I'll be the first to admit that mindfulness is a good thing, and that it is (or probably should be) part of common courtesy to be aware that different people celebrate the holidays in different ways. And some people don't celebrate the holidays at all.
Fine.
I'm sure most who read this-- especially if you live in the USA-- are aware of the ongoing discussions, arguments and even controversies over that you "can" and "can't" say to someone during the holidays.
In the "Good Old Days"
A picture from our house, a couple of years back
When I was a kind-- in the 1960's and 1970's-- you pretty much just said "Merry Christmas," and people either said "thank you" or maybe they replied "Actually, we're Jewish," in which case you replied... "Oh, sorry, in that case Happy Hanukkah!"
And then everyone pretty much moved on and had their own version of some kind of Happy Holiday.
Of course, we don't DO that, anymore...
Now we have all manners of "cultural sensitivity" to remember... and it's hard to know what to say, anymore.
The irony of that is that we used to be free and happy and joyous and stuff... but now we're suddenly all anxious and fearful... worried that we are going to say "the wrong thing" and offend someone. So many of us just hold our tongue and say nothing.
If you step back from the whole "cultural" thing for a moment... can you see how the direct impact of "sensitivity rules" has actually served to make us LESS FRIENDLY? We can no longer just express spontaneous cheer... we have to worry about a bunch of "rules."
And what's more... on the receiving end, it seems like more and more people are actively "looking for reasons to feel offended."
WTF, mate?
REALLY Overheard! (I Work in the Retail Industry)
How about some ROCKS for the holidays?
As some of you know, Mrs. Denmarkguy and I have a small art gallery... which is located next to a candle shop. The candle shop-- no surprise-- is particularly busy at this time of the year.
And yesterday it happened!
I actually heard a whole new level of... ridiculousness(?)... on the scale of cultural sensitivity. This is an actual statement, as I overheard it:
"Have a Happy Holiday Season... but Only if You Want to."
No, this person was not being flip, they were being dead serious. And probably sincerely believed that they had attained a new level of uber-mindfulness.
I heard that, and I thought to myself "Aren't we all just taking ourselves a little bit to damn seriously?"
What do YOU think? How does the whole "holiday greeting terminology" controversy seem to you? Is it truly mindful, or have we gone overboard? Are we paying so much attention to "not offending" people that we are actually separating ourselves from each other? Does it bother you if someone offers a holiday greeting that doesn't reflect how YOU approach the holidays? Or do you just accept their greeting in the spirit of good cheer? Have we all lost our minds... forgetting that this is "the season of giving and good cheer?" Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
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created by @zord189
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 171220 09:38 PDT