Christmas trees make non christians feel insecure...

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IronWing

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,821
33,838
136
ShawnD1 said:
I am so utterly offended by Jewish menorah candles that I set them on fire

For serious, I found it offensive when I heard a christmas tree called a "holiday tree." That's like calling a menorah a holiday candle. I'm not even Jewish but I promise I'll flip out and make a huge scene when someone does call it a holiday candle. You know it will eventually happen.
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Holiday = holy day = worse than Brand Y holiday

Christmas Tree => Presents Tree
Menorah => Loot Lights
Mistletoe => Fuck Berries
 
Throckmorton

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
ShawnD1 said:
Fucking spruce trees. I always knew it was them and the jews out to destroy us all.



Pretty much this. I don't know anyone who seriously believes in religion, but we still get together and share gifts. People who are offended by plants should kill themselves already.
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I think it's worth noting this study isn't about what people think. They didn't ask them whether they were offended. They made them take an unrelated psychological test and the result was that they were insecure when a Xmas tree was in the same room.

But like I was saying, the root problem is Americans don't share holidays.
 
Steeplerot

Steeplerot

Lifer
Mar 29, 2004
13,051
6
81
Seeing all the dead brown trees in the litter strewn alleyways this time of year pretty much sums up the USA and it's wasteful hollow culture of consumerism and it's year end orgy of capitalism for the sake of buying useless shit to prop up a economy of mindless drone-consumers perfectly.

Don't you love America and Jesus? Well, it is time of the pagan skyfairies! So buy lots of shit! This is not offensive, it is stupid.
 
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Throckmorton

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
Jaskalas said:
That's no problem by itself. The problem arises when government is used to ensure we don't share holidays.
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What are you talking about? When TV ads and stores say "happy holidays", the religious right gets angry about the secularization of holidays. Then they get mad that not everybody celebrates Christmas. WTF
 
Throckmorton

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
Jaskalas said:
That's no problem by itself. The problem arises when government is used to ensure we don't share holidays.
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What are you talking about? When TV ads and stores say "happy holidays", the religious right gets angry about the secularization of holidays. Then they get mad that not everybody celebrates Christmas. WTF

There's this puritanical ideal of holidays being about going to church and prostrating yourself before God and self-flagellating.
 
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epidemis

epidemis

Senior member
Jun 6, 2007
794
0
0
Tone it down, lol, how arbitrary


"Mistletoe => Fuck Berries"
Good one ;)


Welcome to Y2,011k. The faceless society that is run by a group of people, based on experiments in isolated context and ruled by statistics.
 
Bowfinger

Bowfinger

Lifer
Nov 17, 2002
15,776
392
126
Throckmorton said:
I think it's worth noting this study isn't about what people think. They didn't ask them whether they were offended. They made them take an unrelated psychological test and the result was that they were insecure when a Xmas tree was in the same room.

But like I was saying, the root problem is Americans don't share holidays.
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It's hard to tell without seeing the actual study, but I don't think that's it either. I suspect the study's conclusions, at least as reported by MSNBC, are backwards. It's not that non-celebrants feel more down and insecure when confronted with a Christmas decoration. Instead, I suspect what the study really shows is that those who do celebrate react positively when reminded of Christmas.

Their "scores" of celebrants are higher because they saw the tree and it made them a bit more cheerful than those who don't celebrate. I suspect you'd get similar results if half the group heard cheerful music and the other half didn't, or half were in a room with a picture of a favorite vacation spot, or hobby activity, or something similar that provokes good memories. In other words, rather than being a negative influence lowering scores, I suspect the tree was a positive influence raising scores of those who celebrate Christmas.

But, that's just speculation. There's far too little information in the story to reach solid conclusions. The sample size is so small it would be easy to taint with just a couple of outliers.
 
child of wonder

child of wonder

Diamond Member
Aug 31, 2006
8,307
176
106
My wife and I are atheists and we just took down our Christmas tree today. The holiday is so far removed from its original roots that anyone can celebrate it.

Aside from going to church, can any Christians really say they were "celebrating the birth of Jesus?"

It's a great reason to get together with family and enjoy each other's company.
 
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piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
I am so upset when the press talks about Romhadan(Spell). Also when the press questioned whether Mitt Romney could become president, I thought they were hateful bigots. So dont tread on my Christmas Tree. To me the christmas tree is just a stupid pagan symbol. So I want the national Christmas Tree abolished. Also lets do away with that horrible tree at Rockafeller center, or wherever they put it in New York City.

Sounds great! No more Christmas Tree. Replece the National Christmas Tree with a national Nativity Sceen. After all Christmass is a national holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Bring on the drummer boy and the three wise men.
 
shiner

shiner

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
17,112
1
0
TheRedUnderURBed said:
Seeing all the dead brown trees in the litter strewn alleyways this time of year pretty much sums up the USA and it's wasteful hollow culture of consumerism and it's year end orgy of capitalism for the sake of buying useless shit to prop up a economy of mindless drone-consumers perfectly.

Don't you love America and Jesus? Well, it is time of the pagan skyfairies! So buy lots of shit! This is not offensive, it is stupid.
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So what country would you prefer to live in? I'll buy your ticket to wherever it is if you promise never to come back.
 
Triumph

Triumph

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
15,031
14
81
The local Leesburg VA courthouse decided to allow ten different holiday displays on their property, rather than having just a nativity scene, or removing everything entirely. The displays were on a first come, first serve basis, so a bunch of people (quite humorously) made a mockery of it. The best one was this pro-USA-star-wars display that said, "May the force be with our troops." Can't find a picture of it online.
 
jman19

jman19

Lifer
Nov 3, 2000
11,225
664
126
I'm not a Christian but I get a tree anyway. It's kind of nice to have something nice and green/natural in the house for a little while.
 
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piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
actually most Christmas trees tend to be shorter younger trees grown specifically for Christmas. Maybe they are kind of a waste. That is why I use an artificial tree. Just dont mess with my Christmas Lights. People want to blame electric problems on Christmas lights while they live in a 50,000 sq ft mansion. I think that is just special. If you really cared about the environment, you would live in a smaller house.
 
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piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
It is like this study is designed to make people who decorate for Christmas to be Christian Hate Mongers. Heaven forbid we refuse to celebrate a holiday of love and peace and compassion for our fellow man.

I think if you did a study of someone in the room wearing a headscarf and other Muslim or arab clothing, people from the west may feel apprehensive, even if they did not realize it. So does this mean all non-westerners should be required to wear western clothing?

Just get over it and feel a little uncomfortable. When westerners visit places like Egypt or the middle east they may feel a little uncomfortable as well. But when you visit a foreign country the idea is to experience the foreign culture. This is part of being human. We are suppose to embrace diversity, and appreciate other cultures.
 
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soulcougher73

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
15,880
4,435
136
shiner said:
So what country would you prefer to live in? I'll buy your ticket to wherever it is if you promise never to come back.
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Ill take a ticket to New Zealand please for my wife and I. But you also have to get us citezenship as well :)
 
SandEagle

SandEagle

Lifer
Aug 4, 2007
16,809
13
0
piasabird said:
In Muslim Countries Christians are being hunted down and killed. Who cares about a stupid Christmas Tree?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2131762

I will up your fear of Christmas with being hunted down and killed for desecrating the Quoran, or simply being a Christian.
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links to back that up?

i'll just leave this here for you.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101215/lf_afp/uaehotelchristmasoffbeat

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=43201

http://www.juancole.com/2010/12/christmas-trees-christmas-parties-among-egyptian-muslims.html

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_407349.html
 
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Zebo

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
piasabird said:
In Muslim Countries Christians are being hunted down and killed. Who cares about a stupid Christmas Tree?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2131762

I will up your fear of Christmas with being hunted down and killed for desecrating the Quoran, or simply being a Christian.
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Yeah it's funny people worry about Christians..it's not 400 years ago. Granted I have no use for them or any group think but I like their holiday and see them as no threat.
 
Zebo

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
soulcougher73 said:
Ill take a ticket to New Zealand please for my wife and I. But you also have to get us citezenship as well :)
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You can apply what's the problem? Plenty of Americans live in NZ. I've been there too and still think on balance USA is best for me.
 
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