I have noticed that there have been a number of MSM stories recently updating the status of the Christmas wars at department stores and shopping malls. The new angle is that there is evidence that some major stores are loosening up a bit and allowing a bit more diversity in the greetings used by salespeople and in their advertising departments. Limited use of the C-word appears to be a possibility.
If you are not already burned out on this story (and I know many of you are), you might want to check out this wide-ranging story by Keven Eckstrom at Religion News Service that updates a number of boycotts, former boycotts and boycott threats. Some business leaders are backing down and listening to their customers, for better or for worse.
And, yes, the gang here at GetReligion has heard about the Cal Thomas “Christmas wars” column in which he, as he often does, to his credit, actually listens to conservative leaders and then asks them hard questions about what they are saying. Here is the top of this snappy column:
The effort by some cable TV hosts and ministers to force commercial establishments into wishing everyone a “Merry Christmas” might be more objectionable to the One who is the reason for the season than the “Happy Holidays” mantra required by some store managers.
I have never understood why so many Christians feel the need to see and hear “Merry Christmas” proclaimed to them at stores by people who may not believe its central message. While TV personalities, junk mail letters and some of the ordained bemoan the increasing secularization of culture; perhaps some teaching might be helpful from the One in whose behalf they claim to speak.
However, let me get to the point of the headline on this post.
Has anyone seen a MSM report on the developments covered in this wire service report by veteran Baptist Press reporter Tom Strode here in Washington, D.C.? Are there any MSM reporters out there who would like to break what seems, to me, to be a major story for A-1 or the business section?
The poster child for the boybotts this year has been Target and Sears has been looming on the horizon. Thus, it is important that Strode writes:
Two of the country’s largest retail chains have reversed course and are now directly acknowledging Christmas in their in-store promotions and advertising.
Target and Sears both informed the American Family Association, a pro-family organization based in Tupelo, Miss., they are using “Christmas,” thereby changing their recent practice. As a result of Target’s decision, AFA announced it would end its boycott of the chain. Although AFA had not called for a boycott of Sears and its subsidiary, Kmart, the organization had listed the company as one of those that had banned “Christmas” in favor of more generic words, such as “holiday.”
Pro-family leaders who had called for changes by offending retailers welcomed the decisions.
“We are pleased to learn that Target has heard our concerns and decided to use Christmas in their advertising and marketing efforts,” AFA Chairman Donald Wildmon said in announcing the end of the boycott in a written statement. “We think you will see a different approach next year. Corporate America is getting the word from the grassroots.”
According to this report, Target executives said:
“Over the course of the next few weeks, our advertising, marketing and merchandising will become more specific to the holiday that is approaching -– referring directly to holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah. … For example, you will see reference to Christmas in select television commercials, circulars and in-store signage.”
And what about the battle lines in the Salvation Army story? Stay tuned.
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Comments (17) |
December 15, 2005, at 11:16 am
I’m confused — the AFA was upset because Target and Sears weren’t sufficiently commercializing Christmas? Wouldn’t it be *preferable* for Christians to shop at stores that don’t use Jesus’ birth as a marketing device?
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December 15, 2005, at 11:23 am
Have there been any MSM stories covering the origins of the “Christmas Wars”, eight decades back?
(Note: There are a number of sites — with lovely names like “JewWatch” — that claim to have the full text of The International Jew online. I looked through a couple of them for that passage, and didn’t find it. However, the Wikipedia entry for Henry Ford says that The International Jew was a collection of articles, published in four volumes, and the online “full texts” I saw didn’t look long enough to be published as more than one volume, so I’m pretty sure they aren’t complete. It also says that Ford himself didn’t write the articles, but they were published by his newspaper and distributed through his car dealerships.)
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December 15, 2005, at 11:55 am
So, basically, Target bent then, huh?
Interesting…talk about an incentive to keep up those kinds of efforts (boycotts and such) next year!
I very much liked Cal Thomas’ article. In my more childish moments I am inclined to get in there and rail against stores that label Christmas Trees “Holiday Trees,” too.
But then I think, how does that affect either me or the point of Christmas? Jesus didn’t die so I can have an Xbox or an iPod!
Isn’t it actually likely to reflect negatively on Christianity in the eyes of those of other religions from other parts of the world when they see that Jesus’ birth is so tied to consumerism this time of year?
Basically, depending on when you catch me, I can see both sides of this one.
Brad
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December 15, 2005, at 11:59 am
Given the recent Ford story, where the AFA appeared to wrongly take credit for Ford dropping ads in gay publications, reporters may be appropriately gun-shy about writing stories about the AFA and their tactics.
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December 15, 2005, at 7:06 pm
[…] GET RELIGION: “Hey MSM: Want to break a story?” …. (getreligion) […]
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December 15, 2005, at 8:26 pm
The issue, to me, is one of cultural plagiarism.
Christians are generous. If pagans want to use our holiday as an excuse to have some fun and, yes, even make a few bucks, then fine. We can mutter about abuses, but overall, Christians are hopeful that through it all, some of the true reason for all the fuss will rub off on even the most shallow party-goer or the greediest merchant.
But take the “Christmas” out of Christmas and it goes from a bunch of pagans abusing our holiday to a bunch of pagans turning our holiday into absolutely nothing more than an opportunity to cash in and get drunk. Not even a remote chance of an evangelistic opportunity there.
So, to put it in terms that perhaps a journalist can relate to, we have problems with our holiday being used—even abused—without proper attribution. It might seem silly or petty considering what the popular culture has made of it, but plagiarism is plagiarism. Even when it is plagiarism of a cultural event.
Merry Christmas,
Greg
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December 15, 2005, at 8:37 pm
Greg,
That’s *exactly* the point I made to my wife earlier today when we were talking about why I mind. I even used the word “plagiarism.”
…but then if you think about it, some of our own traditions were appropriated from the pagans, so I guess the question is, how far back in history do we go in fighting over who got some of these traditions and customs first?
At least the Jesus part is original.
Brad
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December 15, 2005, at 9:11 pm
Brad,
Obviously, you have a very discerning and probing mind.
But regarding your second point, if someone wants to wish me a “Joyous Satunalia” or for that matter a “Happy Festivus” I’ll happily take that over an insipid “Happy Holiday” when what they obviously MEAN is “Merry Christmas.”
Greg
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December 15, 2005, at 10:07 pm
At least the Jesus part is original.
Um, how much mythology have you studied, Brad?
Even Lewis and Tolkien admitted that there was a strong resemblance between the the Jesus narrative and earlier myths. They just thought the myths were a shadow of a greater, eternal truth.
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December 15, 2005, at 10:35 pm
Good point Greg, honesty would be nice.
Avram, from what I’ve read on the subject (usually in articles written by skeptics, so I should be getting the worst they have to throw at me) it seems that, yes, there are similarities, but that’s all. Similarities.
For instance, usually in Greek mythology there was some god/human sex involved and the god who was born came out as some random animal (a bull comes to mind).
The fact that a god was born is about as far as it goes.
Brad
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December 16, 2005, at 12:05 am
Darrell’s obsevation is right “on target (so to speak), in that I, too, have wondered why the commercialization of Christmas is an important thing to many Christians.
Interesting to note that Target itself has said for months that it had relented a bit and, while still banning bell ringers, was now supporting the Salvation Army and other charities through the United Way. The S.Army says it’s less money, but they are pleased Target’s still on board with them, in some fashion, and hopes to increase the store’s involvement with the charity in other ways in the future. (I have missed all this in the coverage of the Xmas Wars, by the way.)
And a non-sarcastic shout-out and kudos to Avram for finding that devastating and very intriging Henry Ford quote. Guess this is NOT a new debate, which I suspected already.
Less racist men, preachers at the turn of the last century, were said to have often denounced the commercialization of Christianity. Some do now, too. I haven’t seen too much coverage of this issue, either.
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December 16, 2005, at 12:20 am
The whole “precursor to Jesus” pagan birth narratives issue is excedingly interesting, but be warned - it can be very tedious, once that can of worms is opened. I.e. Expect 60+ postings to that thread! I’ve seen it happen.
And I’ve seen virtually nothing on this pagan origins issue in the media this year. (But it’s here in this Baltimore Sun story:)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.qampa04dec04,1,5351184.story?coll=bal-ideas-headlines
Personally, I intend to be “Traditional” and keep the MITHRAS in Mithrasmas this Dec. 25.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=883&NewsID=682187&CategoryID=10961&show=localnews&om=2
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December 16, 2005, at 9:19 am
Stephen A, et al:
And, again, this is not a blog for wars on history and religious doctrine. If you find interesting MSM stories on those historical or doctrinal issues, by all means let us know!
It is also crucial to remember that there are a wide, wide variety of reactions to the Christmas War issues, even among the most conservative of believers. Some of us are sickened by the whole steamroller of the mall calendar. Period. At the same time, it is hard to take the overreaching of public officials and merchants who break out the specific words and symbols on the other holidays and not Christmas. This is a point that even the most traditional of rabbis has started to note in recent years.
See the Toward Tradition website:
http://www.towardtradition.org/article_fighting_for_christmas.htm
Of course, this is a conservative, Orthodox rabbi — which means he may, in fact, be a closet anti-Semite, in the eyes of some.
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December 16, 2005, at 1:19 pm
What, you think there’s no such thing as an anti-Semitic Jew? Not that I’d go so far as to accuse Lapin of such, but it’s not such a blatant absurdity as one might think.
Lapin has a history of clashing with the ADL, doesn’t he? And of being dismissive of accusations of anti-Semitism?
Hey, odd fact. I found an article on Lapin on the Media Matters website. According to them, the transcript you linked to doesn’t match the text of the actual speech Lapin delivered, which was also broadcast a few days later on a radio talk show. The speech apparently had Lapin describing a choice “between a sordid, spreading secular sinister society and on the other hand, a society of benign Christianity, the likes of which the world hasn’t seen in any other country for the last 2,000 years”, and the transcript doesn’t have that passage.
What’s becoming clear to me now — thanks to Terry — is that we aren’t seeing a resurgence of anti-Semitism in this country, but rather an anti-secular movement making use of the tactics and rheotric of anti-Semitism. But enough of that.
Noen of which is to say that stores don’t get stupid over holiday decorations. I just passed a sign this morning that said the equivalent of “Merry Christmas” in several different languages. I recognized “Feliz Navidad”, and “Joyeux Noel”, and something with “Kristos” in it — yet the English one said “Season’s Greetings.” Pretty stupid, yet hardly a “war on Christmas”.
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December 16, 2005, at 10:23 pm
Wow. While researching something else, I found another article by Lapin. How many rabbis would quote a nasty anti-Semitic passage from Mein Kampf and then agree with it?! So Terry, yeah, in Lapin’s case, maybe not so closeted.
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December 17, 2005, at 10:00 am
…but we Christians don’t start celebrating Christmas for eight more days, right?; then we’ve got twelve days to rock the house (God’s house, that is). So the retailers are giving us a lead in, and then we do our part. I think the answer is more Advent in the churches, not more Christmas at the cash register. The “banning” of employees saying the C-word does bother me, but it does make a certain useful distinction on the sacred side of the fence, IMO.
et in terra pax,
Jeff
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December 20, 2005, at 12:33 am
Just a note, this New Englander spent the weekend in warm, cloudy Florida, and EVERY retailer said “Merry Christmas” at the register.
As for Lapin, I’ve actually heard him speak, and he is no anti-semite. His love of Christians (though hard to explain to some Jews, I’m sure) does not equate with anti-semitism. He seems to love both Judaism and American Christians. It’s not impossible to do both, I would submit.
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