Well, all this is interesting to me, anyway, and that's what matters here. The Internet is a terrible thing for someone like me, who finds almost everything interesting.
Friday, December 23, 2011
iBle - the new Bible
This is almost too realistic to be funny. OK, it's still funny, but it's especially appropriate during the Christmas season.
Obviously, when it comes to Christmas, I probably disagree with devout Christians about most things. But we still might agree on the idea that Christmas has become too commercial. However we might disagree about the "reason for the season," we probably agree that it's not to "shop until you drop."
But there's a reason why Christmas - and other holidays, too, to a lesser extent - has become more and more a shopping extravaganza. Businesses make a profit from that, so they have a real incentive to push it.
Stores start advertising even before Halloween sometimes, and many companies make their entire profit the last couple months of the year. Media companies push Christmas, because they make money on advertising. The media would no more question commercializing Christmas than they'd admit that it doesn't really matter who wins a sports match - and for the same reason.
The idea behind gift-giving is fine, no doubt, but we are constantly encouraged that way only because people make money from it. It's funny, but there's a very selfish reason behind this push to be generous. And we're gullible enough that people often go into debt to finance Christmas in the manner to which the media have convinced them is appropriate.
My parents used to tell me that, when they were children, they typically received one toy at Christmas. Mom said she received a doll one Christmas,... and the doll clothes the next Christmas.
When we were kids, we had lots of gifts under the tree, but that paled next to the mountain of gifts my nephew and nieces received in later years. Partly, that was a matter of increased family wealth, of course. But a lot of it was different expectations of Christmas, too, I suspect.
It's not just gifts, since we're constantly urged to spend money on decorations and everything else, too. And it's not just Christmas, since we are increasingly bombarded at nearly every holiday to spend more money. Well, as I say, it's a conspiracy - or maybe just a synergy - between the media and other corporations. Everyone wants a cut of the pie, and it's to everyone's benefit that the pie be as large as possible.
I suspect that even non-profit groups benefit. When there's lots of money flying around, it's easier for pretty much anyone to snag some of it. We tend to be more generous at Christmas, at least in part because we're already spending a lot of money on other things.
But does this benefit you and your family? It certainly doesn't if you go into debt. It certainly doesn't if this leaves you short of money to save for your retirement - or for your children's education. Whatever the real "meaning of Christmas," is it all about money? Not for me.
My Christmases have gotten so much better since I stopped exchanging gifts. Oh, I'd still give gifts if there were young children in the family, of course. And for older children, I send money. Even for adults, I might give a token gift of candy or flowers. I'm not a fanatic about this.
But there used to be a lot of stress at Christmastime. I'd spend weeks worrying about what gifts to buy, struggling to get just the right thing for everyone. Then, at Christmas, at least half the time my gifts would clearly fall flat - and I'd be given things I didn't really want, myself.
Eventually, I realized that we were giving each other items that we simply didn't want badly enough to buy for ourselves - just because that's what we'd been led to believe was the right thing to do at Christmas.
And I don't like to shop. Some people do. Some people apparently love to shop. But not me. For me, it was an unwelcome chore, and a stressful one. You can't imagine how much nicer my Christmases are these days!
I love Christmas. I don't necessarily love everything about it, but it's always been one of my favorite holidays. But I've never liked being manipulated by other people for their own advantage, and that's what seemed to be happening at Christmas. There was a reason why Christmas was becoming too commercial.
Well, I'm not a parent, either, and Christmas is all about children. So maybe that has something to do with it. At any rate, you can celebrate Christmas any way you want. I have no desire to dictate to anyone else, none at all. But this works for me.
3 comments:
Kim McCann
said...
Hey, WCG. I'm back, but not commenting on "Brother Sam". :o) I just want to say how much I'm enjoying reading your postings and views. As you say, I may not agree with everything you do (ok.... I'll say I don't, but isn't that the truth with everyone?), but I very much respect the respect you show to others who don't have the same view as you on things.
As far as your view on most of Christmas, I'd say I see it as you do. Where I differ from you, is that I do believe in a God or higher power or what ever name you'd label "him". I don't know how to label myself, if I had to. Am I Christian? I don't go to church. Although, I see nothing wrong with going to church, as long as you're going for the right reason. And not to crap all over every and any one else the rest of the week and tell yourself it's ok because you went to church on Sunday. Basically, I feel that what really truly matters is the Golden Rule........ Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. Be a good person. For myself, I feel that there are too many things that have happened in my life for it to be just "coincidences". I also don't feel that science has everything figured out as facts. A lot of science is theory (although that was never my #1 subject, either). Organized religion.......... my opinion is that a lot of times it IS a joke, or mockery. I've known people who've been raised in fairly strict Catholic households and it WAS almost abusive. The fire and brimstone religion..... ummm...... I'd have the same opinion (which probably isn't totally accurate, as I've never actually gone to one of those churches). I guess I consider myself spiritual. I pray. I feel that most of the time my prayers are answered. Always? No. But there's that freedom of choice I was talking about and we all have that. We make our own mistakes and karma, I believe, for the most part. Sometimes, though, I believe things happen that we just don't understand now, but we will one day.
I do believe the saying "Jesus is the Reason", re: Christmas. If you (or anyone else) doesn't, I am not one to attempt to drill my views into your head.
How you described Christmas as stressful..... yes, sir, I most definately agree with you on that! You're right...... the commercialism really kind of makes me ill. How many people, other than kids, aren't stressed out at Christmas time? As you get older, the list of people who you're pretty much obligated to buy for gets longer. I mean.... how would it look if you don't get a new member of the family Christmas gifts, right? All of the money (which is usually tight, anyways, with most people) and the time to do all of the shopping (which I personally hate, too!), wrapping, the time to try to figure out what to get for all of the people on your list, mailing it out (if you need to do that). Then, what about all of the time most people spend decorating their homes, writing out Christmas cards and ..... maybe, baking cookies (I'm sure some still do that!). Where is the joy, after the stress? And isn't that what Christmas is supposed to be? Joyful? Whether you are celebrating Christ or celebrating the holiday with your family...... the commercialism does it's best to take any joy out of the season.
I love Christmas lights, Christmas music and being with those I love at Christmas. Although, why wouldn't I love giving someone a gift.... who I didn't know WHAT to buy for them....... and having them make a smart-ass comment/insult about it? Oh joy, joy.
As kids, the day after Christmas is usually kind of a let-down. As adults, it's...... THANK GOD, it over! Sorry. :o)
Yes, we do agree about some things, including the Golden Rule. We disagree about others, which makes us no different than any other two people (as you indicate).
I do try to respect people, though I don't necessarily respect their beliefs. I have strong opinions about many things, I think I have good reasons for those opinions, and I'm never shy at expressing them. Of course, I'm aware that I could be wrong.
Normally, I say what I mean. But that bluntness can sound overly critical on the internet. It's very different from being face to face with a person. I have to keep reminding myself of that - not always very successfully, I'm afraid.
At any rate, agree or disagree, you're always welcome to comment here. I don't have to agree with people to enjoy their conversation. Sometimes, I even enjoy a good debate. :)
God (who doesn't verifyably exist) where do you get these? They are great!
Re the Christmas message, I'm fortunate in that Christmas to me is about as stressful as a weekly food shop. For starters I'm on the other side of the world from my family so that cuts down the gift buying hassle right there and even if I was back in NZ our whole (extended) family has long since moved to the single gift, price cap (moderately high as you are only buying one gift) secret santa name out of a hat. So Christmas to me is about eating horrendous amounts of food, drinking more champagne than is good for me, spending time with family and friends and then sprawling on the coach eyeing my distended stomach with mild dismay.
I'm a skeptic. I think it makes sense to have reasons for what I believe, so I apportion my belief to the evidence. You're welcome to disagree. Please, tell me I'm wrong. I probably don't agree with anyone about everything. Why should disagreement be a problem? Check the Pages section below for series posts and links to book reviews and game posts, as well as contact info. Unfortunately, I rarely blog at all, anymore. So don't expect new posts. - Bill
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true. - Robert Wilensky
It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong - Richard Feynman
The general root of superstition is that men observe when things hit, and not when they miss, and commit to memory the one, and pass over the other. - Sir Francis Bacon
When a whole nation is roaring Patriotism at the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and purity of its heart. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Speculation is perfectly all right, but if you stay there you've only founded a superstition. If you test it, you've started a science. - Hal Clement
No matter how many times a theory meets its tests successfully, there can be no certainty that it will not be overthrown by the next observation. This, then, is a cornerstone of modern natural philosophy. It makes no claim of attaining ultimate truth. In fact, the phrase "ultimate truth" becomes meaningless, because there is no way in which enough observations can be made to make truth certain and, therefore, "ultimate". - Isaac Asimov
The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion. - Treaty of Tripoli, passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate and signed by President John Adams (1797)
I don't doubt the sincerity of dowsers, but even after we've demonstrated that they can't produce results that are any better than chance they'll still go away believing in their abilities... It is like the mother whose son is caught shoplifting on tape. She wonders why someone would want to frame her child by producing a fake video. - James Randi
During many ages there were witches. The Bible said so. The Bible commanded that they should not be allowed to live. Therefore the Church ... imprisoned, tortured, hanged, and burned whole hordes and armies of witches, and washed the Christian world clean with their foul blood. Then it was discovered that there was no such thing as witches, and never had been. One does not know whether to laugh or to cry. - Mark Twain
Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives' mouths. - Bertrand Russell
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them. - Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.
This is not about proof. Science does not use proof. We favor evidence, and the work consists largely of the slow accumulation of evidence in support of ideas, not magically potent proofs that establish an idea as unassailable. - PZ Myers
No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. - President Barack Obama
The formula was very simple: build this really flexible, really open economy, tolerate creative destruction so dead capital is quickly redeployed to better ideas and companies, pour into it the most diverse, smart and energetic immigrants from every corner of the world and then stir and repeat, stir and repeat, stir and repeat, stir and repeat. - Shekhar Gupta
We are prodding, challenging, seeking contradictions or small, persistent residual errors, proposing alternative explanations, encouraging heresy. We give our highest rewards to those who convincingly disprove established beliefs. - Carl Sagan
We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further. - Richard Dawkins
120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. - Sam Harris
To kill a man is not to defend a doctrine, but to kill a man. - Michael Servetus, burned at the stake in 1553
Democracy is not about majority rule; it is about minority rights. If there is no culture of not simply tolerating minorities, but actually treating them with equal rights, real democracy can't take root. - Thomas L. Friedman
We cannot absolutely prove that those are in error who tell us that society has reached a turning point, that we have seen our best days. But so said all who came before us and with just as much apparent reason. - Thomas Macauley, 1830
It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven into an age of unreason if we dig deep into our history and remember we are not descended from fearful men. - Edward R. Murrow
The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence. Science is simply common sense at its best - that is, rigidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in logic. - Thomas Huxley
There is no absurdity so obvious that it cannot be firmly planted in the human head if you only begin to impose it before the age of five, by constantly repeating it with an air of great solemnity. - Arthur Schopenhauer
Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's life, freedom of religion affects every individual. ... Erecting the "wall of separation between church and state," therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society. - President Thomas Jefferson
To be elected in America, no matter from what party, the candidates have no choice but to year after year pledge to lower taxes further and further. We have become the nation of Ken and Barbie, looking good but very poor at the math. - Rack Jite
Invisible Pink Unicorns are beings of great spiritual power. We know this because they are capable of being invisible and pink at the same time. Like all religions, the Faith of the Invisible Pink Unicorns is based upon both logic and faith. We have faith that they are pink; we logically know that they are invisible because we can't see them. - Steve Eley
We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics. - President Franklin D. Roosevelt
I have been attacked by Rush Limbaugh on the air, an experience somewhat akin to being gummed by a newt. It doesn't actually hurt, but it leaves you with slimy stuff on your ankle. - Molly Ivins
In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. - H. L. Mencken
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. - Winston Churchill
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3 comments:
Hey, WCG. I'm back, but not commenting on "Brother Sam". :o) I just want to say how much I'm enjoying reading your postings and views. As you say, I may not agree with everything you do (ok.... I'll say I don't, but isn't that the truth with everyone?), but I very much respect the respect you show to others who don't have the same view as you on things.
As far as your view on most of Christmas, I'd say I see it as you do. Where I differ from you, is that I do believe in a God or higher power or what ever name you'd label "him". I don't know how to label myself, if I had to. Am I Christian? I don't go to church. Although, I see nothing wrong with going to church, as long as you're going for the right reason. And not to crap all over every and any one else the rest of the week and tell yourself it's ok because you went to church on Sunday. Basically, I feel that what really truly matters is the Golden Rule........ Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. Be a good person. For myself, I feel that there are too many things that have happened in my life for it to be just "coincidences". I also don't feel that science has everything figured out as facts. A lot of science is theory (although that was never my #1 subject, either). Organized religion.......... my opinion is that a lot of times it IS a joke, or mockery. I've known people who've been raised in fairly strict Catholic households and it WAS almost abusive. The fire and brimstone religion..... ummm...... I'd have the same opinion (which probably isn't totally accurate, as I've never actually gone to one of those churches). I guess I consider myself spiritual. I pray. I feel that most of the time my prayers are answered. Always? No. But there's that freedom of choice I was talking about and we all have that. We make our own mistakes and karma, I believe, for the most part. Sometimes, though, I believe things happen that we just don't understand now, but we will one day.
I do believe the saying "Jesus is the Reason", re: Christmas. If you (or anyone else) doesn't, I am not one to attempt to drill my views into your head.
How you described Christmas as stressful..... yes, sir, I most definately agree with you on that! You're right...... the commercialism really kind of makes me ill. How many people, other than kids, aren't stressed out at Christmas time? As you get older, the list of people who you're pretty much obligated to buy for gets longer. I mean.... how would it look if you don't get a new member of the family Christmas gifts, right? All of the money (which is usually tight, anyways, with most people) and the time to do all of the shopping (which I personally hate, too!), wrapping, the time to try to figure out what to get for all of the people on your list, mailing it out (if you need to do that). Then, what about all of the time most people spend decorating their homes, writing out Christmas cards and ..... maybe, baking cookies (I'm sure some still do that!). Where is the joy, after the stress? And isn't that what Christmas is supposed to be? Joyful? Whether you are celebrating Christ or celebrating the holiday with your family...... the commercialism does it's best to take any joy out of the season.
I love Christmas lights, Christmas music and being with those I love at Christmas. Although, why wouldn't I love giving someone a gift.... who I didn't know WHAT to buy for them....... and having them make a smart-ass comment/insult about it? Oh joy, joy.
As kids, the day after Christmas is usually kind of a let-down. As adults, it's...... THANK GOD, it over! Sorry. :o)
Welcome back, Kim. :)
Yes, we do agree about some things, including the Golden Rule. We disagree about others, which makes us no different than any other two people (as you indicate).
I do try to respect people, though I don't necessarily respect their beliefs. I have strong opinions about many things, I think I have good reasons for those opinions, and I'm never shy at expressing them. Of course, I'm aware that I could be wrong.
Normally, I say what I mean. But that bluntness can sound overly critical on the internet. It's very different from being face to face with a person. I have to keep reminding myself of that - not always very successfully, I'm afraid.
At any rate, agree or disagree, you're always welcome to comment here. I don't have to agree with people to enjoy their conversation. Sometimes, I even enjoy a good debate. :)
God (who doesn't verifyably exist) where do you get these? They are great!
Re the Christmas message, I'm fortunate in that Christmas to me is about as stressful as a weekly food shop. For starters I'm on the other side of the world from my family so that cuts down the gift buying hassle right there and even if I was back in NZ our whole (extended) family has long since moved to the single gift, price cap (moderately high as you are only buying one gift) secret santa name out of a hat. So Christmas to me is about eating horrendous amounts of food, drinking more champagne than is good for me, spending time with family and friends and then sprawling on the coach eyeing my distended stomach with mild dismay.
Ah, good times :-)
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