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Another Article about Patriotism, First Principles, and American History Say What? How the Battle Between
Individual Liberty and Societal Norms Impacts You This Christmas
Season. by Susan C. Rempel, Ph. D.
Ah, Christmas! A
time for family, friends, faith, and almost limitless
festivities! It’s a wonderful time of the year. It warms my
heart to wish everyone, “Merry Christmas.” Better yet…I can’t
help but smile when someone extends the same greeting to me.
As this
Christmas season commenced, I began to read posts and articles
opining that it should be “okay” to extend Christmas greetings
to others. I’ve always wondered about the reasoning behind such
writings because, of course, our First Amendment guarantees us
the right of free speech.
The First
Amendment of the Constitution states: “Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech.”
Although Christmas can be celebrated as either a religious or
secular event, it would seem that each individual citizen has
the right to speak freely, as well as to practice the religion
of his or her choice.
I would think that should be the end of the discussion.
Yet, in the era of throwing individual liberty under the bus, I
notice that even I have begun to think twice about wishing
anyone anything unless I know what religious belief system that
person follows.
The phrase “Happy
Holidays” is thought to be a more inclusive greeting, yet I find
it bland. It celebrates little, if anything, in particular just
as we, as a nation, are giving increasing emphasis to holidays
and events with no religious underpinnings at all. I was
completely caught off guard, while researching my recent article
about Thanksgiving, to learn that many schools no longer educate
children as to the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday because
of its religious undertones, as well as its potential to
“offend” one of the students. The celebration of Christmas,
another federal holiday, has also been watered down or
eliminated from many public schools. Christmas programs have
become holiday programs, classroom parties reference only winter
themes, or perhaps there is no celebration before the winter
recess at all.
I’m not sure how
it has happened, but merely extending the greeting “Merry
Christmas” to strangers on the street has become a bit
controversial. How is it possible that a greeting, which is
connected to a holiday celebrated by so many of my fellow
citizens, could have become contentious?
Perhaps more importantly, how could my individual
liberty, as well as my First Amendment right, have become
infringed upon by political correctness run amuck?
America has become a nation which overzealously attends
to the cultural, ethnic, and racial differences that exist
between segments of the population. While the traditional
holidays celebrated by Americans since the birth of our country
are minimized or shunned, great effort is put forth toward
acknowledging some holidays heretofore celebrated elsewhere and
others with little purpose other than to promote sales in
stores. For example, consider the increasing emphasis on
Halloween in schools and on television, while Thanksgiving is
slowly fading from view. Also, how many of us have been to a
winter holiday party at a public school where parents and
teachers feel uncomfortable even mentioning Santa (let alone
Jesus), but multiple centers at the same party are devoted to
educating children about other holidays which are celebrated
during
the winter
season.
It seems
that while we stridently seek to accommodate patterns embraced
by different cultural and ethnic groups, we are somehow expected
to turn a blind eye to anything that remotely involves an
individual’s religious beliefs, particularly if that person is a
Christian. I am sorry to say that somehow a nation which once
embraced individual freedom and liberty has become a nation
where the recognition of diversity, marginalization of common
customs, and minimization of religious beliefs is of the upmost
importance.
Why has this
happened? Let me suggest a few of my own ideas. George Herbert
Mead, a prominent social psychologist at the turn of the 20th
century, created a theory of social development that is somewhat
akin to Freud’s id, ego, and superego. Mead observed children
playing games and noted how various aspects of socialization
evolved as a result of their experiences. He suggested what
factors impact the development of the “self,” and how children
gain the ability to understand another person’s perspective. He
also suggested that eventually children develops “the
generalized other” which enables them to understand, predict,
and respond to all the different members of a group. A classic
example of this development comes from comparing children of
different ages who play baseball. A young child who is on a
t-ball team interacts with the other players very differently
from an older child who is more likely to anticipate and fluidly
adjust to changes in the game and the other members on his or
her team. Children go on to develop a more global generalized
other after being exposed to different social groups at home, in
school, and in the community. As they evolve, they internalize
the norms, customs, and laws of the society as a whole. If you
find yourself unable to pass a red traffic light at 3:00 a.m.,
even though your unobstructed view indicates there are no other
vehicles in the vicinity, Mead’s theory would suggest that the
generalized other internalized within you is prompting you to
follow the rules rather than break the law.
How, might you
ask, do Mead’s ideas relate to whether or not you wish others a
“Merry Christmas?” Well, it has become increasingly popular
during the past century to challenge the traditional structures,
values, and ideas which have been common place in America since
our nation’s founding.
In no small part, this has been driven by a pattern of
divergent thinking which is taught in our universities. The
emergence of this type of thought can be partially credited to a
group of Marxist intellectuals who founded the Institute
of Social Research at Frankfurt University in 1923. They
combined the ideas of Marx and Freud to develop a philosophy
known as Critical Theory. Many of the members of this group fled
to the United States after the rise of the Nazi party and began
to teach in American universities. Consistent with its name,
this theory criticizes concepts such as authority, tradition,
conservatism, capitalism, and ethnocentrism. It also criticizes
many traditional elements of our society including the family,
patriotism, and Christianity. Critical theorists advocate that
traditional social structures should be challenged and
discarded. Their ideas became increasingly popular in
conjunction with the events of the 1960’s.
It is out of this mindset that political correctness developed.
Although there are no “thought police” as predicted in George
Orwell’s 1984, we have
become a nation of self-censoring individuals who choose not
speak out of fear of offending someone. Freedom of speech has
been transformed into freedom of speech so long as what is said
will not upset or insult various segments of the population.
While Congress has passed no law regarding this issue, I
wonder if the generalized other which we have internalized has
increasingly discouraged us from wishing those in our midst a
“Merry Christmas.”
As our thoughts have changed, our behavior has followed suit.
In the past, we might have offered Christmas greetings, and then
modified our statement upon learning that the recipient did not
celebrate Christmas. At present, we are more likely to pass
others by without extending any salutation because it avoids to
possibility of conflict altogether.
It would then be a logical assumption that we also
sanitize statements that we might make concerning a variety of
subjects, including our common culture and heritage, for fear of
being viewed as insensitive, thoughtless, or confrontational.
Could it be that
my reluctance to wish everyone around me a “Merry Christmas” is
the internalization of an unspoken societal norm?
Am I more likely to wish a stranger “Happy Holidays” in
order to avoid conflict which might arise from my greeting? If
this is the case, then I can choose to take action and change my
behavior starting today. If I change one particular behavior,
eventually my interactional patterns with others on a day-to-day
basis will change as well. Therefore, it is my resolve to use
the greeting “Merry Christmas” unless I specifically know that
the recipient of the greeting celebrates a different holiday. If
the recipient is somehow offended, I will take the time to learn
about what he or she celebrates during the winter season. I will
then extend that person a happy, merry, or joyous wish rather
than the all encompassing salutation of “Happy Holidays.” In
light of my decision, I created a series of buttons that say, “I
Welcome Christmas Greetings.” I am going to wear one of them
this holiday season. It will signal others that I celebrate
Christmas and encourage them to wish me “Merry Christmas” as
well.
You may not
think that one woman wearing a button can make a difference.
Maybe not, but I can make a difference if others join me. If
you, and other like-minded people, make your own button, we as a
collective body can make a difference. Please join me this
Christmas season in spreading good cheer. Wear a button. Tell
everyone you know that you welcome Christmas greetings. Wish
everyone around you “Merry Christmas.” If someone objects, then
inquire as to what holiday is celebrated in his or her home, and
what words you can use to extend holiday greetings to that
person.
If you celebrate
Christmas, and want others to extend Christmas greetings to you,
I suggest you make your own button. You can also obtain one of
my buttons by visiting
uncommoncourtesy.com,
bingoforpatriots.com,
or bingoforchristmas.com and clicking on the “I Welcome
Christmas Greetings” button near the top of the page. If you see
me on the street, please feel free to wish me “Merry Christmas,”
and I will respond in kind. No matter what holiday you and your
family celebrate this season, I hope it is merry, happy, joyous,
festive, and wonderful! Follow me on Twitter: SusanRempel Visit www.uncommoncourtesy.com for educational products and a multitude of bingo games for holidays, education, religion, and parties. © Copyright 2011 Susan C. Rempel, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
This article (including the copyright notice) may be reprinted with the following the following attachment: - begin attachment - Bingo Games, Motivational Material and More at www.UnCommonCourtesy.com! A multitude of holiday, religious, educational, and patriotic bingo games and concentration sets available . Bingo games for adults and children to play at home, school, church, corporate meetings, and just about anywhere you can imagine. Read Susan C Rempel, Ph.D.'s blog about Patriotism, First Principles, and American History. Follow Dr. Rempel on Twitter: SusanRempel
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