27 November 2009

On Those Against Christmas

Have you ever wondered what your great-grandparents complained about? My theory is that they complained about the convalootin' television set and how they never had that in the "good ol' days". Just like our grandparents (or parents) are complaining about the convalootin' iPods and games systems and how they only had THREE television channels when they were growing up.

And guess what? I think we'll be complaining to our grandkids about their new gadgets and we'll be saying things like, "Back in the day, we could only get 32 Gigabytes on our iPod Touches!" And they will either look at us like we're crazy or wonder how we made it through life with such a monstrosity.

I wonder how many hippies in the 60's and 70's complained about the commercialization of the holidays just like a good portion of the population complain today about the same thing. And I wonder how much the world really changes through time.

And then I think about first semester Latin. Our professor brought in graffiti found in Pompeii. It's mostly stuff similar to what we write. "This woman is a whore" and "this guy does a lot of girls" and so forth. There's even some swearing. And then here's the "this person was here" and "this thing rocks" or "this thing sucks". What kind of graffiti do you see in bathroom stalls? That's right --- all that you've just read. All that was found in ancient Pompeii. All that was probably written in castle latrines in the medieval period, and what's been written all over fifty year-old desks at old universities.

People don't really change. They still fear the same unknown. Old conservatives reject the new and try to keep tradition alive. Young liberals bring in what they think will work; and some of it does.

Christmas has been commercialized for years. You wanted this and that when you were five years old, and you thought nothing of the kids in the allies to have to eat a soup kitchen if they know what a soup kitchen is at all. No thought crossed your mind of donating to the Salvation Army. Why? Because when you're five years-old, all you can still think about is yourself. And some people don't grow out of that. They failed sharing when they were in kindergarten, or they did so much as kids they think they're making up for it in later years. Or maybe they just think highly of themselves.

Christmas is supposed to be about joy and spreading peace to the world. I know it's hard to ignore, but if commercialization bugs you that much --- ignore it. Yes, I went shopping today. I also got a annoyed at a few Christmas carols. But that doesn't matter to me. I'm looking ahead to the days when I can give my dorm mates their presents. I really want to know if Dad will appreciate my gift to him. And I wonder if the spirit of gift-giving is something they did a thousand years ago as well.

So for those who are complaining about Christmas in the media:
Cry me a river, build me a bridge, and get over it. Take what you want from the season, and forget about the rest.

We're the first generation completely surrounded by the media. This is by the fault of no single person. If you're going to be angry at anyone, be angry at yourself for not accepting your world for what it is. Take what joy you can from what you want, but please don't rain on my parade.

Because I'm that person that decorates a week before Thanksgiving, and tears everything down the weekend after New Year's Day. If that bugs you, don't bother complaining. I'll just walk away.

4 comments:

  1. I completely agree! Great blog. I might have to do a blog on Political Correctness, probably not what you were going for but its the same idea. I'll message ya when I write k?

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  2. I, too, have an opinion about being "politically correct". Thanks for the comment!

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  3. No problem :D by the way checked through your archives a bit, love the Saab! My family had two saab stories lol but my dad traded his for a beamer :P

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  4. My dad and uncle combined could open up a small Saab dealership alone. I will undoubtedly buy one once I get a chance.

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