Was anyone ever actually offended by "Merry Christmas"?

Li Tan

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Sep 12, 2013
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I understood that "happy holidays" was intended to avoid offense.
But, did anyone ever actually complain about it?
 
Oh, no doubt. Some people are offended very easily, by all kinds of things.
 
If they don't say "very Merry Christmas" Ifeel truly offended. It's like, don't half ass it grandma.
 
I am offended people believe in Saint Chris Nicholas. Santa is against my religion. :D
 
Just people looking to be offended. The whole happy holidays thing is poppycock.
Right, but has anyone actually ever claimed to be have been offended? Like has there ever been anyone who filed a lawsuit, wrote an open letter, or went on a talkshow and claimed that they, themselves, were offended?

I kind of feel like it was some PC doofus pre-emptively protecting the sensibilities of people who don't actually exist.
 
Right, but has anyone actually ever claimed to be have been offended? Like has there ever been anyone who filed a lawsuit, wrote an open letter, or went on a talkshow and claimed that they, themselves, were offended?

I kind of feel like it was some PC doofus pre-emptively protecting the sensibilities of people who don't actually exist.
I think I found a story that's close enough. :)

http://jonathanturley.org/2008/12/2...ues-for-being-required-to-say-happy-holidays/
 
I'm not offended, but frankly sometimes I get sick of Christmas. It's ridiculously pervasive non-stop holiday music and it's just everywhere for over a month. I sometimes feel like Christmas is a borderline Cult.

This might be where Happy Holidays comes from. People think this holiday is a little nuts are just partly backing off it, yet they still like the paid holiday and time off work.
 
I understood that "happy holidays" was intended to avoid offense.
But, did anyone ever actually complain about it?
It's more about other cultures (Jews, Atheists, etc.) sort of having Christmas shoved down their throats for so long. Happy Holidays just sort of became a way to not focus so much on one holiday. Honestly, it seems like the people who get offended are the ones who pissed off because people say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. I never seen or heard anyone complain about being told Merry Christmas, but you have an army of people jaw jacking about how offended they are about Merry Christmas not being the forefront of everything.
 
I think one of the first big corps to change their policy/signage/etc. did it based on a complaint, but we are talking about a country of 100's of millions of people. No major org has ever complained, and IIRC they've even come out and said it's OK (like the Anti-defamation league that handles Jewish related.. complaints.)

Entire thing is stupid to get upset about. The Christians who have gotten mad, Bill O'Reilly's BS "war on Christmas" talk etc. are ridiculous.

OMG A MASSIVE MULTI-NATIONAL CORP TRYING TO SELL YOU THINGS MADE BY SLAVES IS NO LONGER PUTTING UP CHRISTMAS SIGNS!

Seems to me if you were being remotely logical as a Christian you'd be thankful that your religious holiday was being removed from corporate sales lingo. But I fear many Christians in this country aren't in it for logical discourse, and love playing the victim too much to just let something that makes perfect sense slide.
 
I think one of the first big corps to change their policy/signage/etc. did it based on a complaint, but we are talking about a country of 100's of millions of people. No major org has ever complained, and IIRC they've even come out and said it's OK (like the Anti-defamation league that handles Jewish related.. complaints.)

Entire thing is stupid to get upset about. The Christians who have gotten mad, Bill O'Reilly's BS "war on Christmas" talk etc. are ridiculous.

OMG A MASSIVE MULTI-NATIONAL CORP TRYING TO SELL YOU THINGS MADE BY SLAVES IS NO LONGER PUTTING UP CHRISTMAS SIGNS!

Seems to me if you were being remotely logical as a Christian you'd be thankful that your religious holiday was being removed from corporate sales lingo. But I fear many Christians in this country aren't in it for logical discourse, and love playing the victim too much to just let something that makes perfect sense slide.
The Daily Show did a good piece on Fox and Christmas last week I think.
 
Christmas used to be much more enjoyable back in the day before it became in vogue to be easily offended by beings who don't exist.
 
It's more about other cultures (Jews, Atheists, etc.) sort of having Christmas shoved down their throats for so long. Happy Holidays just sort of became a way to not focus so much on one holiday. Honestly, it seems like the people who get offended are the ones who pissed off because people say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. I never seen or heard anyone complain about being told Merry Christmas, but you have an army of people jaw jacking about how offended they are about Merry Christmas not being the forefront of everything.

Then you don't go out much. I always say Merry Christmas. While working at Gamestop, I said Merry Christmas to a customer who was leaving with a bag of goodies two days before Christmas. She said I don't celebrate Christmas and that I shouldn't say it. I said, neither do I but why else do you think everyone is here in mass buying everything in sight. Bottom line is, people chose to be offended whether they are or not.

And as for Christmas being shoved down people's throats, it's Christmas for crying out loud and last time I checked no one has been converted to Christianity because of sales, commercials or at the very least having someone say Merry Christmas. I don't get offended during Passover, Hanukkah, or the multitude of Hallmark holidays and neither should anyone else during Christmas, Easter, etc.

More and more people are less tolerant every year and it's becoming a very said situation on this planet when you can even say a benign, non offensive thing like Merry Christmas in public without someone feigning offense to garner some sort of attention.
 
I heard Merry Christmas from at least half a dozen store clerks over the last few days.. not a single "Happy Holidays".. not a single person getting offended around me.

Quite the exaggeration Ape. I'm sure the occasional person makes a point to say it's inappropriate, but who cares?
 
Then you don't go out much. I always say Merry Christmas. While working at Gamestop, I said Merry Christmas to a customer who was leaving with a bag of goodies two days before Christmas. She said I don't celebrate Christmas and that I shouldn't say it. I said, neither do I but why else do you think everyone is here in mass buying everything in sight. Bottom line is, people chose to be offended whether they are or not.

And as for Christmas being shoved down people's throats, it's Christmas for crying out loud and last time I checked no one has been converted to Christianity because of sales, commercials or at the very least having someone say Merry Christmas. I don't get offended during Passover, Hanukkah, or the multitude of Hallmark holidays and neither should anyone else during Christmas, Easter, etc.

More and more people are less tolerant every year and it's becoming a very said situation on this planet when you can even say a benign, non offensive thing like Merry Christmas in public without someone feigning offense to garner some sort of attention.

People definitely seem timid about saying "Merry Christmas," from my experience. Shop employees will only say it if I initiate. Otherwise, they'll just say, "Thank you for shopping," or something similar.
 
I heard Merry Christmas from at least half a dozen store clerks over the last few days.. not a single "Happy Holidays".. not a single person getting offended around me.
I echo this. I was surprised at how many times I heard merry Christmas this year based on the "war on Christmas" that has been claimed to be happening. There were a few happy holidays but an overwhelming amount of "Merry Christmas."
 
I don't think I'd feel offended if a person from another religion greeted me with their religion's holiday greeting. Nor would I care if they put up some nativity-like scene of their religious traditions on public property. If anything, I'd find it interesting to see other culture's celebrations. I think these groups today are so wound up with a sense of victimization, feeling offended by things not meant to cause offense.

There doesn't need to be more censorship, quite the opposite. If gays get to celebrate their pride on public property in parades, then I see no reason why everyone else shouldn't be able proclaim theirs. We are, after all, supposed to be a melting pot of other nations and cultures.
 
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Merry "You need Jesus in your Heart and He loves you" Christmas! :)

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I see absolutely no grounds by which someone should be offended by 'merry Christmas'.

If someone says 'I don't celebrate Christmas actually', I still don't see why the term could ever be grounds for taking genuine offence. It's an absolutely inoffensive term meant to confer good will on the recipient. To turn that around on the bestower is absolutely pathetic in my eyes.
 
This would make a great Myth Busters episode.