Thursday, December 10, 2020

Lights Out - Minnesota



Imagine the scene. There you are, living in the suburbs of middle America in December 2020; it’s cold outside and you think back on the year that’s been. Who’d have thought it? 

A potentially deadly virus, lockdowns, riots, looting, a contested election, job uncertainty and on. What a dark landscape, so you decide to lift everyone’s spirits by putting up Christmas lights on the house. 

Well done. “Merry Christmas!” you say cheerfully to yourself while decorating a festive tree; things are starting to look up at last, about time. Then boom, the Postperson arrives with a letter blasting your Christmas lights for intolerance, division, and “systemic biases.”

Wow, systemic bias, that's pretty bad. So hurry up, you suburban criminal, and report yourself for wrongthink. That's obviously before you work through struggle sessions in the nearest Maoist Minnesotan reeducation center. 




Satire? If only. Four Minnesota households in a suburb of Minneapolis, St. Anthony, received an anonymous Advent letter this year, excoriating them for decorating their houses for the holiday season. Here it is:

 

I couldn’t help but notice your Christmas lights display. During these unprecedented times we have all experienced challenges which casual words just don’t describe what we’re feeling. The idea of twinkling, colorful lights are a reminder of divisions that continue to run through our society, a reminder of systemic biases against our neighbors who don’t celebrate Christmas or who can’t afford to put up lights of their own.

We must do the work of educating ourselves about the harmful impact an outward-facing display like yours can have. I challenge you to respect the dignity of all people while striving to learn from differences, ideas, and opinions of our neighbors. We must come together collectively and challenge these institutional inequities; St. Anthony is a community of welcoming of all people (sic) and we must demand better for ourselves.

 

Demand better? Yes indeed. Let's start with calling an end to leftist gibberish and tyranny masquerading as tolerance and "welcome." A false welcome to everyone except those who disagree with you. This isn't about toleration, it's about forcing your will on other people, in this instance on those who choose to display the outward signs of Christmas, of celebrating Christ's birth, on their houses.

How dare you, Nazi! As if for a second that a garish if cheerful twinkling light was anything other than a sign of good cheer. But of course our latter-day puritans hate the sign because they hate its significance. 

It proclaims, consciously or not, that God became a man and lay, as a child, under a star in Bethlehem. And with that birth salvation came into the world. 




This is abhorrent to the enemies of Christmas and, if they can, they'll ban the feast of the Incarnation from the public square, like their spiritual ancestors, the Bolsheviks of 1917 or the Puritans of the seventeenth century. But you know what?

The gates of Hell shall not prevail against the angelic host, which cries out, Gloria in Excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest at the birth of the Christ Child. Nothing, much less mean-spirited, narcissist, Midwestern killjoys and their rich Ivy Satanic League (sorry,  add Berkley) friends can stop that.

Here endeth the Lesson,

LSP

23 comments:

drjim said...

I remember when this War On Christmas started many years ago, starting with the renaming to "Xmas" on many public things and store displays. My Jewish friends were as appalled by it as I was, as were my friends of other non-Christian religions, a Buddhist, and two Hindus. Our Pastor gave several sermons on it, telling us that when we aren't allowed to say His name, things are turning very bad.

This is truly Marxism on display.

NITZAKHON said...

Assuming I can afford it, next year I want a great big honkin' channukia (the correct term, not "menorah") on the lawn. With ROAD FLARES as candles.

:)

LL said...

My daughter and son-in-law received a package in the mail. When they opened it, the packaged POPPED open, spraying blue glitter. The message from one of a number of queers in their neighborhood, written among the glitter, was, "we won!"

I wonder how festive they'll feel if the Supreme Court hands the win to President Trump?

Kid said...

Well, That would make me go out and buy more lights.

Kid said...

PS - And buy a yard sign stating: "To the fascists to afraid to put a return address on their envelope - Mind your own business and leave us true caring people alone."

Wild, wild west said...

I wonder, LL, if daughter and SIL have access to a manure spreader. The kind that tow behind a tractor and could be backed up to a front door before unloading as the door opens.

Adrienne said...

Allow me to say once again, "Glad to have escaped from Minnesota."

Also - this whole crappy "Minnesota Nice" meme is nothing but passive aggression.



Deserttrek said...

I am not a Christian and don't believe a word of the story.
So What? I like decorations and appreciate the motivation and desire to celebrate.
I celebrate on a secular level.
Live and let live
Your cross doesn't hurt me, scare me or worry me. Need help stringing the lights or installing it, I will gladly be there.
The people who are anti cross need mental help

LSP said...

Deserttrek, I appreciate that and yes, "need mental help" is definitely in order. Thing is, they're true believers and won't rest until they get their way or get put back in their box. I'm in favor of the latter outcome.

LSP said...

You were clearly wise to escape, Adrienne. Mind you, my friends there say it's mostly a greater Minny problem. If so, ditto most of our cities to one degree or another.

The passive aggression and smug, totalitarian, condescension is off the scale, eh?

LSP said...

WWW, I see you're a solutions provider!

LSP said...

Kid, I feel exactly the same.

LSP said...

LL, he may be getting old, but I'd set the monkey on the glitter queers if I was there. Vicious little beast, even today.

Too bad SCOTUS denied Ted's lawsuit. Huh.

LSP said...

It sure is, N, and it can't be allowed to stand.

NITZAKHON said...

@DrJim:

The lord their Marx is a jealous deity.

There's a great, short video by a professor at Harvard (now deceased) on the role of faith in democracy:

Clay Christensen on Religious Freedom (His personal views, not HBS)
https://youtu.be/YjntXYDPw44

Infidel de Manahatta said...

With all due respect to the Christmas season, this is an occasion where you tell your neighbor that your fist will connect with their "outfaced" jaw.

LSP said...

Good link, N.

LSP said...

Infidel, we can only imagine the "harmful impact" of the blow.

That aside, peak insanity is clearly right round the corner.

kathomp said...

More lights and add music!

LSP said...

kathomp, YES.

Brig said...

That letter is a perfect example of the sickness those people suffer from.

No one has gone that far of the rails here, that I know of, but rampant on the other side of the river.

Dr. Swankenstein said...

Decolonizing institutional whiteness through destruction of oppressions by European "Christianity".

Dr. Swankenstein said...

Decolonizing institutional whiteness through destruction of oppressions by European "Christianity".