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[Doc]

If it's the only holiday celebrated, that message doesn't seem subtle at all.

This but also the other post Wombat made. There's got to be a balance between acknowledging that much of western history and culture is christian history and culture while also being clear that it's hardly the only option. Not sure anyone is striking it.

[jay-ell]

Christian-centrism is often an extension of Eurocentrism in schools, though. Sure, let the kids sing Christmas music at Christmastime. Nobody wants to miss out on The Messiah. But include music, art, and literature of other traditions on their important holidays. Where are the Chinese New Year parades up in this piece? How many schools offer Seder break? (Spring breaks that coincide with Easter decidedly Do Not Count.) Why don't we celebrate the end of Ramadan with as much aplomb as the end of Lent? (ProTip: Just because you didn't fast for 40 days doesn't mean you can't show your titties.) What else am I missing? I don't even know, because I went to public school in America.

[dejavroom]

(...)acknowledging that much of western history and culture is christian history and culture.

Delicious point.

There are these two young giraffe swimming along and they happen to meet an older giraffe swimming the other way, who nods at them and says "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young giraffe swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes "What the hell is water?"

Christianity is the water in that anecdote. No adult could possibly be psychologically functional resetting all his past experiences and making do with only, say, the last three years worth of memories. Unfortunately that's pretty much the situation the Western world finds itself in, glibly choosing to ignore (or to treat with temerarious levity based on shoddy historical revisionism, which amounts to the same) 2.000 years of formative history and focusing only in the last, say, 300 years. Therein lies collective neurosis. I think it was Ortega y Gasset who said something like "The well-formed man is a compendium of the past". It's not "not respecting/acknowledging/complying with Christian traditions" that irks me. It's when I start seeing ignorance being used as a point of view that I really have to go gnaw on something while thinking pretty thoughts.

[pmcd9]

Christianity is the water in that anecdote. No adult could possibly be psychologically functional resetting all his past experiences and making do with only, say, the last three years worth of memories. Unfortunately that's pretty much the situation the Western world finds itself in, glibly choosing to ignore (or to treat with temerarious levity based on shoddy historical revisionism, which amounts to the same) 2.000 years of formative history and focusing only in the last, say, 300 years. Therein lies collective neurosis. I think it was Ortega y Gasset who said something like "The well-formed man is a compendium of the past". It's not "not respecting/acknowledging/complying with Christian traditions" that irks me. It's when I start seeing ignorance being used as a point of view that I really have to go gnaw on something while thinking pretty thoughts.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you are saying, would you be so kind as to explain it to me please?

[theinevitable]

What Paul said.

What worries Me is the solution that ends with a bunch of teachers teaching kids half-assed holiday songs in languages none of them speak, so that they will be allowed to do their Christmas pageant.

[wombat]

Well the Mozart Requiem was in a language none of the teachers spoke either, so I'm not sure that's a problem in and of itself.

[theinevitable]

I just imagine it turning into this. Which has always made me feel super weird.

[miles]

I attended my 4 year old niece's Christmas program last month. It was at a Catholic school she's not at all affiliated with and most of the kids were Mormon. She was really adorable. And a lot bigger than the other kids in her group, but she's always been small for her age. I commented on this to my sister and I guess the rest of them were 3 years old.

I have nothing else to add, but I am really enjoying all of your thoughtful and intelligent posts on this issue.

[dejavroom]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you are saying, would you be so kind as to explain it to me please?

This is not code language. Nothing else I could say would make more sense given whats being discussed. But if you can be more specific, that would help.