the opiate of the masses / Fiddy / the war on Happy Holidays

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

Alla wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/34749>:

<< Famous expression was that religion is opium for masses, LOL. >>

When Marx wrote that religion is the opiate of the masses, he followed
with phrases like 'the soul of soulless conditions'. Back in the 19th
century like that, he was thinking of opiates as medicinal rather than
as drugs of abuse. I guess smoking opium and smoking hashish were
thought of as drugs of abuse for exotic foreigners, but only booze was
viewed as a drug of abuse for white people. 

Carol wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/34870>:

<< Possibly her secretary is the person called Fiddy (surely a
nickname) mentioned in a recent interview transcript. If not, I'm
curious as to who Fiddy might be. >>

Fiddy was Rowling's secretary waaaay back when this list was new and a
listie named Nick was in frequent contact with her. I sort of assumed
that 'Fiddy' was her surname.





*** I hate the one subject ("Merry Christmas") that gets lots of
activity on this list, so I really shouldn't feed it ... but I can't
resist ....

Magpie wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/34768>:

<< If it's about greeting the person in a way that will give them the
most pleasure, it just seems logical to me--your ideal is to avoid
wishing them a dominant holiday that they don't celebrate and so might
already make them feel a little left out and to wish them the holiday
they do celebrate. >>

Everything Magpie has said in this thread is right, but whether "it's
about greeting the person in a way that will give them the most
pleasure" is a Big IF. 

Steve wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/34773>:

<<So, yes, you do have to endure the Christmas Carols, and wishes of
Merry Christmas, because even if you aren't celebrating I am, and
whether you like it or not, I do wish you the happiness and blessings
of the season, even if you are unwilling to take them. >>

For example "whether you like it or not" doesn't sound like "it's
about greeting the person in a way that will give them the most
pleasure". I'm surprised that Steve bboyminn, usually a very cool
listie, would regard "whether you like it or not" as "wish[ing] you
the happiness and blessings of the season".

Carol wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/34802>:

<< "Happy holidays" from a store employee is about as genuine and
heartfelt as "Have a nice day." It's something the clerks are
programmed to say. >>

Carol has made very clear that "Merry Christmas" is the greeting that
will give *her* the most pleasure. But somehow she seems to be mixing
it up with a lot of assumptions about if Wal-Mart orders its employees
to tell customers "Merry Christmas" or if a boss sends out a
company-wide memo about "We are a Merry Christmas company, not a Happy
Holidays company", then all the employees are being heartily sincere
when they wish customers a Merry Christmas, but even if the company
doesn't tell employees what greeting to use, then employees who choose
to say "Happy Holidays" are thinking about their sore feet and whether
the cash in their register adds up right. 

It seems to me that "Merry Christmas" and even "God bless you" can be
awesomely obviously insincere when said out of habit, even by people
who really believe in Christianity when they think about it. I just
thought, in the case of a debt collection agency or process server
doing their job, "Merry Christmas" is a little ironic (so is "Happy
Holidays") but "God bless you" might be right on the mark, because
"you"'re in too big trouble to get out without divine intervention.

I can live with "Have a nice day" BECAUSE it's as heartfelt (i.e. not)
as "Good morning". People who insist on taking it literally can do
like my friend, who responded to the cashier at the gas station with
tears and "My father died yesterday and I have to arrange the funeral
because my mother is in hospital and I don't want to have a nice day!"

What has not yet got over annoying me is the radio morning show guy
who signs off: "This is (name). Make it a good day."