Fetish for the armed forces

oboogie · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:07 am

What's "intolerant" about saying that you don't understand why people do something?

Malcolm Armsteen · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:55 am

The bit where you don't try to understand?

bluebellnutter · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 11:12 am

What Malcolm said.

oboogie · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 11:26 am

I must be missing something, I can't see anything in Gourami's posting which indicates s/he isn't trying to understand.
But, even if that is the case, wouldn't a more positive response be to attempt to explain what you like about Christmas, rather than the one given?

bluebellnutter · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 12:37 pm

What do I like about Christmas?

Family
Friends
Food
Drink
Music
Lights
Decorations
General good will
Days off work
Presents

As someone who actually genuinely enjoys Christmas I find it enormously depressing that it has become "trendy" over the years to bash Christmas and basically the whole thing becomes a massive negative ("Oh God, fucking Christmas again").

But going back to why the previous post by Gourami was intolerant, it was the "I really don't see why they bother" line whick irks. How about "because they enjoy it"? It's the willful lack of interest in finding out why, just "I don't see the point of it". It's a cliche, but if someone said "I don't know why people bother being Muslim", would that be deemed as intolerant?

Silkyman · **Joined:** Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:31 am **Posts:** 760

I'm a reasonably hard line atheist and I think Christmas is great. Not the religious bit, obviously, but the basic idea that it's a week or so when people get some time off and generally use it to be with their family.

It's the only time of year when my entire family will be together. With a brother and sister living a long way off, it'll be great to have my brother, his wife and two kids, my sister and her husband, me, my wife and my daughter all under the same roof at my mum and dads.

After spending the morning at the wife's parents where my daughter will meet her cousin for the first time because my brother in law lives abroad.

I'll see friends from school, people I've known for 30 years, but who I only ever see, and certainly only see en masse at Christmas.

It's all over commercialised, yeah, we all know that, but you don't have to spend big on presents etc. Enjoy the festival. Enjoy the social aspect.

oboogie · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 2:20 pm

bluebellnutter wrote:

As someone who actually genuinely enjoys Christmas I find it enormously depressing that it has become "trendy" over the years to bash Christmas and basically the whole thing becomes a massive negative ("Oh God, fucking Christmas again").

But going back to why the previous post by Gourami was intolerant, it was the "I really don't see why they bother" line whick irks. How about "because they enjoy it"? It's the willful lack of interest in finding out why, just "I don't see the point of it". It's a cliche, but if someone said "I don't know why people bother being Muslim", would that be deemed as intolerant?

I have no problem with Christians celebrating Christmas, I totally understand that. I don't like Christmas because I'm not a Christian, (I don't celebrate Eid or Shavnot either for similar reasons), and it seems it is now a festival of consumerism. I go along with it because others would be disappointed if I didn't show, but it does make me feel like a massive hypocrite.

In addition, I'm not very good at forced jollity and my mood is not determined by the date on the calendar. The best bit about Christmas for me is the walk after lunch. A bit of fresh air and exercise away from an overcrowded, centrally heated house and it's always so quiet and peaceful with no traffic and nobody about.

This has absolutely nothing to do with being "trendy" as you snidely put it Bluebell, I've not enjoyed Christmas since I was about seven.

Quote:

"I don't know why people bother being Muslim"

is an absurd comparison. People are Muslim either because they are born into it and it's a tradition, or because they have converted to it through some considered, deeply held belief. That's really quite different to people celebrating a festival belong to a religion in which they don't believe.
Edit: I've just discovered this which makes my point quite well. :lol:

http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2011/12/08/c ... christmas/

ezinra · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 6:10 pm

I love Christmas:

oboogie · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 6:47 pm

Which one are you?

ezinra · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 11:07 pm

The one on the left of the tree, just to the right of Mr T's mohican.

Of course.

bluebellnutter · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 1:17 am

"I ain't gettin' on no sleigh, fool"

oboogie · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:40 am

ezinra wrote:

The one on the left of the tree, just to the right of Mr T's mohican.

Of course.

Yes of course, how silly of me.

Big Rob · **Posted:** Sat Dec 10, 2011 5:16 am

I didn't see anything intolerant in anything Gourami said but that's just me.

Gourami · **Joined:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:51 pm **Posts:** 2005

I did say I'm all for marking the turning point in the middle of winter and hedonism, etc. if that's what people are feeling like doing. I simply don't know what motivates adults to put up trees and tinsel. If they want to then why not? Failing to see the appeal is not being against something.

Although I am an intolerant little fucker on many other subjects.

davidjay · **Joined:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 8:24 pm **Posts:** 3819

This is a tragic story, and I feel for all concerned, but what would the response be if he was a bus driver?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... tcode.html

Fetish for the armed forces

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