You're a Mean One, Grinch Alert

[paft.livejournal.com]

Robert Jeffress:

Well, you know every year people bemoan the War on Christmas and I thought, “Let’s do something positive about it,” so we created this website, Grinchalert.com, it allows people to go on our website and, uh, if they’ve encountered a business that shuns Christmas they can talk about it and put that business on the naughty list but if they find a business that celebrates Christmas, they can put that business on the nice list. It’s just a fun way to say to businesses and organizations, “You don’t have to bow to political correctness. It’s okay to say, “Merry Christmas…”

John Roberts: What if businesses who are on the naughty list lose customers?... Would it be a good idea to affect people’s business at this season, which can be make or break for some people, and in this economic climate?

Jeffress: John, let me make it clear, we have never even hinted at a boycott…

"Never even hinted at a boycott?" Really? Here’s what Jeffress said on Fox:

Jeffress: One great example in the Dallas area, there was a bank that took down a Christmas tree because they said it would offend customers. Well, there was another bank that got put on our nice list, the Providence Bank, because they put up a nativity scene. The CEO told me yesterday that there were customers changing from the bank that removed the Christmas tree, and they’re flocking to his bank.

Gretchen Carlson: You are not calling for a boycott of any of these businesses….

Jeffress: Oh, not at all, not in any way! You know, there’s a Mexican restaurant you mentioned that was saying Happy Holidays, but our family still goes there every week…

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

So it’s all about reassuring businesses. Honest! It’s all about making them feel nice and safe. He’s not advocating a boycott.

But he’s delighted to share as an example that little story of a bank losing customers because they took down a Christmas tree.

See, here's what mystifies me about this... Jeffress likes the idea of forcing other people and businesses to utter "Merry Christmas" and post signs saying "Merry Christmas" who are uncomfortable doing it. Do the people at "Grinch Alert" really imagine that businesses and retailers intimidated into towing Grinch Alert's line are acting in the spirit of the season?

And here's one more video, especially for the Reverend Mr. Jeffress:

Thanx to Juliebogen

Crossposted at Thoughtcrimes

Comments

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

Explain how exactly.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

By shaming them publically for not saying Merry Christmas, and by explicitly saying this is not a boycott movement.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

[malasadas.livejournal.com]

Is that a...a...a MACRO?????????

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

More like a meowcro.

[majortom-thecat.livejournal.com]

Publicly shaming people as a way to get them to pretend to celebrate a holiday that they may not be comfortable with? That is petty and sad.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's definitely that too.

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

The english language does not allow for subtlety or multiple levels of argument. Everything is either one way completely or the other way to the same degree. Someone is either advocating a boycott or not advocating anything. There can be no other argument given otherwise.

You ever notice how "shades of gray" makes for a better... what's the word. It means it's just become a slogan devoid of any real meaning and is just bandied about by people. Damn, I'm drawing a blank.

[jerseycajun.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but not particularly offensive to the senses. I do like it when someone wishes me a Merry Christmas more than a "Happy Hollidays", but it's pretty low on my 'things I need to blog about on LJ because I'm so flustered' list.

[majortom-thecat.livejournal.com]

My grandpa gets really into the War on Christmas. He approaches cashiers and says "Is this a Merry Christmas Store or a Happy Holidays Store?" and they sort of panic because they have to take a guess at which one he wants to hear.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

See, now that just shows how brain dead young people are, the automatic response for people as old and your grandpa and me (assuming your g-p is THAT old) would be "It's whatever you wish it to be Sir"

[majortom-thecat.livejournal.com]

Oh, but that's not how he means it. It's a pop quiz and they have to give the correct answer. He's about 85.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see now, I would never try to speak for my parents generation :D