Comment Date: Dec 15 2009 11:02 PM
Rating: Christmas-Offensive
Comment: The Gap has been intentionally offensive to Christmas for years. I remember about 4 years ago they decided not to decorate their stores during the holiday. Not even trees or fake snow..just completely ignore the season. It is weird for a retailer to take such a bold approach, after all it is a time that they make money! My family decided not to shop there that year. I would not shop there now, ...
I've never been a fan of "Focus on the Family." I'm pretty sure James Dobson had absolutely nothing to do with my personal upbringing...so I, even in my Christian heyday, did not feel it necessary or remotely tempting to invite him into my home to help me with my family.
This Christmas, good ole James has done an excellent job of 2 things:
1. Wasting money on a comment-monitored public website
2. Bringing the most ignorant (we'll call them less fortunate from here on out) Christians out of the woodwork.
Before I did any Christmas shopping, I visited FOTF's "Stand for Christmas" website to check out how Christmas-Friendly, Christmas-Negligent, or Christmas-Offensive some of my favorite retailers are. Boy, am I glad I did! I can't imagine the embarrassment that would come with giving a Christmas gift from Banana Republic! And I can't even bring myself to say or write The G-P anymore. 80% Christmas-offensive...oh the horror.
I'm not linking to this site because I don't want a bunch of track backs to my blog. I'm sure if you google "Stand for Christmas," it'll be the first choice on the list.
*note: all typos following "Comment" are [sic]able, but I'm just not gonna go there. All comments were CTRL+C --> CTRL+V straight from where they were posted
Some Christian-Offensive reviews of some of the biggest stores around:
The G-P tops the list at 80% offensive:
Comment: Some businesses just don't get it. Why would you offend the majority to please the minority? Most americans celebrate Christmas...Wake up. You've lost my family's business forever!
Comment: Their Holiday commercial was very offensive with the message celebrate what ever you feel like. Including Solstice. I dont plan on ever shopping there unless they change their message.
Comment: I will NOT buy anything else from GAP (which I am a HUGE fan of). By ignoring Christmas and offering "Happy Solstice," a WICCAN witch-warlock acknowledged dedicated day, they have GROSSLY OFFENDED not only ME but the MAJORITY of Americans. I will get the word out to others as well.
Comment: The commercials are horrendous. They are completely uncalled for and are most definitely a defiant attack on Christmas....
Comment: ...no Christmas displays. They want the Christmas $$$, but why--- you don't celebrate
Comment: ...Don't you guys understand that taking Christmas out of your store is discriminating against most Americans?
Comment: ...offensive that they would compare the BIRTH of our SAVIOR to other "holidays"....
Best Buy comes in at 74% Christmas-Offensive:
Comment: As a Christain and a freedom loving American patriot I was extremely offended by Best Buy choosing to with the Muliums a happy holiday and have yet made any attempt of wishing the Christians a Merry Christmas in their ad campain which I am checking weekly. I went into the store and shared my opinion as well as with their 1-800 number. They lost my business and I have encourage all my family and friends to do the the same. Merry Christmas to you all!
Comment: We have been watching the Stand for Christmas website and we are very disappointed to see where Best Buy's ratings are. As much as we love that store - we AVOIDED Christmas shopping there this year and kept them off our Christmas wish lists to others.
Comment: I was just about to purchase a lot of gift cards from best buy for grandchildren,but heard Bill O'Reilly's report on Christmas Friendly stores.I decided to ONLY shop CHRISTmas friendly stores..
Comment: Absolutely nothing anywhere about Christmas..not even a tree outline, wrapped gifts, etc. You can tell they are going out of their way to get your money but steer clear of Christmas. I was wished a "Happy Holidays" when I checked out. This will be my last trip to Best Buy until they reverse this anti-Christmas (and in my book, anti-Christian) attitude. See ya later BB.
Comment: I went to the Best Buy in Thousand Oaks today to buy Christmas gifts. There was not one sign it was the Christmas season. I left my gifts there. On the way out I asked the man at the door were their Christmas signs were. He said "We don't do that." Well I don't need to spend my money there. They want your money but they can't put out any Christmas decorations. I will not be back. Hello Costco, Target or Walmart
Comment: Was not playing Christmas music. Employees said happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas. After reading here, I decided to take back the two camera we bought on black friday. It is not worth the 30.00 total savings.
And to balance the scales...I present the most Christmas-Friendly retailer in the history of all of the world.
...Drumroll please.....Christians, I think God will forgive you if you keep your tithe to it spend at......
BASS PRO SHOPS!!
Comment: I love Bass Pro, their Christmas village makes me incredibly happy. I had to stand for 2 hours to get my daughter to see Santa but the elves were so helpful with keeping her entertained and even when we left the village we were still told Merry Christmas
Comment: Huge Christmas village set up w/ activites for children
Comment: I love your store santas village is just the best thing i have ever seen a retailer do! My kids have something positive to do every weekend and FOR FREE! ...Just wanted you to know how great it is that you celebrate not only Christmas but families! You are to be congratulated for reaching out to the WHOLE family!
Comment: I was very surprised and very pleased to hear the Christmas carols with all verses over the P.A., even the lyrics celebrating Jesus being born as the Son of God!
Comment: Bass Pro goes all out for Christmas. It is almost worth going to the store just to look @ the decor.
Comment: Front page CHRISTMAS sale! Yay!
Comment: In last Sunday's paper, it was one of only two retailers who had "Christmas" prominently displayed throughout the entire ad. They have a Christmas village set up inside the store (not a "holiday" or "winter" village), and it's an old-fashioned Christmas village where kids can get a free photo with Santa (who sends a letter to the child in the mail), lots of free games to play, and employees dressed as elves. I give this retailer the highest rating.
In closing...you're welcome, Christians. Now go shopping and stop reading.
I didn't pick and choose the most awesome comments...they're all basically the same as what I've selected to post here. So for all you humanists and godless heathens that care about people's feelings...all you have to do to garner the Christian happy sparkly eyes and almighty dollar during this holiday, er, Christmas season is 1)Say MERRY CHRISTMAS! (as many times as possible), and 2)Set up a "Christmas" village, Christmas tree, play Christmas music, and give out free pictures with Santa. I bet free candy canes would be a super bonus.
Oh yeah...and hey Jesus, Happy Birthday.
Comment: Huge Christmas village set up w/ activites for children
Comment: I love your store santas village is just the best thing i have ever seen a retailer do! My kids have something positive to do every weekend and FOR FREE! ...Just wanted you to know how great it is that you celebrate not only Christmas but families! You are to be congratulated for reaching out to the WHOLE family!
Comment: I was very surprised and very pleased to hear the Christmas carols with all verses over the P.A., even the lyrics celebrating Jesus being born as the Son of God!
Comment: Bass Pro goes all out for Christmas. It is almost worth going to the store just to look @ the decor.
Comment: Front page CHRISTMAS sale! Yay!
Comment: In last Sunday's paper, it was one of only two retailers who had "Christmas" prominently displayed throughout the entire ad. They have a Christmas village set up inside the store (not a "holiday" or "winter" village), and it's an old-fashioned Christmas village where kids can get a free photo with Santa (who sends a letter to the child in the mail), lots of free games to play, and employees dressed as elves. I give this retailer the highest rating.
In closing...you're welcome, Christians. Now go shopping and stop reading.
I didn't pick and choose the most awesome comments...they're all basically the same as what I've selected to post here. So for all you humanists and godless heathens that care about people's feelings...all you have to do to garner the Christian happy sparkly eyes and almighty dollar during this holiday, er, Christmas season is 1)Say MERRY CHRISTMAS! (as many times as possible), and 2)Set up a "Christmas" village, Christmas tree, play Christmas music, and give out free pictures with Santa. I bet free candy canes would be a super bonus.
Oh yeah...and hey Jesus, Happy Birthday.
3 comments:
I respect Dr. Dobson. He's got huge amounts of wisdom on child rearing, and he was on faculty at USC for years. He's not an idiot, and I understand his passion. It's lame when businesses ignore or even insult the creator of the universe and the holder of the floodgate of their profits, but Christian boycotting won't change this behavior. If we were to be consistent, we'd quit buying almost everything. All the time. God's kindness, not our boycotting, will lead the world to repentance.
Dr. Dobson thinks Spongebob Squarepants is a homosexual, and only supports "abstinence-only" sex education. He campaigned against Specter in his run for Senate Judiciary Committee, solely based on his pro-choice stance on abortion (or maybe also because he is a Jew). He is, to all outside "the faith," closed minded and a bigot. He sticks his nose into politics (aka "government") where he, as man who is best known for his faith, should not be. (The psychology degree is what saves him...that and the fact that our forefathers are rolling in their graves at how the First Amendment has been turned into an abortion of it's own.)
As for JesusGod and the profit floodgates...I'm sorry, but this select group of Christians (who flock after Dr. Dobson and his stupid website) are morons. Christmas decorations? Saying Merry Christmas? Seriously? Are you (general) as a Christian SERIOUSLY DUE these "respects" because you buy a $40 sweater? Give me a break.
For all we know, GAP was sued by someone for discrimination and it cost them a lot of money...maybe that is what has lead to their "universal celebration" attitude...that doesn't make it anti-Christmas or anti-Jesus. Man's law is, believe it or not, scarier to a lot of people than is God's law.
Or maybe they went that route because their Jewish founder died earlier this year, and they wanted to honor his life of philanthropy and love of art in a special way. (I love those commercials this year...something about inclusion of ALL that strikes a smile into my heart moreso than eXclusion by way of the greek X.
No one would want to see a life-sized recreation of the birth OR death of "Christ" in The Gap...both were bloody, violent, and truly disgusting so far as we know (I've witness live child birth, I can't imagine the animals help with the stench). They (Christians) want fake snow and train depots with Santa at the helm. They want someone to look at them and say, "No, you're not a brainwashed idiot, Merry Christmas," as they leave the store with $400 worth of clothing for their precious little brats.
I truly have issue with the belief that GodJesus gives a crap about what goes on down here...profits, fake snow, etc., but that leads into the Triune-O discussion that I have had/read/listened to ad nauseum. Since I'm not trying to convert you, I won't go there on a post about James Dobson's ignorant followers.
"I truly have issue with the belief that GodJesus gives a crap about what goes on down here...profits, fake snow, etc., but that leads into the Triune-O discussion that I have had/read/listened to ad nauseum."
AMEN SISTA!
I frequently say... "I doubt very seriously that Jesus or God gives a crap if I forward this email"... and then I press... "DEL" button... :)
However, I understand Sharon's belief that it has to start somewhere... It's just that starting on Christmas Decor (or lack thereof) is starting at NoWhere!
Post a Comment