In remembrance of an event that happened a few years ago, that still brews a fiery pit into my gut, I present to you two examples of things that annoy me to no end, and then my rant on why it is anti-happy to even think in this manner, and creates a world of gloom and darkness of which we are forced to live within.
I present to you Example A:
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Seattle airport removes Christmas trees
Sun Dec 10, 6:33 PM ET
All nine Christmas trees have been removed from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport instead of adding a giant Jewish menorah to the holiday display as a rabbi had requested.
Maintenance workers boxed up the trees during the graveyard shift early Saturday, when airport bosses believed few people would notice.
"We decided to take the trees down because we didn't want to be exclusive," said airport spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt. "We're trying to be thoughtful and respectful, and will review policies after the first of the year."
Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, who made his request weeks ago, said he was appalled by the decision. He had hired a lawyer and threatened to sue if the Port of Seattle didn't add the menorah next to the trees, which had been festooned with red ribbons and bows.
"Everyone should have their spirit of the holiday. For many people the trees are the spirit of the holidays, and adding a menorah adds light to the season," said Bogomilsky, who works at Chabad Lubavitch, a Jewish education foundation headquartered in Seattle's University District.
After consulting with lawyers, port staff believed that adding the menorah would have required adding symbols for other religions and cultures in the Northwest. The holidays are the busiest season at the airport, Betancourt said, and staff didn't have time to play cultural anthropologists.
Hanukkah begins this Friday at sundown.
"They've darkened the hall instead of turning the lights up," said his lawyer, Harvey Grad. "There is a concern here that the Jewish community will be portrayed as the Grinch."
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And my personal favorite...those bastards....Example B:
McDonald's Removes Beef Flavoring from their French Fries
Sleeping With the Enemy
by Jeff Nelson
Wed, Dec. 11, 2002
LOS ANGELES -- Many people know that McDonald's was successfully sued in a class action by a group of vegetarians. The vegetarian plaintiffs alleged the burger chain concealed the presence of beef product in what McDonald's had represented as being meat-free French fries. As part of the settlement, McDonald's made a public apology and agreed to pay $10 million to various groups representing the class, including $6 million to "vegetarian organizations."
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Now, for my tyrade!
It's gone too far, is basically the bottom line. Before long we're going to have people boycotting the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center. There will no longer be a Christmas Spirit during the Holidays due to everyone being afraid to 'offend' or to 'step on toes'.
You know what, yeah, it's the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. No longer are we brave, because we are scared of Terrorists, and of the Media Hype of every Bird Flu, SARS, or if we happen to see a powdery white substance on an envelope. So, that leaves The Land of the Free. Freedom? We have more rules in this country than any other country I have ever been in. We can't drink until we're 21, and yet most of the guys overseas fighting are younger than 21. We can vote for the next President at 18, but we couldn't drink champagne if the one we voted for wins.
Now, we do have freedom of choice, and this is where I'm going with this. If you don't like the way a place serves food, don't go there. If you don't like the burgers...don't order them...if the fries taste like meat...DON'T ORDER THEM!!!...go somewhere else. Too long have we let 1 or 2 people determine what the rest of the public does. 1 woman is the reason that all coffee cups say..."Caution Contents Hot!"....
"No shit....it's coffee."
Yet, one lawsuit and BAM!! we've got a new label.
I'm so sick of one person standing up for some bullshit cause and the rest of us sitting back on our haunches and complaining about the outcome. "I hate the fact that McDonald's changed the taste of their fries." They didn't change them very willingly...they were sued by Vegetarians, and no one else stood up to say..."Fuck them, let them go someplace else."...and so with no opposing voices...they changed them.
Same with Christmas. Wal-Mart seems to be the only Amercian Company (again, i hate using the word American to describe the United States, but it's how companies are described here) with enough balls to say "Merry Christmas!" when you walk through the door. You know what, if you're Jewish, and you have someone say "Merry Christmas!" and you say..."I'm Jewish!" what do they normally reply?..."Oh, well then Happy Hanukkah!", it's that simple. If a country is based on Christian beliefs, then let it be. I'm an Atheist, and I love Christmas. I love seeing Santa (created by Coca-Cola, who stole it from St. Nicholas from Turkey or possibly Finland), I love seeing Christmas Trees (beginning as far back as 1510 in Northern Germany), and so on....so, being that we've taken these traditions from all around the world, and piled them into one of the ONLY United States traditions, you'd think no one would have a problem with it. WRONG!! Apparently people get pissed that their religion or cult isn't getting enough P.R. and throw a temper tantrum. So, anytime they can sue someone and say..."You're playing favorites!", they do so. Fuck them....fuck them all!! I don't fly over to Jerusalem to put up a damn Christmas tree, and if I did, I wouldn't tell them they were wrong for not doing so. It's my thing, from my country...so, what gives me the right....or the audacity, to say they should all change for me?
I could go on and on about this, but it's just so evident that we're all turning into pussies. Our parents all protested a war, had sit-ins, had picket lines, and did a lot of drugs to protest in their generation (okay, the drugs had nothing to do with it....but, they did it anyhow), and somewhere along the lines of us becoming so self involved we forgot how to band together to stand up for what we believe in. We couldn't take a page from their book? We couldn't learn to be more progressive? I don't want to change anyone's religion, no more than I want them to shove their religion down my troat (that's a little Guinea for you's), but I also don't want to live in a land with no Christmas Spirit, because we're all afraid to hurt someones feelings.
Yes, you could argue that we're all banding together with the Occupy Wall Street shenanigans, but that's a money issue. That's about distribution of funds and when money is involved, people will do close to anything. (watch any episode of Fear Factor) I'm talking about us banding together for Freedom. For happiness of the masses, not the "I won my argument." of a few.
Your God comes in many forms. So does happiness. To me, happiness used to be Christmas time....now, it's bleak.....and cold.
Do we really want our children to grow up and have no Christmas Spirit, and to honestly have to ask us what happened when they see pictures from when we were kids?
I don't want to live in a country where the only thing we can call our own is the 4th of July. And, that's celebrating our Independence, so I'm sure that'll piss someone off some day.
I'm a firm believer in standing up for your rights. Standing up for what you believe in, and what makes you proud, but I also believe that you can't take away culture from countries, or you will finish with a dry, soul-less environment.
The Land of the Sued, and the Home of the Weak......doesn't sound good to me......
Find happiness in the environment you live in, and you will live a happy life. Constantly seek out the negative in it, and your destined for anger, resentment, and a heartless outcome.
I may not believe in Christianity, but I do believe in Love, Happiness, Togetherness, and Holiday Spirit. A time when everyone (used to...pre-Black Friday) is a little kinder, a little happier, and is a little more willing to go out of their way to make someone else happy, just to make them feel joyous.
Regardless of my views...I do wish you all a Merry Christmas. And, even though it's a Christian Calendar, I do wish you all a Happy New Year. Why? Because I care. If you're my friend, I love you, and I want you to be happy. That's fucking why.
Now, go, eat...DRINK...and beat Mary....I mean....be merry.
Always with a fistful,
Knuckles
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