For many Religious Right groups, Christmas is not so much a time to celebrate Immanuel than it is to raise money by fomenting outrage when shops use slogans like “happy holidays.” The American Family Association has a “Naughty or Nice” list to stir up consumers to boycott companies which are “against Christmas” and yesterday Liberty Counsel announced its “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign,” targeting public spaces which “censor” Christmas and selling their “Help Save Christmas Acton Pack.“…. [I]t appears that the Religious Right’s most beloved fast food chain, Chick-fil-A, has indeed declared war on Christmas. In their horrific assault on Christmas, the company released a statement celebrating the “holiday season” that doesn’t once include the word “Christmas” and also pushed out a press release about “holiday gift giving,” again failing to mention “Christmas.” Even their online ads are clear affronts to Christmas!
It’s the rhythm of life, as predictable as it is silly and tiresome. A company will use the phrase, “Happy Holidays,” or refer to the “holiday season” in their advertising, and Right-wing talking heads with too much time on their hands and more barely-contained rage than sense will go ballistic. Bill O’Reilly is the usual and most obvious culprit. Perhaps the holidays leaves him short of material, but O’Reilly will hypocritically pan companies who seem bent on “taking ‘Christ’ out of Christmas.” That nothing could be further from the truth is beside the point; it’s about ginning up fake, manufactured outrage and propping up his ratings. It’s all about Conservative talking heads getting people to pay attention to them (LOOKITME!! LOOKITME!!)
The truth is the most companies recognize that the “holiday season” is a euphemism for something that impacts several faith and secular traditions- Christmas and Kwanzaa come immediately to mind, but they’re certainly not alone. So why the faux outrage, when anyone with half a brain and the barest shred of common sense understands that Christianity is hardly under assault from the forces of Godless Liberals? Perhaps those decrying the “War on Christmas” are feeling left out and attention-starved. Perhaps some Right-wing groups see an opportunity to milk a “controversy” for donations. Perhaps both. What ever the reason(s), it’s silly, offensive, and pointless…not that any of those things have ever stopped the Right-wing outrage machine from spontaneously creating a Threat To Our Christian Way Of Life © out of whole cloth.
Now the shoe appears to be on the other foot. Chick-Fil-A, the darling of the Rabid Right for taking a firm stand against same-sex marriage this summer, just fired the first shot in the annual “War on Christmas.”. Cue the voluble, self-righteous Right-wing outrage machine in 4…3…2….
Or not. I’m guessing that we’ll be hearing exactly nothing regarding Chick-Fil-A’s evil, wicked effort to “take the ‘Christ’ out of Christmas” (not that I’m not holding my breath). Because in the end, it really has nothing to do with the manufactured “War on Christmas.” It’s just another opportunity for the Rabid Right to create yet more faux outrage and attract attention and money.
‘Tis the reason for the season, no?
