[b said:
Quote[/b] (Napster @ Dec. 06 2005,10:49)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Dec. 06 2005,10:38)]Have we had a mince pie survey yet? Which are the best ones to buy? Had a "deep filled" one from Tescos - most disappointing. Too sweet.
Thoughts?
Matt
thoughts? you're too scared to discuss religion so opt for a food-based survey!
Too scared? Nah, I was sparing you an MtS essay, but seeing as you've asked for it...
I see the subject matter of this thread (namely, whether our national identity is under threat - which is the gist of the discussion) as all a bit of a fuss about nothing. In this particular sphere, as with so much in life, we are experiencing the swing of the pendulum.
There is no doubt in my mind that the 1980s and early 1990s were a period during which time a significant number of people indulged in patently racist behaviour and attitudes - partly because plenty of people didn't know any better, and partly because mass immigration from our former colonies was, at that time, a still fairly recent event.
Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, a fairly right-wing Tory government was in place, which in particular promoted a social view of "every man for himself" (Thatcher's mantra of "there is no such thing as society") - which was hardly likely to encourage tolerance towards people who were different from the mainstream in society.
When a New Labour government was elected in 1997, naturally the pendulum was going to swing back the other way... and swing fairly hard. Hence you now have hand-wringing welfare types saying that we can't celebrate Christmas in case it offends people from Islamic, Hindu or Jewish backgrounds.
Personally, I've often wondered whether Muslims, Hindus and Jews aren't mildly offended by the woolly-sweater-and-bearded brigade saying things like that. Why should they be offended by the fact that we're celebrating Christmas?
If those Muslims/Hindus/Jews are religious types, then surely they can appreciate that, in a society (the UK) which is founded on a mix of Christian, Celtic, Nordic and Anglo-Saxon traditions, it is customary for people to celebrate Christmas at around the time of the winter solstice.
One thing that a lot of British people have recently developed, and of which we should be proud, is tolerance - but that is something which should be seen as a two-way street. So, just as the majority population in Britain should allow Jews/Hindus/Muslims to celebrate Hannukah/Diwali/Eid ul-Fitr in whatever way their communities see fit, so the Jews/Hindus/Mulsims should allow the majority populaiton to celebrate Christmas.
And, whether the hand-wringers like it or not, the vast majority of the British population is white and has a set of values which is strongly influenced by Christian, Celtic, Nordic and Anglo-Saxon traditions... which include celebrating Christmas at around the time of the winter solstice.
Let's not forget that loads of people from a Muslim/Hindu/Jewish background enjoy Christmas... after all, who doesn't enjoy a party where we all eat too much, open presents and fall asleep in front of the telly? However, if anyone doesn't want to get involved in that, then no one is suggesting for a second that they should have to - or that they should be made to feel bad for not wanting to do so.
But I certainly agree that the people who are suggesting we should call Christmas the "winter festival", or who are forbidding the erecting of Xmas trees and decorations, are dribbling, spineless idiots. You do not spare the feelings of the minority by denying the majority their celebrations - if anything, you increase tensions and resentment. The sooner the hand-wringers realise that, the better.
Equally, I doubt very much whether this trend of "no Christmas" is particularly prevalent... the fact that the press are reporting stories about it is totally unrepresentative of what may or may not be happening in wider society. They just think it's a story with a good angle - and they're right. We've written pages and pages about it!
Two final observations:
1. I know that Americans say "Happy Holidays" - but that is because their history is very different from ours: chiefly because the Jewish community wielded far greater power and influence in American society during the 19th Century, when modern notions of Christmas really took off, than the Jewish community did in the UK. Since Hannukah and Christmas often fall at a similar time of year, "Happy Holidays" became an easy phrase to adopt.
2. This debate is very, very different from the debate surrounding the George Cross. If you were to pick up a photo of a parade from the Victorian / Georgian period, I would defy you to find a George Cross flag in the crowd. It is with great sadness that the Far Right, during the 1970s and 1980s in particular, seized on the George Cross (largely because it was coloured white - a subtle message there) as their symbol of a racially pure England. Slowly, the flag is being reclaimed by the majority of society through sport... but we're not there yet.
Here endeth today's essay...
