Democrashield.com

Bill O’Reilly recently declared victory in the War on Christmas. I wonder if this was what he had in mind:

A Muslim man jumped to the aid of three Jewish subway riders after they were attacked by a group of young people who objected to one of the Jews saying “Happy Hanukkah,” a spokeswoman for the three said Wednesday.

Friday’s altercation on the Q train began when somebody yelled out “Merry Christmas,” to which rider Walter Adler responded, “Happy Hanukkah,” said Toba Hellerstein.

“Almost immediately, you see the look in this guy’s face like I’ve called his mother something,” Adler told CNN affiliate WABC.

Two women who were with a group of 10 rowdy people then began to verbally assault Adler’s companions with anti-Semitic language, Hellerstein said.

One member of the group allegedly yelled, “Oh, Hanukkah. That’s the day that the Jews killed Jesus,” she said.

When Adler tried to intercede, a male member of the group punched him, she said.

Another passenger, Hassan Askari — a Muslim student from Bangladesh — came to Adler’s aid, and the group began physically and verbally assaulting him, Hellerstein said.

[...]

The suspects are to appear in Brooklyn District Court on February 7 on charges that include assault, attempted assault, menacing, harassment, unlawful assembly, riot and disorderly conduct, Silverstein said.

The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident, and will determine whether the suspects will be charged with hate crimes, Officer Philip Hauser told CNN.

[Emphasis Added]

I’m not saying this attack was caused by the conservatives’ supposed”War on Christmas,” but the same philosophy underlies both.

Conservatives believe that–since 80% of America is Christian and 83% plan to celebrate Christmas this year–saying “Merry Christmas” should not just be accepted, but required. To them, showing respect to those who celebrate other holidays–or no holidays at all–is seen as waging a “War on Christmas,” disrespecting one holiday by refusing to disrespect every other holiday. These Christian conservatives expect the entire world to kowtow to their beliefs, embodying a form of virulent majoritarianism.

Conservative culture warriors want to create a situation where “Merry Christmas” is the only acceptable holiday greeting, where recognizing other faiths is condemned as part of some “secularist progressive” agenda. Thus, you open the door to situations like the NYC subway attack, where someone who doesn’t say “Merry Christmas” is attacked for not being a member of the majority.

The “War on Christmas” is nothing more than a sad attempt by conservatives to stigmatize tolerance and push their own beliefs. There was a time when tolerance and respect were considered virtues– Christian virtues, even–and now they’re portrayed by conservatives as, ironically, anti-Christian. It’s not enough that 4/5ths of America celebrates Christmas–these conservatives aim to have Christmas be the only acceptable winter holiday. Period.

Conservatives rail against the “ACLU Grinches” who they see as as somehow harming the most widely-celebrated holiday in America, yet it’s like none of them actually read How The Grinch Stole Christmas. If they had, they would know the moral of the story: despite the fact that the Grinch stole the decorations, the food, the presents and all the typical Christmas trimmings, it didn’t stop anyone from celebrating Christmas. Why? Because Christmas isn’t about any of those things–it’s about giving and togetherness, celebration and family, seeing the best in people and recognizing the good in the world.

It doesn’t matter whether the greeter at Wal-Mart says “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays,” and it doesn’t matter if a man on the subway wishes you a “Happy Hanukkah.” In the end, Christmas is about the spirit of the holiday–if conservatives understood this, they would spend the season embodying Christ’s message of tolerance and understanding, not demonizing their political enemies and fighting for public nativity scenes.

If you want to put the “Christ” back in “Christmas,” live up to his teachings by showing your fellow man some tolerance and love. Because, in the end, isn’t that what Christ was all about? And shouldn’t Christmas be a celebration of what Christ was all about?

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