Quote:
Originally Posted by nelie
(Post 4130235)
Honestly, I would say it is insensitive if you are saying that the majority shouldn't care about the feelings of the minority. I said above that I've known quite a few people who have had bad experiences with Christians in the past and feel as if others do try to impose their beliefs on them.
I do feel that Christmas has turned into a secular holiday and you do find many non-Christians celebrating it in their own way. So Merry Christmas to me means a general Happy Winter Holidays type greeting. For others, they may feel that it isn't inclusive of their traditions, especially for things like city/government sponsored events.
I guess for me, I feel it is important to use all-inclusive language. I live in a diverse area and I work in a job with people of all different backgrounds.
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I don't think anybody's required to care about the feelings of anybody else, no matter what group they're part of. I think that it's usually nice, and often (but not always) makes things run smoother and makes communities better places to live when
individuals demonstrate consideration for each other's thoughts and feelings, but it's not obligatory.
People are responsible for their own feelings. If something as inherently harmless as an innocently given wish for a celebration for a religion or holiday someone doesn't participate in upsets that person or makes him/her feel like s/he's somehow been coerced into participating in the religion or holiday referenced, I think that the issue is the offended individual's. If a person becomes upset at being wished Merry Christmas it probably is good for that individual to let people know that it bothers him/her as an individual (unless, perhaps, it's from a stranger s/he'll never see again). However, taking offense at "Merry Christmas" is not a universal response of non-Christians (even among those who have experienced discrimination, bullying, or outright (and sometimes illegal) coercion in the name of Christ), and they don't necessarily need or want others pandering to what their feelings are assumed to be.
I really don't care what people say (as far as holiday greetings, at any rate) as long as they seem sincere in whatever sentiment they are trying to express. Like a lot of other people, I tend to use the terms interchangeably - when I think to use them at all.If somebody I actually knew (i.e., not crazy people who think the check-out line at the grocery store is Speaker's Corner) stated a preference to me, I'd certainly try to remember to oblige them. However, I'd probably actually be mildly annoyed if I found out that a person had taken it upon him/herself to go out of his/her way to tell me "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" because s/he knew or suspected that I was not a Christian and thought that I was so fragile or so easily offended that I needed special treatment. A commendable attempt at being considerate, certainly, but pretty patronizing all the same.
I also think a little common sense can be applied to determine if a particular instance of "Merry Christmas" in the public sphere can reasonably be construed as a reference to the religious observance or if it's a reference to the secular celebration. Kind of like determining whether prayers at public events in the US are violations of the First Amendment or specimens of that oddest of creatures, ceremonial deism.
My area probably isn't as diverse as yours, although it's certainly more diverse than first meets the eye. There is a large Christian majority and a significant non-Christian minority, which appears to be comprised largely of people who recognize that they live in a place in which Christianity (as it has been practiced here) has had a pervasive influence on the social and cultural fabric of the state, and who like the secular aspects of Christmas or don't care much either way. At least where I'm at, most people don't seem that likely to take offense at something like "Merry Christmas" if the person saying it wouldn't have any way of knowing that they're not Christian. To my way of thinking, it's a waste of time and energy to try to avoid offending people when the vast majority of them wouldn't be offended anyway. And if the occasional person does get offended by somebody's unintentional actions? They can say how they want to be spoken to (or not) and choose to get over it (or not). It's not the end of the world or anybody's choice but theirs.
ETA:
nelie, I want you to know that this discussion (my part of it, at least) isn't intended as any sort of personal attack. I just enjoy being able to have a back-and-forth discussion/debate with people.
