Happy What?
I haven't posted for a while, for which I apologize to anyone who's paying attention. It's been a busy couple of months.
Now the December holidays are upon us, and they're getting to be no fun at all. Last year, Wal-Mart instructed employees to wish customers "Happy Holidays" and some evangelical Christians said it was part of a war on Christmas and tried to boycott Wal-Mart. Normally, I have nothing against a boycott of Wal-Mart; I haven't set foot in one of their stores in a couple of years. But there's no war against Christianity or Christmas in this country, and when you aren't sure of a person's religion, "Happy Holidays" is a safe middle ground. This year, though, Wal-Mart announced that their employees would say "Merry Christmas." Maybe a few non-Christians will be offended by that, but most will probably take it as an expression of general good will.
This silliness came home last week. The principal of the school where my wife teaches had spent a considerable amount of money and a considerable amount of time to decorate the teachers' lounge. There were snowmen all over the place. Unfortunately, there was an artificial evergreen tree with icicles on it and a Santa Claus that played music and shook its butt. That was as close to religion as the decor got, but that was close enough for some of the Jewish teachers, who announced that they were offended. The decorations came down around the same time that one of the Jewish teachers was making latkes in her classroom to tell her class about Hanukkah. I wish I had some standing to talk with those Jewish teachers. Here's what I'd tell them:
"Teachers seldom get the expressions of appreciation that they deserve. Here someone had made an effort to make a drab, unappealing teachers' lounge warmer and more cheerful and you complained because of an artificial evergreen with icicles--which, unlike a Christmas tree or the Hanukkah bushes found in some Jewish homes, is a natural phenomenon--and a Santa Claus--a figure frequently attacked as a symbol of the commercialism of Christmas. Because of your complaints, the decorations were taken down. Someone who wanted to show teachers some appreciation for their work will have to make do with "I tried," and the teachers will make do without the expression of appreciation. And something surely could have been worked out if you hadn't been so thin-skinned--perhaps a menorah and a star of David could have been included.
You couldn't accept that. Even if we accept that the decorations had religious connotations, you insisted on taking away the right of your colleagues to recognize a holiday sacred to many of them. Like the Puritans, like some of the Muslims in the Middle East who'd like to wipe out Israel, you can't tolerate expression of any religion except your own. Very few Americans would think that they had any right to interfere with anyone else's religious observances, but apparently you do. If you're going to teach, you need to learn that the Constitution says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." And if the government is explicitly prohibited from interfering with the free exercise of religion, you should recognize that you shouldn't do it, either. You have every right to ask for equal time or space, and if some decorations need to come down to make room so that you can have extra space, so be it. But to demand that all of the decorations come down is overstepping the limits.
That overstep becomes more reprehensible when, in effect, you bring part of the celebration of Hanukkah into the classroom. What would you have done if someone had complained about one of your number preparing latkes? I'm pretty sure you would have started screaming about anti-Semitism, but you'd be dead wrong. Latkes are closely associated with Hanukkah. In fact, some web sites specifically identify them as a Hanukkah food. And when you serve them during the day on which Hanukkah begins at sundown, you clearly intend them to be associated with a religious holiday. I would merely point out two things. First of all, Christian teachers sometimes develop lessons that feature Hanukkah motifs and, if they have the knowledge or have a friend who does, they see that someone explains the holiday to their classes--as they do with Kwanzaa. Second, to demand that the somewhat secular decorations in the lounge come down and then prepare latkes in your classroom is about as hypocritical as you can get.
So here's a challenge. Before what is now called the winter break begins, many of your students will bring you gifts. All I ask is that you demonstrate some ethical consistency. To do that, you will need to return every single gift that does not clearly indicate in some way that it is a Hanukkah present. If the card says "Merry Christmas" or even "Happy Holidays," or if the wrapping carrys any design that might be associated with either the sacred or secular side of Christmas, you must return it. After all, these things, you have said, offend you, and God knows no one wants to offend you. And it goes without saying that you will not enter a home that is decorated for Christmas or set up a decorated evergreen in your own home; if an evergreen with icicles on it says "Christmas" to you, a decorated evergreen surely does, too.
Or maybe you should just help replace the decorations and add whatever Hanukkah symbols you like."
Now the December holidays are upon us, and they're getting to be no fun at all. Last year, Wal-Mart instructed employees to wish customers "Happy Holidays" and some evangelical Christians said it was part of a war on Christmas and tried to boycott Wal-Mart. Normally, I have nothing against a boycott of Wal-Mart; I haven't set foot in one of their stores in a couple of years. But there's no war against Christianity or Christmas in this country, and when you aren't sure of a person's religion, "Happy Holidays" is a safe middle ground. This year, though, Wal-Mart announced that their employees would say "Merry Christmas." Maybe a few non-Christians will be offended by that, but most will probably take it as an expression of general good will.
This silliness came home last week. The principal of the school where my wife teaches had spent a considerable amount of money and a considerable amount of time to decorate the teachers' lounge. There were snowmen all over the place. Unfortunately, there was an artificial evergreen tree with icicles on it and a Santa Claus that played music and shook its butt. That was as close to religion as the decor got, but that was close enough for some of the Jewish teachers, who announced that they were offended. The decorations came down around the same time that one of the Jewish teachers was making latkes in her classroom to tell her class about Hanukkah. I wish I had some standing to talk with those Jewish teachers. Here's what I'd tell them:
"Teachers seldom get the expressions of appreciation that they deserve. Here someone had made an effort to make a drab, unappealing teachers' lounge warmer and more cheerful and you complained because of an artificial evergreen with icicles--which, unlike a Christmas tree or the Hanukkah bushes found in some Jewish homes, is a natural phenomenon--and a Santa Claus--a figure frequently attacked as a symbol of the commercialism of Christmas. Because of your complaints, the decorations were taken down. Someone who wanted to show teachers some appreciation for their work will have to make do with "I tried," and the teachers will make do without the expression of appreciation. And something surely could have been worked out if you hadn't been so thin-skinned--perhaps a menorah and a star of David could have been included.
You couldn't accept that. Even if we accept that the decorations had religious connotations, you insisted on taking away the right of your colleagues to recognize a holiday sacred to many of them. Like the Puritans, like some of the Muslims in the Middle East who'd like to wipe out Israel, you can't tolerate expression of any religion except your own. Very few Americans would think that they had any right to interfere with anyone else's religious observances, but apparently you do. If you're going to teach, you need to learn that the Constitution says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." And if the government is explicitly prohibited from interfering with the free exercise of religion, you should recognize that you shouldn't do it, either. You have every right to ask for equal time or space, and if some decorations need to come down to make room so that you can have extra space, so be it. But to demand that all of the decorations come down is overstepping the limits.
That overstep becomes more reprehensible when, in effect, you bring part of the celebration of Hanukkah into the classroom. What would you have done if someone had complained about one of your number preparing latkes? I'm pretty sure you would have started screaming about anti-Semitism, but you'd be dead wrong. Latkes are closely associated with Hanukkah. In fact, some web sites specifically identify them as a Hanukkah food. And when you serve them during the day on which Hanukkah begins at sundown, you clearly intend them to be associated with a religious holiday. I would merely point out two things. First of all, Christian teachers sometimes develop lessons that feature Hanukkah motifs and, if they have the knowledge or have a friend who does, they see that someone explains the holiday to their classes--as they do with Kwanzaa. Second, to demand that the somewhat secular decorations in the lounge come down and then prepare latkes in your classroom is about as hypocritical as you can get.
So here's a challenge. Before what is now called the winter break begins, many of your students will bring you gifts. All I ask is that you demonstrate some ethical consistency. To do that, you will need to return every single gift that does not clearly indicate in some way that it is a Hanukkah present. If the card says "Merry Christmas" or even "Happy Holidays," or if the wrapping carrys any design that might be associated with either the sacred or secular side of Christmas, you must return it. After all, these things, you have said, offend you, and God knows no one wants to offend you. And it goes without saying that you will not enter a home that is decorated for Christmas or set up a decorated evergreen in your own home; if an evergreen with icicles on it says "Christmas" to you, a decorated evergreen surely does, too.
Or maybe you should just help replace the decorations and add whatever Hanukkah symbols you like."
posted by amsterdr at 8:33 PM
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