again this Christmas.
WAIT! I’m sorry.
Out of respect to any non-Christian or non-religious readers, let me start this all over again:
Well, it seems that the Politically Correct Police are running amok once again this holiday season.
That’s better, but it’s also a little silly, isn’t it?
Here we go again. Every year there is some battle over the use of religious holiday symbols or language. This year it’s a local rabbi in the Seattle area, who threatened to sue the Port of Seattle over Christmas trees located at the Sea-Tac Airport that didn’t have an accompanying Menorah or Star of David.
Knowing that this would lead to other requests from Muslim groups or any other interested world religions, the airport board decided to ban all holiday symbols from the airport and the Christmas trees came down.
People who know the rabbi who started the controversy say he wasn’t looking for a national platform, just a little equity.
And Jews across the nation, led by talk show host Michael Medved, have petitioned the airport to return the trees and have even volunteered to put them back up. Now that’s the Chri- (oops) holiday spirit.
Maybe it would be helpful to remember that while the “Christmas” tree is a Christian custom probably brought to America by Hessians during the Revolution or Germans settling in Pennsylvania, the tradition pre-dates the birth of Christ. Societies from the Romans to the Egyptians celebrated the winter solstice in one way or another by bringing evergreens into the home and exchanging coins or gifts. A real irony here is that the “Christmas” tree is actually a world tradition.
There’s no question that words and symbols have power, but the fear here is that these surface issues gloss over real cultural differences. Law abiding Muslims in large American cities live in fear of indiscriminate hate left over from September 11th. A conservative Christian American president is weighing his options these days in a part of the world where millions of Jews and Muslims live.
This is not a time for cultural insensitivity, but it’s not a time for over-sensitivity, either.
To my Christian friends, try to remember that this is also the season for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and Hajj.
To my non-Christian friends, try to remember the spirit of the message even if the words are wrong the next time someone wishes you “Merry Christmas.”
Peace on Earth really is a lot of hard work.
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Comments
Scott,
[try to remember the spirit of the message even if the words are wrong ]
Nos Drovia!
Or is it "Nice Driveway!" (as kids, that's what we always heard)
Great article. Thanks for saying it so eloquently.
Patti Fowler