Posted on 11/09/2005 11:50:22 AM PST by big'ol_freeper
WAL-MART BANS CHRISTMAS:
BOYCOTT LAUNCHED
A woman who recently complained to Wal-Mart that the store was replacing “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays” received an e-mail response from Customer Service. It appears below in its exact form:
“Walmart is a world wide organization and must remain conscious of this. The majority of the world still has different practices other than ‘christmas’ which is an ancient tradition that has its roots in Siberian shamanism. The colors associated with ‘christmas’ red and white are actually a representation of of the aminita mascera mushroom. Santa is also borrowed from the Caucuses, mistletoe from the Celts, yule log from the Goths, the time from the Visigoth and the tree from the worship of Baal. It is a wide wide world.”
To which Catholic League president Bill Donohue says: “This statement was signed by someone called Kirby. When I read it, I thought he might be drunk. But I was wrong. We sent Kirby’s response to Wal-Mart’s headquarters only to find that Dan Fogleman, Senior Manager, Public Relations, agrees. After acknowledging that he read Kirby’s response, Fogleman said, in part, the following”:
“As a retailer, we recognize some of our customers may be shopping for Chanukah or Kwanza gifts during this time of year and we certainly want these customers in our stores and to feel welcome, just as we do those buying for Christmas. As an employer, we recognize the significance of the Christmas holiday among our family of associates…and close our stores in observance, the only day during the year that we are closed.”
Bill Donohue says: “It’s nice to know that Wal-Mart is closed on a federal holiday. Now here is why I am asking the leaders of 126 religious organizations that span seven religious communities to boycott Wal-Mart. Go to its website and search for Hanukkah and up come 200 items. Click on Kwanzaa and up come 77. Click on Christmas, and here’s what you get: ‘We’ve brought you to our ‘Holiday’ page based on your search.’ In other words, Wal-Mart is practicing discrimination.”
I remembered that from the old Bob Newhart Show. The first one, I think, where he played a shrink.
Your link sent me to a page selling Siberian shamanism trees! ;)
Whitewash.
Not when I have many Jews in my family, work with Hindus and am friends with many Buddhists, all of which celebrate Christmas.. at that, the only people I know who don't celebrate Christmas are a Christian family who believes it is rooted with anti-Christian messages..
Ill shop Walmart too, so Ill see you there : )
You really think a Walmart PR person was knowledgeable enough about religious history to write this? Even if he were, would he respond as such? This is typical BS coming from the anti Walmart folks....
Well then you admit that when they look for Christmas they actually mean Christmas.
I punched up chrismas, and there is a tree with the word holday above it but if you look at the column next to it on the left you see a quick link box to the mentioned items.
Holiday
Indoor Decor
Christmas Trees
Wreaths
Ornaments
Stockings
Tree Skirts
Decorations
Outdoor Decor
Inflatables
Lawn Decor
Gifts
Holiday Gift Baskets
Christmas Bouquets
Santa Suits
I support Wal-Mart in that regard. The Chinese people aren't stupid. They know what they're making...they're gonna want it...
I LOVE THE SPREAD OF CAPITALISM!!!
No, spend it at the Radio Shack at White Oak Shopping Center in Silver Spring, MD and buy a cell phone from ME. I can't speak for all of Radio Shack, but I celebrate Christmas. Come in after 6 pm since I will be working at the FDA during the day.
And RS doesn't call it Black Friday. We call it Hot Friday.
By the way, Radio Shack is giving all of its employees off Thanksgiving as well as Christmas.
Oh, and when you go to the Catholic League site they have the email address of the Wal Mart manager who did NOT apologize for the smears by Kirby.
You are lucky the needle on my old fashioned "Bull $hit" detector broke off on this one.
I thought that was Usa, Japan.
You really think a Walmart PR person was knowledgeable enough about religious history to write this? Even if he were, would he respond as such? This is such a joke!
Possibly true which is why I will buy religious Christmas cards from China.
It takes you to the holiday page because there are over 7,000 items with the word "Christmas" in them. You have the option of continuing to the search results if you'd like.
This is just more hysterical garbage from the church.
I'm sorry, but it just makes sense for a company to be sensitive to all it's customers.
Meanwhile, Donahue is insensitive to those of us who believe that Christmas and "Shopping" don't go together in the religious sense. I'm sick of the commercialization of christmas, and think it is a great thing that "christmas sales" are changed to "holiday sales".
What the heck does a new blender have to do with Christmas?
I guess you didn't read the whole article Donohue wrote. He said that on the Walmart site if you click on Kwanza you get lots of items, same is true clicking on Hanukkah. But, when you click on "Christmas" up comes the advice "We brought you our "holiday page", why not "Christmas page." Sounds discriminatory to me. Donohue is a smart cookie. He would't get his panties in a bunch over nothing. Read John Gibson's new book on why we don't have Christmas any more. Christmas isn't PC.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.