Oh, God, Bless You

The War on Christmas seems to be more of a low-intensity conflict this year than an outright conflagration, as in Holiday Seasons past. Perhaps that's because it's hard to keep a hate on for something so stupid year in, year out.

Or perhaps not. Either way, one clear effect of the War on Christmas nonsense was and is to further aggravate the already overblown sense of victimization, isolation, and indeed entitlement on the part of those who are interpellated and hence flattered by Bill O'Reilly-standard propaganda.

And that's depressing, because that's kind of made Christmas suck, a bit. I'm not particularly sentimental by nature but I do have something of a soft spot for the Christmasy peace on earth, good will towards men stuff: we need more of that in this nation. But the War on Christmas baloney points in the other direction. Let us not feel charitable: let us feel aggrieved!

I thought of this the other day when I passed the little marquee sign for the Baptist church at the bottom of our hill. Here's what  it read:

"Christmas" is not "the 'C' word," and never has been. (The "C-word" of course is "cunt.") But pretending that "Christmas" IS a swear word reinforces and indeed helps to invent a particular kind of social identity for a particular group, a group united around an array of shared grievances that are not less deeply felt merely because they're largely imaginary or even preposterous.

Fox News and Greater Wingnuttia decided they wanted to politicize -- and consequently take ownership of -- Christmas. And that has quite literally made my neighborhood a little less neighborly.

Bah humbug hehindeed.

Comments

[¡El Gato Negro!]

¿What kind of stupid christmas thinks up a sign like that?

[/snark]

[Molly Ivors]

(The "C-word" of course is "cunt.")

You're always so helpful.

(I know, I know. On my way....)

[dewey kneadleeders]

"Merry Cunt", "Joyous Cunt", "Blessed Cunt"?

That's one awesome church.

[Rmj, Vox Adventus]

Our cunt, who art in cunt, hallowed be thy cunt?

Hail cunt, full of cunt, cunt is with thee?

Sorry, been teaching Hemingway again, it was my first thought.

[focus]

now, how about that Whiskey Fire gear ...

[actor212]

I'd write to the pastor of the church and ask "Which is more important: that Christmas is on my lips, or Jesus is in my heart?"

Then tell him to take that stupid sign down.

[joel hanes]

I had never seen the word "interpellated" before; looked it up. Cool word. Thanks.

But your useage doesn't seem to fit the definitions I found.

[Rmj, Vox Adventus]

I had never seen the word "interpellated" before; looked it up. Cool word. Thanks.

But your useage doesn't seem to fit the definitions I found

That could be because he spelled it wrong. Mis-spelled it. Didn't spell it correctly.

None of these looks right, all of a sudden.

[TRex]

Hooray!

Free at last!

[Thers]

Joel -- see here; "Interpellation in the context of social science." That's what I meant. And I did too spell it right!

[K. Ron Silkwood]

Using a concept coined by a Marxist? According to Loadpants that makes you a fascist.

[SteveB]

At first, I thought it was a misspelling of interpolation and couldn't figure out how the War on Christmas related to estimating the value of a function in between two known data points.

Then I wondered whether "interpellated" rhymes with "fellated", and, well, my attention started to wander a bit from the subject of Christmas.

By the way, "those who are fellated and hence flattered by Bill O'Reilly-standard propaganda" is a useful phrase, too.

[MikeJ]

My mind was not in the gutter. I thought the c word was "Chanukah".

[Avedon]

Me, too, I woulda walked right in and said, "Happy Chanukah."

[DrDick]

Having grown up with the fundies long ago in the wilds of Oklahoma, I can only say that they will continue to be aggrieved and feel persecuted until they rule the world and are free to persecute whomever they want with impunity. Maybe even then.

[shirt]

Have yourself a sudsy sudsy solstice, and never run out of beer...

[myiq2xu]

Happy Festivas!

[Me]

Oh man, I'm glad I don't have to drive by that church. I just got my annual email from a relative (forwarded through about 1000 other people, of course) spoofing the super-PC holiday greeting that is supposedly required by "liberals" ("May you have a gender-neutral solstice", blah blah blah).

Honestly, I don't know where or how people imagine that Christmas is under attack. Even for the perpetually aggrieved, it seems too absurd--kind of like believing that the Super Bowl doesn't get enough publicity.

[stickler]

Dr. Dick:

Having grown up with the fundies long ago in the wilds of Oklahoma, I can only say that they will continue to be aggrieved and feel persecuted until they rule the world and are free to persecute whomever they want with impunity. Maybe even then.

Thing is, they already had that in Massachusetts, and it didn't work out so well. Hell, they even tried it in England -- even closed down all the theaters, shut the whorehouses, and banned Christmas. The Puritans even shot out the stained glass windows of Canterbury Cathedral with cannon, for Calvin's sake.

And what did it get them? Charles II in England (buggery and drunkenness and pirates), and Irish Boston (need I say more?).

I say, let the Puritanical bastards have free rein. The backlash should be most entertaining.

[rea]

I say, let the Puritanical bastards have free rein. The backlash should be most entertaining.

Assuming we all don't get burned as witches first . . .

[mds]

I say, let the Puritanical bastards have free rein. The backlash should be most entertaining.

Assuming we all don't get burned as witches first . . .

Yeah, I would have felt a lot less sanguine about Puritan Massachusetts if (1) I had to live there, or (2) they had the world's largest military, plus nuclear weapons. Don't expect to be able to sit back and munch popcorn if the Dominionists ever actually seize the reins of power in the US.

[mds]

if the Dominionists ever actually seize the reins of power in the US.

I mean, more than they already have.

[Gummo]

Whole lives built on imagined slights and revenge fantasies.

What an empty world the fundy universe is.

Oh, and Merry Cunt, everyone!

[Nora]

The beating of the Jewish guy on the NYC subway last week for wishing people a happy Chanukah is, in my opinion, a direct result of this bullshit "War on Christmas" meme. That's where it leads, of course: people ready to find insult anywhere, and "empowered" to avenge those so-called insults with violence.

[Jemand von Niemand]

Every time I hear someone use the word, "cunt", it carries the same force for me that I hear behind the N-word. It's meant to devalue, even dehumanize, the recipient -- because every real man knows a cunt is only good for one thing.

There's so much violence washing around just beneath the surface with the wingnuts in these days; it's a lot of bad juju looking for a way out of the bottle.

And there's so much encouragement of violence, bigotry and intolerance by way of example from our sociopathic, twisted 'leaders' in the public sphere.

It's a big step from using the violence of language (the C-word, or the N-word -- or, as was popular in nazi Germany, the J-word --) to actual violence... but it's just a step.

[Dolly Dagger]

You'd think Festivus would be a more appropriate holiday for these folks, what with the Airing of Grievances and all...

[Jake T. Snake]

The really distressing part of this story will be when they find the aforementioned Baptist minister dead and alone the day after christmas ...double wetsuited, tied up with tinsel, christmas tree in his anus and egg nog used for lube, with the Mormom Tabernacle Choir CD on continuous loop.

[borehole]

Jemand, there's another, lesser-known "c-word."

"Context."

[Fledermaus]

The real tragedy is that I now can't say "Merry Christmas" without being afraid that people will think I'm some right wing asshole.

And I'm not even christian

[Thursday]

I'd write to the pastor of the church and ask "Which is more important: that Christmas is on my lips, or Jesus is in my heart?"

***

Then I wondered whether "interpellated" rhymes with "fellated", and, well, my attention started to wander a bit from the subject of Christmas.

***

Hmm...

How about having Jesus on your lips...?

[Thursday]

I'd write to the pastor of the church and ask "Which is more important: that Christmas is on my lips, or Jesus is in my heart?"

***

Then I wondered whether "interpellated" rhymes with "fellated", and, well, my attention started to wander a bit from the subject of Christmas.

***

Hmm...

How about having Jesus on your lips...?

[actor212]

How about having Jesus on your lips...?

Posted by: Thursday

It would the meaning of the hymn, "Come All Ye Faithful"...

[HairlessMonkeyDK]

"Every time I hear someone use the word, "cunt", it carries the same force for me that I hear behind the N-word. It's meant to devalue, even dehumanize, the recipient -- because every real man knows a cunt is only good for one thing."

What ARE you babbling about?
Cunts are great things and they are good for many, many, things.
Rubbing, sucking, fondling, fucking, teasing, tasting, licking...
I could go on.
You're insane.

[Jemand von Niemand]

I think you got me wrong on that one, Hairless, ol' pal.

But, Happy Holidays.