Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to Lisa Pampuch’s column regarding
”
Merry Christmas zealots.
”
Pampuch writes about columnist Bonnie Evans getting offended
by
”
generic
”
holiday greetings.
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to Lisa Pampuch’s column regarding “Merry Christmas zealots.” Pampuch writes about columnist Bonnie Evans getting offended by “generic” holiday greetings. The fact is, Mrs. Pampuch, that you have missed the point of the article entirely. Nobody is saying that you can or cannot say “happy holidays”, or any other “generic” holiday greeting. The point is that what can and cannot be said should not be dictated by a tiny minority of people who are offended by the words “Merry Christmas.”
In your letter you talk about the “chorus of whines” regarding how others celebrate Christmas. You want to talk about whining, what do you call a person who gets offended by the words Merry Christmas? I am a Christian who celebrates Christmas, and if a Jewish person comes up to me and wishes me Happy Hanukkah, that would not bother me in the least.
I have yet to meet anyone who is offended by any holiday greeting. The problem is that we are letting a tiny minority of extremely easily offended people redefine this season for all of us.
For instance, if someone suddenly decided that the word “car” was offensive, and they would prefer it to be called an “automated transportation device,” should everyone change what they call it? Absolutely not, we call it a car because it is one, and if you don’t like that, then deal with it. If something that inoffensive bothers you, then you should question how uptight you are, not tell everybody else that they can’t say that. Yet that is what is happening.
Christmas trees are being renamed “holiday trees.” It is called a Christmas tree because that is what it is. If people want to find a new symbol to represent whatever holiday they celebrate, then more power to you, but don’t rename someone else’s holiday symbol to make it represent your own group.
Also, in your letter you bring in the issue of the separation between church and state. It doesn’t apply in the least. How people want to personally greet others is not government mandated, so that does not apply.
I would suggest that if that fact offends you, you are most likely a Grinch, who would probably be offended anyway. Merry Christmas!
Ben Whittaker, Gilroy
