Analysis by Kyle A. Lohmeier
Well, it’s impossible to deny, or even effectively ignore it any longer, the holiday season is upon us. On the radio and in stores and shopping malls, this means a steady stream of Christmas music for the next few weeks; just like the last couple of weeks. Sadly, on Facebook, this also means a lot of bellyaching about the “War on Christmas” is already on display.
I’ve long held that the “alt-right” is just the equal and opposite reaction to the “social justice” movement; but that might be over-simplified now that I think about it. In a way, those who’ve been complaining about the “War on Christmas” for the last decade or so were the prototypical peddlers of petty butthurt, long before SJWs came on the scene with their trigger warnings, safe spaces and 64 different genders. They were getting offended at the use of some words over others long before gendered pronouns became the focus of populist lefty ire; they were the ones demanding they be hailed in only a very specific way, and wishing them a “Happy Holidays” instead of a “Merry Christmas” was just as apt to trigger them into a fit of hysterics as would assuming a college snowflake’s gender today.
And, the rationalization for all this butthurt on the part of “Christmas warriors” (for lack of a better term) is every bit as asinine as the SJWs and their fight against imaginary bugbears like “rape-culture” and “the patriarchy.” Those who get all fired up about “Merry Christmas” base the rationalization for their annual butthurt on the assertion that the United States is a “Christian nation.” That all historical fact and evidence comprehensively proves said assertion wrong on all fronts goes without saying. So, I won’t bother saying any more about that. Likewise, the fact that Christmas as we know it has more to do with Roman imperial political maneuverings than any actual relationship with the birth of Jeshua ber Josef of Nazareth, is also readily available to anyone with Google, so, I won’t waste any more 1s and 0s debunking the whole “Jesus is the reason for the season” thing here (technically, axial tilt is the reason for the season, but I’m not trying to trigger a bunch of flat-Earthers here, either).
Like SJWs, Christmas warriors appear to be maladapts in a broad sense. Whereas reality refuses to conform to the bizarre worldview of the SJW, Christmas warriors can’t seem to square the fact that reality doesn’t support their prejudices. In reality, private retail businesses make their money this time of year. In reality, private retail businesses know that in order to make as much money as possible, they need to appeal to as many people as possible. While yes, roughly 80% of Americans identify as at least nominally Christian, that leaves 20% who doesn’t. Retailers know that the money spent by those 20% of Americans is just as legal tender as the fiat money spent by Christians. As such, it only makes sound business sense to not risk ostracizing them when they walk in the door, thus explaining why the more general “Happy Holidays” is often preferred to the more specific “Merry Christmas.” Likely, those retailers didn’t calculate for backlash among the 80% who identify as Christian; probably because such whiny behavior shouldn’t be expected of adults.
The other front upon which the “War on Christmas” tends to get waged is where municipalities erect Christian displays, typically manger scenes, on public land; in strict and obvious violation of the First Amendment. That some municipalities forge ahead with such decorations anyway only exacerbates the problem, as then a court often rules space must be set aside for displays honoring other religions as well; or other remedies that only inflame other passions and waste more time and money. It should be a simple matter of settled law that public resources cannot be used to maintain or otherwise fund any overtly religious display. But, again, to maladapts who believe the USA is a “Christian nation,” this line of reasoning is a non-starter, despite being objectively and historically true and correct.
In short, there is no “War on Christmas,” and there never was. No one owns Christmas; certainly no American does, it wasn’t invented in the USA. Humans have been celebrating solstices and equinoxes since just after they noticed said phenomena and were able to predict them; and Dec. 25 is always within a few days of the winter solstice. Christmas means whatever the people celebrating it say it means, and they can call it what they like, be it Kwanzaa, Festivus, Yule, The Second Day of Hanukkah, Binge-on-NBA-day, Go-Eat-at-KFC-Day, or whatever else.
The competing social justice and alt-right movements represent the lowest-order of popular expression and “thought” in the USA; upon reflection, the groundwork for perennial butthurt may have been a Christmas gift from Christian busybodies going on a decade ago.
I wish they’d gotten a receipt.
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