Track Donald J Trump's Electoral Promises with Trump Tracker(trumptracker.github.io) |
Track Donald J Trump's Electoral Promises with Trump Tracker(trumptracker.github.io) |
>"If I become president, we're all going to be saying 'Merry Christmas' again."
But that doesn't change the fact that he did promise these things.
I think some of his ideas are good, some are disastrous, and some are crazy. But it'll be interesting to see which get fulfilled and which don't.
For the record, some people already say "Merry Christmas", so I'm assuming he thinks we can somehow talk retail stores into offending their customers again, which I seriously doubt will happen.
How is it offensive? If a Muslim were to wish me a happy Ramadan I'd be cool with it, or if someone of Chinese descent wishes me a happy New Year on their New Year's date, that's ok too. When did people become such wimps that they think a well-wish is an insult?
Do people also get offended when someone says "bless you" after a sneeze?
When I'm abroad and people greet me with their local greetings with which I have no cultural grounding, understanding or commonality, I also don't feel offended, rather, I find them interesting.
These kinds of nonsensical diversion into trying to become bland entities stripped of their own identity might contribute to the attraction of people like Trump.
PS. I've worked at Chinese [with lots of Chinese ex-pats] companies where people say Merry Christmas way more often than in American companies where you might get a Merry Christmas one-to-one but not in a group setting, as if they are ashamed to say it. Rather odd.
I don't believe that most people are so intolerant as to allow themselves to be offended when they hear "Merry Christmas". If they truly are that intolerant to western customs, then I don't think it's right give them a pass. Tolerance goes both ways.
He got the keys, might as well try to do some of the things he promised and win again.
This is thinking from the era that was still at least ostensibly about truth and facts. Future elections need be about no more than who can give poor people the loudest, simplest explanation for why they're poor.
Look at VA income: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_locations_by_per_capi... vs. http://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/president/... Poor areas are vastly more likely to vote republican.
Arlington county median income $101,000: 77.0% Clinton vs 16.9% trump.
Lee County $50,014 income: 17.4% Clinton vs. 80.6% trump
Trump was very popular with the rural uneducated and thus poor.
PS: DC get's a bad rap, but once again top 5 income compared to state and was only beaten by other heavily democratic states. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_income 4% of DC voted for Trump.
A lot of these items are subjective, as well. What, for instance, qualifies someone as a "great legal scholar?"
> Global warming is real, but it's not man-made.
And quite some are bound to be broken:
> The wealthy should pay more.
> Cut taxes for the wealthy big time.
> Cut taxes for the wealthy big time. (Percentage)
Not necessarily. If he lowers tax percentage for the wealthy and they evade less, the $ amount payed will be larger.
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trumps...
Look here: http://edition.cnn.com/election/results/exit-polls All four different exit polls clearly show Trump winning in all the higher income brackets.
This whole argument started when some people decided that "happy holidays" was an affront. Stores forcing their non-Christian employees to mention Christmas to their non-Christian customers in every interaction is weird and no one involved likes it.
Walk a mile in their shoes and maybe you'll understand why some people get offended at things you don't get offended at. Is there anything that offends, disgusts you? Is there anything that causes you to react with anger, sadness, fear, or any other such emotion? If so can you imagine someone that would not be similarly offended? Can you imagine that person saying, "Why is Mikeb85 such a goddamned wimp?"
In the western world we're incredibly tolerant to other people's religion, lifestyles, etc. If someone is intolerant to the point that they get offended from hearing "Merry Christmas", then it's clearly time to re-examine their own lives.
So while, I'm not offended at being told "Happy Holidays" I don't say to the Christians who don't like it, "Why are you such a wimp"? I understand where they are coming from even though I disagree with the reasons why they are offended. It's OK to recognize that someone is in a tizzy over something that I consider meaningless.
You might need to update that opinion now that the US has elected a man who pledged to roll back LGBT rights and stop Muslims from entering the country.
I've walked quite a few miles in various circumstances. I married an immigrant who is dark skinned and Muslim. I'm Christian (albeit nominally). I myself grew up in a culture that's a bit different than WASP culture.
> Is there anything that causes you to react with anger, sadness, fear, or any other such emotion?
Not really, certainly nothing people say. I worked as a waiter for all my university years in fine dining - took plenty of abuse. Mostly from rich white people (keeping in mind I'm also white).
I see people as people, not as categories. Treating people differently than 'normal' is offensive, treating someone with kid gloves is offensive.
As far as words go, the only words that are offensive are those meant to offend. And well wishes aren't meant to offend.
Words can cause people react viscerally. I recognize that.
Of course someone can say something to hurt me. But only if I know they want to hurt me. It's that knowledge which hurts, which can be conveyed by words, or other means. If someone says something offensive, but maybe the context is ambiguous or something, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume maybe it was misspoken.
I find life is nicer when you assume the best, not the worst.
I wish more people thought the same way you do.
You mean the man who will likely have a homosexual man (Peter Thiel) lead his transition team.
> stop Muslims from entering the country
I don't agree with this, but I also don't agree with what's going on in countries like France. There has to be a middle ground somewhere. The unfortunate fact is that if you even mention immigration in a less than positive light, you're labeled a racist or a xenophobe. And now the other side has fought back. They've elected someone who gives them at least somewhat of a voice. Had the left not been so aggressive at trying to pin those with a dissenting voice (both on the left and the right really), I suspect we would be in a very different position today.
Trump has flaws, and I take issue with many of his positions, but this anti-gay and racist argument just doesn't hold up. I look forward to the day we can start debating policy again.
Including a gay person on Trump's transition team does not negate campaigning against gay marriage and transgender bathroom use. There being a good explanation for why people are intolerant of Islam does not negate the fact that they're intolerant of that religion.
Do we rebrand Halloween because of its pagan _religious_ historical context? Do we say, no no no more quinceaneras, that just promotes more patriarchal hegemony in a community which is characterized by patriarchy?
I don't think Christians are wimps for not liking "Happy Holidays".
However, in many workplaces I've worked at, there seems to have been a pall brought on by HR at least discouraging saying Merry Christmas and opting for Happy Holidays. I've had managers self-correct themselves and correct others as they spoke -probably out of fear of offending people who take the greeting too literally [i.e. celebrating Christ Mass].