War on Whatever

I try not to be bothered by this bullshit, but the fight over War on Christmas has returned. I like the part about "persecuted Christians". This isn't China. The "Jewish" part of this is tangential, barely attached, but I hold my civic American values at the highest level of secular life, and the fact that this is the nonsense on which we spend our energy and best intentions (and media time and tax dollars) makes me want to vomit. Has PCism run too rampant? I don't know. I do know that when people tell me that America was founded directly upon Judeo-Christian codes of morality, I want to ask them if they've ever heard of the Enlightenment. Smith? Locke? Voltaire? The movement that planted the seed of "We hold these truths to be self-evident" and engendered the rise of modern nationalism? Riiiiight. (By the way, for the Yidn out there: The movement which also spawned modern Zionism, albeit about a hundred years later because European Hasidim and Maskilim were busy beating the shit out of each other?)

On the other hand, speaking as an American Jew, I've been so bothered by the fact that this is the public face of dispute for Jewish identity and presence? For real? I grit my teeth and swallow the Christmansization, the materialism, the unwarranted popularity on this lesser of holidays, but I don't have to like yet another reminder or example of this.

And on the third hand (as my boss says), there's the gut instinct of disgust. I am just disgusted. Genug.

Speaking of both disgust and Judeo-Christian codes of morality, the Committee from the RA votes on the homos next week. I am very, very curious.

And hopeful, however tentatively.

Kol tov...