Christmas season is upon us once again. And you know what that means.
Yup, time for people who do not observe Christmas to make a ruckus about how Christmas is being shoved down their throat.
It's become customary for public transit vehicles to bear the "Merry Christmas" greetings this time of year, but apparently that's offensive to people; for example, one Ashu Solo of Saskatoon complained to city hall that "Christmas messages on Saskatoon Transit buses make religious minorities, atheists and agnostics who do not celebrate Christmas feel excluded and like second-class citizen."
Well, Mr. Solo, that appears to be your problem, not mine.
How exactly does greeting one who doesn't observe Christmas with "Merry Christmas" make one feel excluded? If anything, it is the inclusive nature of the holiday that prompts the greeting. The very act of wishing you "Merry Christmas" is an invitation extended to you, to be a part of this holiday, rather than to exclude you from it.
If anything, not greeting you with "Merry Christmas" is more exclusive. It means I have decided to excluded you from our celebrations. For example, I would not normally wish Caucasians a "Happy Chinese New Year"; not merely because I recognize they do not traditionally observe such a holiday, but also that I have decided I need not include them in my celebration of it.
I propose then, that any feelings of exclusion or relegation to second-class come from the individual himself, and are misplaced. He has rejected an invitation extended to him, and chose to exclude himself from the holidays, not the other way around.
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