We are usually greeted with “Happy Holidays” these days in stores and elsewhere, it's expected that we will use this in place of Merry Christmas, and we are likewise expected to display gutlessness by doing so. (Of course, many store employees are threatened with being fired if they don't comply and just have to play the game, while some people use it to bask in that warm glow of moral superiority that they can get without having to put skin in the game, or even thinking about right and wrong.)
"A little smile, a word of cheer, A bit of love from someone near, A little gift from one held dear, Best wishes for the coming year. These make a merry christmas!" ~ John Greenleaf Whittier
We are told that this is so as to not inadvertently offend any non-Christians or foreigners, such as Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and whatnot. To me it seems like saying “Happy Holidays” to them is actually to insult; they are being told that we think they are so thin skinned and immature that they can't abide someone from a different culture. Would you, during a visit to France, be insulted if someone who, knowing that you were American, said to you “Happy Bastille Day?” I didn't think so.
To some extent the joke is on them. Happy Holidays really means Happy Holy Days, the very thought that is supposed to be suppressed. One might say Happy Holy Days instead.
"The holiest of holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart; The secret anniversaries of the heart." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I suggest that we do not so insult any Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and whatnot by saying “Happy Holidays.” You don't want them to think that we think so little of them that we believe they are emotional children.
"She tried to get even with him through psychological warfare but couldn't, because he didn't care." ~ Steve Martin
Of course, there are others who use this and similar things as weapons in the culture war. Not only does it subtly degrade the culture, but it marks the users of the phrase as subservient to the culture warriors working to dismantle Western Civilization. Think of it as the “Happy Holidays Badge of Shame.” (If you have to say it to keep your job you are being coerced and are under duress. You are in some sense a victim of this psychological warfare and cannot be expected to give up your job over it.)
Stay Safe or Stay Free
How often during the recent pandemic festivities have you been told “stay safe”? How often has someone replied “stay free” or “stay brave”, or even better, “stay brave, stay free?” Why not? People were quite fearful at the time, so it would seem to be vital to remind others as well as oneself of the importance of not succumbing to fear. I encourage all …
"Make no mistake: Satan’s specialty is psychological warfare. If he can turn us on God (“It’s not fair!”), or turn us on others (“It’s their fault!”), or turn us on ourselves (“I’m so stupid!”), we won’t turn on him. If we keep fighting within ourselves and losing our own inner battles, we’ll never have the strength to stand up and fight our true enemy." ~ Beth Moore
"A fight is mental, not just physical and psychological warfare is absolutely part of that." ~ Conor McGregor
It's similar to all the nonsense about changing the names of sports teams if they are Native American names. It's not about any sort of sparing the feelings of the American Indians, it's about subservience - we can shame you into changing your team's name.
Sports teams would chose American Indian names because the Indians are and were tough guys. I was grown up before an uncle showed me a picture of my grand-mother and her three sisters as young ladies, and explained that they were half Indian, making me one-eighth. I am not one-eighth insulted over any teams name. (It's not at all uncommon for Americans to have similar ancestries, and many don't even know it. They may have kept it quiet in my youth for fear of racism, but now it's often thought cool. I knew a couple of co-workers with similar American Indian ancestry.)
The point of all this is that these things are not about the apparent issue, remember that the issue is never the issue, much as the gun control issue is not about safety, it's about power and control.
"Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day." ~ Helen Steiner Rice
The Issue Is Not The Issue
The Left, and those seeking power generally, will use whatever the issues of the day are to advance their political position. Usually, whatever the issue, it is secondary to how it can be used to gain and maintain power. The issue may be a real problem, or it may not be one at all, it's importance lies in it's usefulness for acquiring and maintaining po…
It's all about the culture war. Western civilization is a thorn in the side of those who want to rule over all, so efforts are made to degrade it. They use good people's decency against them, those who want to do the right thing and treat others properly. One is supposed to feel guilt over this, that and the other thing; guilt for slavery, racism and every ill thing that can be thought of. Remember, never feel guilt for things you have not done. It only works to the extent that people can see through it, and it seems like it has been an annoyance for so long that people are more and more seeing through it.
Happy Holy Days, Merry Christmas and Stay Brave, Stay Free
"She tried to get even with him through psychological warfare but couldn't, because he didn't care."
It seems that the election in a way gives us permission to not care. If we don't care, then the leftists can't make us play their games. The problem with the pre-MAGA Republicans was that they always cared what the leftists would think. Then as soon as everyone cared about the leftists’ latest outrage, they would invent a new one. Hopefully those days are over.
We live in SC a mile or so from NC and I am happy to report see Marry Christmas and hearing folks say Marry Christmas. Dillards department store and other stores have openly displayed merry Christmas and their stores are full of people. HM with no Christmas displays was empty yesterday.