I don't like Christmas. Not just because I'm an atheist and I dislike, intensely, how often this holiday gets shoved down my throat - even by non-Christians and other atheists - but because it objectively sucks. There. I said it. Christmas objectively sucks.
Two words: Christmas depression. Rates of depression skyrocket at Christmas. Two more words: Christmas crime. Crime rates also skyrocket during Christmas. Two more words: Christmas accidents. Lots of boozed up motherfuckers are on the road getting into deadly accidents. Every year, "Christmas cheer" is bought in the lives and blood of other human beings, makes others madly depressed, and also creates the environment for seasonal crime sprees.
The cheer of Christmas is forced. It's a stressful, ugly time marked by increased fighting, mood swings, recriminations, theft and bloody accidents. Everything that Christmas is "supposed" to be about, well, it is about none of those things. It is not a time of happiness and joy for large portions of the population, and the brief joy it does bring is attended by misery.
Equally frustrating is the denial people are in about these simple truths. OK. It's merely fact that Christmas is a time of depression, crime, auto accidents, family arguments, money stress, blah, blah, blah. But it is my experience that when you bring this up, people still cling to Christmas. It boggles me. If we stopped "celebrating" this season - or at least changed the way it was celebrated - people would be happier, there'd be less crime, fewer accidents on our roads, less money stress and things of that nature. Weirdly, this is at least as true of most of my atheist and agnostic friends as the religious people I know. I mean, I know why Christians won't abandon the holiday, it's one of the key holidays of their religion. Sure. I get that. But even people without religion, who have no religious connection to the season, almost inevitably defend the holiday - even tho' it objectively sucks. Which I admit to finding somewhat frustrating.
Anyway, that's my yearly "I hate Christmas" post. I don't hate it merely because it is shoved in my face, though I hate that, but also because because even amongst those that celebrate it it is a season of misery.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Christmas is a lousy time of year - objectively!
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2 comments:
Wow! It is what you make it! This Christmas was actually a light, happy one for me, no misery! Are all atheists such big downers? And I thought religious fanatics were uptight!
It is objectively true - okay, I mean this in the sense of innumerable studies and such - that Christmas is a time marked by depression, crime, alcohol abuse, marital infidelity, wildly increased road accidents, etc., etc.
That you had a "light, happy" Christmas is evidence of nothing at all other than your personal experiences. If you can't get the notion that your personal experiences don't necessarily reflect general trends you are what atheists and non-atheists alike call an "idiot". The world doesn't revolve around you.
Likewise, if you think any one representative of any large and diverse group (such as atheists) is representative of that group, this confirms the hypothesis that you're an idiot.
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