Views on the News | Political correctness threatens Christmas

Steve Keller Columnist

Deck the halls. Hang up the decorations. It is that time of the year again: The time when most Americans get together to celebrate Christmas.

Oh, I’m sorry—did I offend somebody? Well, get over it. I am sick and tired of political correctness.

And believe it or not, there is a war on Christmas. I used to disagree with wacko conservative pundits such as Bill O’Reilly about this. However, as this Christmas season draws near, I find it harder to ignore the phasing out of Christmas under the guise of political correctness.

Now I’m not going to claim that America is a Christian nation, though over three-quarters of Americans are Christians. I’m not going to claim that anyone should celebrate Christmas in order to be American, even though the vast majority of Americans do. And I’m not going to claim that anyone should stop saying “happy holidays,” although the phrase really gets under my skin.

What I am going to say is that political correctness is sucking the life out of this magical tradition. Christmas is something we all can partake in. It’s unique in that everyone, from devout Christians to staunch atheists, can enjoy the season. That’s because Christmas is not necessarily Christian. It is true that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on Dec. 25, although Jesus was probably not born on that date. But the greater meaning of Christmas in American culture is that it is a time when we are all supposed to be nice to each other.

During this time, some strange sense of “Christmas goodwill” starts to take over each and every person who wants to enjoy the feeling. People buy gifts for each other. The family gets together again. Everyone has a break from work and school. And jaunty old Christmas swing tunes are constantly played on the radio—never mind that some of the most beautiful religious songs are being phased out to make room for low-quality, modern secular “hits.” Instead of playing well-composed Christian songs such as “O Come All Ye Faithful” or “O Holy Night,” we hear trite, non-denominational songs such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “Jingle Bells.”

Radio stations, which are private enterprises, make their own choices as to what songs they will or will not play. And I respect their ability to make that decision. But it incenses me that someone can use the rationale that “someone might get offended” to justify not playing a religious Christmas song. There is much more offensive material on radio and television these days than religious Christmas music. If you don’t want to hear religious Christmas music (which is at most celebratory, not proselytizing), then just turn the radio station off!

The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” That doesn’t mean you should sue someone for setting up a nativity scene in an airport or for hanging a “Merry Christmas” banner at an elementary school.

One of the most irritating examples of excessive political correctness is found in the slow shift toward calling Christmas trees “holiday trees.” This absurd euphemism has popped up in department stores across the country, as well as cities such as Boston and our very own halls of Congress. Why? Because someone might get offended.

It’s a Christmas tree, and that’s that. Like it or not, it is a part of Western cultural tradition.

Christmas is still Christmas. Ninety-six percent of Americans celebrate the holiday, 14 percent of whom are not Christian. On Dec. 24, children will be eagerly awaiting the morning, anticipating Santa’s arrival and presents under the tree. Americans will have Christmas trees in their homes and will listen to at least a couple Christmas songs during their day. Some people will go to church, while others will celebrate at home with their families. The point is, the overwhelming majority of Americans celebrate Christmas, so why pretend that they don’t?

There’s no organized conspiracy against Christmas to speak of, but secular and religious institutions relating to Christmas are being whittled away in the name of a generic “holiday season.”

Again, I don’t advocate forcing anyone to stop saying “happy holidays.” I just find the political correctness tiring. The idea that anyone would be offended when someone wishes them a “Merry Christmas” is absolutely ridiculous. Anyone who is that secular needs to calm down. Christmas doesn’t have to be, and isn’t, religious for everyone

I respect other cultures and their holiday traditions. If someone wants to put a menorah in the town hall, that’s fine by me. Play Christmas and Hannukah songs on the radio. Put a Christmas tree, as well as Kwanzaa decorations, in the town square. However, multiculturalism doesn’t mean blending all of our distinct traditions into a nondescript, featureless “holiday” month, thereby losing what makes all of our cultures unique. Saying “happy holidays” when we really mean “Merry Christmas” causes the death of the Christmas tradition. We’re causing that Christmas magic to become a thing of the past. I don’t think anyone wants to lose that.

Steve Keller ’11 is writing a column this semester expressing his views on national and international current events.