To those people sharing memes that say things like “I don’t care what people say, I’m going to say ‘Merry Christmas’ even if it makes people upset!” Have you ever met one person who was upset when you said “Merry Christmas”? Even one?
You’ve been suckered by Fox News, which has managed to convince people that if you say “Happy holidays” then you’re against anyone else saying “Merry Christmas” if they want to. As if the two are opposed to each other in some way.
Don’t be so gullible, angry, and ridiculous. Getting angry if someone says “Happy holidays” to you is the most anti-Christian and anti-Christmas attitude you could have at a time where you’re supposed to be loving each other and promoting good will.
Nobody is stopping you from saying “Merry Christmas” and no one is upset at you if you do say it. The only people I’ve ever seen get mad are the so-called Christians who froth at the mouth when someone says “Happy holidays.”
Don’t be stupid for the holidays.
When I was a kid, I didn’t want to be a fireman or an astronaut. Nope. I wanted to be a Monkee. I wanted to be in a band where we all live in the same house and have wacky adventures.
As it turned out, when I was in college, I was in a band called The Naughty Bits where we did all live in the same house for a while (except the drummer who was still in high school and should not have been allowed to play in the clubs we were in), although we never had many wacky adventures.
And while my musical tastes changed over the years, I still remembered fondly the Monkees, and come on, they had some great hits. Why not? They had some of the greatest songwriters of their time penning music for them: Carole King, Neil Diamond, Boyce and Hart, Neil Sedaka, David Gates … and Michael Nesmith.
I’ve since co-written two books about the Monkees and their music, and have seen them in concert a number of times. We saw Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith just a few months ago in their farewell tour. Mike looked very ill, but was determined to carry on, knowing this was his last chance. And Micky clearly loved the guy, looked after him, made sure he hit his cues, and, well, it was heartwarming and sad at the same time.
People don’t realize how much Mike influenced music, bringing country rock to the foreground with the Monkees, writing songs for Linda Ronstadt and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He pretty much created MTV with his show “Popclips,” later won the first Grammy for “best video,” starred in his own TV show “Elephant Parts,” and financed films like “Repo Man” and “Tapeheads.”
And he wrote songs.
So here’s a random list of ten of the songs he wrote for the Monkees and for his solo career that I think showcase his talent. These are not his greatest hits; they’re just some of my favorites.
Anger drives ratings, as Fox News is well aware. And that’s why they created the War on Christmas. Those poor Christians, being attacked and persecuted and treated terribly — how awful it must be to be a discriminated against majority. All those laws requiring people to never say “Merry Christmas” … oh wait.
Every example Fox News gives for a “War on Christmas” always boils down to something like “They won’t let us force kids to sing our religious songs!” or “They say ‘Happy Holidays’ which acknowledges that not everyone is a Christian and therefore they are attacking us!” or “They are refusing to allow us to use their money (taxpayer dollars) for a religious display.”
You never heard of a “War on Christmas” until Fox News made it up as a way to gain ratings, because they have learned that the angrier they get their viewers, the more they tune in. So they create fake controversies each week, with this being the annual rerun.
So here we go again. It’s now the 9th year where I have challenged anyone to give me an example of a real “attack on Christmas,” because every one of these examples is, in reality, fought in defense. You wouldn’t even hear about them if these particular Christians weren’t trying to require everyone to obey their beliefs.
Acknowledging other beliefs by saying “Happy holidays” does not diminish the belief in Christmas one bit. Those who complain are just mad that you aren’t treating them special. That’s hardly a war — it’s the temper tantrum spoiled kids get when you give attention to someone else.
Or else they’ll point out one misguided grinch who complains about a decoration or something as if that was evidence of a vast, coordinated attack.
So there’s my yearly challenge: find me one example of anyone trying to prevent people from celebrating a religious Christmas. Just one.
I have a feeling I know what the result will once again be.
EDITED TO CLARIFY: I’m talking about the US only; clearly there is a war against various religions in other countries that is not limited to Christmas
(And yes, of course, just to clarify: #notallChristians)
I had a case one time where the judge ruled against me in a pre-trial motion. My client was mad. “You said the law was on my side!” he said.
“It is,” I replied. “The judge is wrong.”
His expression told me he had never considered that, but you have to realize that becoming a judge often has more to do with getting elected or appointed and not necessarily because you’re an unibased person or a great legal mind. In fact, sometimes it’s because you have a bias that you get elected or appointed.
Just something to keep in mind when analyzing why someone might win or lose a case. A judge has a lot of power, through their rulings, to sway the case in a direction they want it to go.
One of the themes in my book on the Constitution is “all law is politics” and if you always keep that in mind, things make a lot more sense.
Or, in the case of Rittenhouse, nonsense.
I was recently a guest on an excellent vlog with other writers (all of whom are, unfortunately, older white males) discussing issues such as Black Lives Matter, The “Me Too” movement, Defunding the Police, and what sorts of reforms are needed. Check it out!
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