Don't change the channel. This "holiday season" the CBC invites us to watch some "holiday favorites" which be playing almost every day for the next few weeks... Well, it's very nice of the CBC to offer us our favorite movies, but how come their "CBC holiday magic" commercial keeps saying "holiday" over and over, but never mentions the name of the holiday we celebrate?
Judging from the movie previews, I could say that those "holiday favorites" are unlikely to include any Hanuka movies. I didn't notice any Soviet New Year's Eve movies either, so the mysterious unnamed holiday isn't the New Year's Eve. But there were plenty of Christmas movie scenes in the commercial. In fact, all the movies I noticed there, were Christmas movies. Believe it or not, it was a Christmas commercial. So how come the word Christmas isn't there?
Some activists may be quick to remind me about Canada's official multiculturalism; that not all Canadians celebrate Christmas nowadays and that some may even be offended if we wish them a merry Christmas... But doesn't the word 'multiculturalism' mean co-existence of many cultures, including Christian culture? And shouldn't tolerance, sensitivity and respect be mutual? I mean if Canadians are to accept the newcomers the way they are, maybe it would be reasonable to expect that the newcomers too accept Canada as it is, with all the holidays, including Christmas?
Finally, who gave those activists the right to speak for all the immigrants? Do they believe that people willing to spend $1500 per adult on processing fees alone, plus whatever the immigration consultant charges them, plus the flight tickets, won't bother to look in the encyclopedia and find out at least the basic facts about the country they are coming to, including - whether or not Canadians still celebrate Christmas? If that's the way those activists picture immigrants - that's even more offensive than wishing a merry Christmas to a Jew or to a Muslim.
So have a merry Christmas, CBC. And let me also wish you guys a happy New Year - under a new management!
1 comment:
December 20, 2009
I have a blogspot of my own, so that I don't have to leave comments here and there to gain any kind of notoriety. I do want to comment on your article because I agree with it. Insignificance is gaining ground.
If a contingent of us were to move to any foreign country where the dominant religion is other than Christian, you can bet your boots that we would be required, if only to be polite, to respect the customs of the country where we have moved. Here, however, we are much too accomodating, and as a result of our own reluctance to speak up and say that we believe in something higher than a new car for Christmas, we are preparing the ground to be put down, later on, by people who are not Christian and who will feel entitled to tell us that they might as well set up their own churches, given that ours are not as full as they should be and given that we have sterilized our language to eliminate any reference to our beliefs. This will be our own doing and after that, anyone wishing to exercise freely their right to worship God will be openly persecuted.
I disagree with all the advertisements that omit to mention that Christmas is the birthday of Christ, they don't need to say it over and over, but to pass it under complete silence is a lack of respect to those of us, still a majority, who will be saying to their near and dear, this year and for years to come: Joyeux Noël or Merry Christmas.
Thanks for your article, it is necessary, and I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas 2009 and a Happy New Year 2010, and to always have the courage to express your opinions respectfully, as you have done here.
Alex
Writer and French Editor
Montréal, downtown
: ) †
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