Reason For The Season

Reasons for the season...

Current mood:contemplative

I am reposting this from a website I post at...it was a lot of typing, so I thought I would share here:

At a karaoke forum I haunt, a friend of mine posted the following:

MERRY CHRISTMAS VS HAPPY HOLIDAYS: Our Constitution states Freedom of Religion, NOT Freedom From Religion. I read somewhere that 90% of Americans believe in some form of God, regardless of their religion. Next year I am thinking of banning products from companies that only wish Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas or some form of that. One store changed it's policy and started printing christmas and/or santa claus in all it's ads after the store stated that it would not because they did not want to offend anyone. The power of pursuasion using the all mighty greenbacks. What is your view point on this growing debate?

As I had strong opinions, I responded and figured I would move the topic here, for posterity, reflection and to hear the views of some of you who are not at that forum, LOL!

My reply:

I love ya, but I could not disagree with you more. Here is an opposing viewpoint from the view of a business owner.

1. Religion should not enter into the marketplace unless you deal with a religious demographic. When you specify your religion or alienate anothers religion, you cut down on potential customers.

2. You state 90% of people believe in some god...but not the same god. And all people who may believe in the same God do not use the same religion to do so. So where do you draw the line...do you boycott companies who do not recognize Christian Christmas or do you go as far as to say you only want to do business with Christians? Where does that leave the others in your demo or business relations...the Jews, the Chinese, The Muslims...the Hindus or any of the thousands of others who worship and are decent people and businessmen...who simply do not recognize "Christmas" or maybe even "Christ" himself. Are you judging them to say that they are wrong and only those who follow Christ are right? Again, that will alienate people.

3. What faith people chose to follow is personal and should not be used to market their wares.

4. Seasons Greetings is an appropriate greeting considering the growing # of people who do not celebrate Christmas yet do get involved in Holiday activities, Christmas parties or have a need to buy gifts in December. Jews do not celebrate christmas as a rule, but they spend a lot of money on gifts in December dont they? If I am JCPenney, I am not going to limit my marketing to Christmas.

5. It is Christian doctrine to affiliate with other Christians and to spread the gospel to Non Christians when possible. The zealots who start these boycott campaigns against innocent companies who try to be PC and play fair are just that...zealots...and they are the ones that give Christianity and all organized religion a bad rap.

6. Constitution: does provide freedom FROM religion specifically. If you remember that is why all the folks hauled ass here in the first place... Not being religious is an expression of your religious freedom. If we begin chastising those for their faith, we are right back where we started from, full circle.

7. And the biggest...do research on the history of Christmas and you will find that Christmas as we celebrate it has nothing to do with Christ or religion. It genesis have nothing to do with Christian faith and in fact is Pagan in origin. The true Christians actually banned the celebration and to make a long story short it has only been since the mid 1800s that we have begun our rituals similar to those we do today, and all of the rituals are contrived for the market place based on corporate marketing, and ideas from authors such as The Night Before Christmas, etc... The entire holiday and all of its icons are corporate, or old pagan rituals resurfaced.

So if anyone eschewing Christmas offends you as a Christian, do some research and see just how Christian the holiday really is in origin...and it is all so watered down now, it really does not matter.

What matters is whether or not you accept Jesus as your savior or not. And that is personal and not fodder for judgement.

His response:

Harry,
I attempted to state in the clearest terms in my original message, but left a couple of things out. I do have jewish friends, I wish them Happy Chunachah (sp), my christians friends, Merry Christmas. I believe that Muslims celebrate their Holy month in November into December and I am basing that on when the onslaught of the Taliban started and when it started, but that is for a different discussion. Let me attempt to retort your previosu message.

1. I do understand your point of view on losing potential customer due to specifying one religion over another or singling one out. These are the same companies who do not mind losing the potential customers who they are alienating by not even showing a Santa Claus as they have in previous years in their ads. Case in Point: Coke did not run their commercials stating that Santa Cans or Trucks are coming.

2. I would like to boycott companies who totally eliminate all religious or "Santa" greetings by the company. I do not judge other people based on their religious beliefs or lack thereof. I do not need to know if they are religious or practice a religion, that is not my business. Once again, I am not out to alienate anybody, but think of all the businesses that loss addition funds because of NO religious references. ie santa.

3. Your right. What faith people choose to follow is personal and I do not need to know> If they make it an issue, then yes I would know, but I will not ask them.

4. If someone does not believe in a christmas, but celebrate this important holiday, then they should not be hypocrites. If you do not believe in christmas, then you should not celebrate this holiday with gifts. This is should not a pick and choose, type of holiday. Jews do not celebrate christmas, they celebrate Chunakah. There is also Quanzaa, but don't just jump into the holiday shopping dash and celebrate this holiday if you do not believe in this holiday. JC Peny could also market for the other holidays that I listed plus the others that I did not list.

5. I am christian but do not speak about my religion unless I know where the other party stands. I do not speak about two things in public, religion and politics. I must know where the other person/party stands on the topics before I will get into these topics. So sorry, but I do not consider myself a zealot in any manner.

6. The conststution states Freedom of Religion, plus there is a seperation of Church and State. No government body shall endorse a specific religion. ( that is the jist of the statements.) We hauled our asses here because we were forces to follow one religion and we did not have the freedom of religion, just this religion. If one is not religious then yes that is their freedom and they have that right.

7. I realise that the genesis of the holiday was supposed to be in the spring and was changed around quite a bit, but I celebrate the spirit of this holiday and what this holiday represents to me, the birth of my saviour. I am not asking anyone else to believe what I believe in. You say this holiday is watered down, and I say it is commercialized.

It is because of these PC lawyers and others who are out to make a name for themselves, that they have taken Under God out of the pledge of Allegience. These are the same people who want to take In Gode we Trust off of all federal currency. Now, I ask you Harry, when do we as Americans take a stand and say enough is enough. If 90% of American are religious, when do their voices get heard over the 10% who want no references to any god anywhere?

My reply:

Plat, you are going in a couple of different directions on some paths that dont reach the same destination. Here are a few random comments while reading your post...

First, Santa is not in any way a religious icon and has nothing to do with the celebration of the birth of the Lord. Santa Claus is actually a bastardized pronunciation of a European legend. Santa Claus is actually just the mispronounced version. He is also the conglomeration of many characters world wide. Do you know where the Americanized version of Santas appearance was created? Coca Cola. The celebration of Christmas using Santa Claus and gifts is not becoming commercial, it always has been...that is what it was developed to be. Santa Claus, trees, stockings, gifts...all have nothing to do with the Christian celebration of Christ's birth.

Second, the spirit of the season is different for each person...some revel in religious belief and celebrate Jesus birth, others simply reflect on family and home, others use it as a time to give to others and show charity, or others celebrate based on their individual customs and practices.

A company who serves all of these people is actually being more serving by saying "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings". These salutations not only encompass Christmas, but all the other celebrations under one umbrella. For a corporation to merely push Christmas is not only alienating to those who do not celebrate, but also not as good for business.

By saying you would boycott companies who ignore "Santa" or religious connotations of the holiday, you are persecuting the company for not believing or celebrating Christmas. That is your right to do that, but it is their right and all of our rights NOT TO CELEBRATE christmas or NOT to follow a faith.

I repeat, freedom of religion encompasses freedom from religion. We all have the right to worship or celebrate without interference, and those who choose not to worship or celebrate should get the same freedoms.

As to the hypocrisy of celebrating a holiday you do not believe in, I agree, BUT examine what the person is celebrating. Athiests can celebrate Christmas because Christmas as we celebrate it in America is not about Jesus. WHat makes it about Jesus is the belief that Jesus is your saviour, the praise to him and the things you do in his honor. You do not give gifts in his honor...you do not put trees up or hang stockings or drape your house in lights or put inflatable snowmen on your roof in HIS honor. These are not religious acts or symbols...especially Santa.

Zealots are not necessarily bad people...it just means that they embrace their beliefs with ZEAL. Many Christians are not offended by the use of Seasons Greetings, because it does indirectly address Christmas. It is the zealous christians who take offence that the word Christmas was replaced, and rather than accept that some do not share the same beliefs as them, they label the offenders as WRONG and initiate boycotts or letter campaigns until the parties change their ways and return to the Christian way of thinking. That is just wrong, and again, that is not fair to the company who choses to be fair to all.

No government shall endorse a religion means that we are all free to choose any religion or no religion. And religion has no place in marketing a secular business....and santa is not a religious icon.

The holiday IS watered down and commercialized. And the fact that someone is offended religiously that Santa does not appear shows me that by example. Kids today have no idea what the symbolism of Christian Christmas is...they just know Jesus and presents are the reason for the season...but cant tell you why trees are put up, or stockings or who this Santa guy is and why we worship HIM in December.

You said "but I celebrate the spirit of this holiday and what this holiday represents to me, the birth of my saviour. I am not asking anyone else to believe what I believe in..." but you contradict that statement. You are not asking anyone else to believe what you believe, you merely are advocating a boycott of those who do not share your beliefs. Those are contradictory statements.

To be rational, one would get irate if someone bashed their religion, or boycotted them for it, but be tolerant of others who do not share it.

I am sure all of the Shintoists in China who made your Christmas decorations have some in their house, LOL! But they will take the money.

You ask "Now, I ask you Harry, when do we as Americans take a stand and say enough is enough. If 90% of American are religious, when do their voices get heard over the 10% who want no references to any god anywhere?"

My answer....1st, I have made many religious arguments over the years at the forum, but I challenge you to find anywhere I have posted my belief. Why? Because, like free speech people say, I may not agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it. I am in the minority that believe in religious tolerance...I am tolerant of anyones religion and will never say anyones religion is wrong. Most people think their religion is the only correct one and spend their time correcting the rest of the world.

Americans have been saying enough is enough as long as there have been Americans...that is why we came to America. We flee persecution and strove for diversity in thought and freedom in speech. What you are looking for is a turnaround in that goal. Think out of the box Plat...if 90% of people believe in God, you are assuming they believe in the same god. What if my God is different than yours? Am I silly to praise Ganesh, the boy with the elepant head? And you can laugh at that belief while claiming the baby of a virgin arose from death after 3 days? Or dispute Buddah? Or the multitudes of other deitys praised in the US??

Suppose Coke put out a special can for the Wiccans in October before they put out the Santa can in December. How tolerant would you feel? Suppose your city put up pentagrams on the light poles in October? Hey, the Pagans have the right to celebrate too, right??

But it is the commercialized version of Xmas we have adopted...and as soon as we leave Jesus out of the picture, we offend the Christians...at the cost of offending everyone else...and the majority of the population of THE WORLD is not Christian. There are a lot of other contenders...so do we give them all the same chance that we are asking for Christ at Christmas, or do we just remain silently tolerant??

So I guess references to God are OK as long as it is the right god....and not to mention how many different avenues there are to give that praise....SOOooooomany religions...how do we please them all??? With tolerance. Not boycotts.

Goals For The New Year

Goals For The New Year

Not a big fan of the word "resolution". To resolve to do something seems so finite, and a prelude to failure. Rather, at years end, I examine what I want to do in the next year and that is my goal. Goals can be unachieved without a feeling of failure, as long as some headway is made towards them. Here are a few of my goals.

1. To become better acquainted with those around me. To be better with learning and remembering names of those I see often, who may not be directly in my inner circle. To introduce myself to those I see often yet never speak to.

2. To remain steadfast in my plan to eliminate my medical debt.

3. To work harder on my physical well being. I need to start working on the areas of injury from my accident to get a little more normal...a little more therapy at home.

4. To be more aware of my metabolism changes and eat healthier, and exercise more...more walking and bike riding. I have not been very physical during my recuperation and have been eating like crap, and drinking a lot, which has added a bit of girth to my frame that I am not happy about. Gonna get that tone back this year if I have my way.

5. Gonna dramatically reduce my drinking, and drink more sensibly when I do. Beer sure helped numb the discomfort. But beer is probably responsible for the previous issue. Not quitting drinking, just making better choices and cutting down on volume.

6. To try to make my surroundings more comfortable for me, and take better advantage of those surroundings.

7. To try to take a little more time to smell the roses.

Take a Fag To Lunch Day

Take A Fag To Lunch Day?

Current mood:quixotic

I observed a few things about human nature this week, and it gave me cause and pause to reflect, and I thought I would jot a few observations here.

First, I will say, as an American, as advanced as we are socially, or that we think we are, we really are a repressed society. For all of our claims of freedom and freedoms of speech and what have you, compared to other civilized societies we are eons behind the times.

The censorships of nudity in public and broadcast, the negative stigmas of sexual conduct instilled by censorship and religion have all conspired to make the most natural things taboo in our society, and that is probably what contributes to messing up a lot of people in the head.

When you go to other countries, where nudity is accepted, nudity becomes no big thing, and accepted. When you are a young kid, the sight of bare breasts is an enormous coup. The more you see...the less of a thrill it becomes, and the stigma of taboo diminishes exponentially. Go spend 3 days at Mardi Gras. When you get there all you can do is stare at tits, tits, tits, but by the second day...ehhh...not so much. And that is just after one day or 2 of conditioning. Profanity...same thing, taboo, yet if it were not censored, it would become no big thing. Humans want what is kept from us. Very Pavlovian.

The impetus of my post is 2 fold...first, at one of my shows, I have a pretty large lesbian following. Not in your face, but when you see the "handsome" gals you know whats what. Two of the ladies were sharing a dance...and this is not a rare occurance. At my shows it is not unusual for 2 straight gals to dance...its all good, but this was obviously a lesbian couple who were involved. They were not kissing or behaving intimately, merely dancing. A group of guys at the bar in their 20s were looking on wide eyed and pointing and staring and really making a spectacle of the whole event. The dancers were not aware...but it made me think...how sheltered are these guys that in the year 2005 and being as old as they are that they still tittilated at the sight of lesbians in public? It made me think that I am probably lucky that I have been a little more immersed in gay culture than the average person, so it is no big deal to me. I have been in retail, and in the flower business, so my exposure to gays has been steady since I was 15.

Secondly...Brokeback Mountain. A movie being released that takes place in the 60s and explores a loving relationship between two men. It is the media darling of the talk circuit right now...the buzz du jour. It is amazing to hear the callers speak in homophobic terms about how they could never see this movie, and making comments that would appear that there is some responsibilty to be sodomized to see this movie. IT IS JUST A MOVIE, and it involves gay characters. Get over it...reality is, some people are gay...and why, in the year 2005 is this still shocking?

People...if you are getting hung up on what the person standing next to you is doing in the bedroom, youre priorities are skewed. Know people on the terms of what type of person they are, not on the basis of their gender or what gender they prefer. You will find your life enriched by persons you would not know otherwise. And in reality, gay, straight or any combo, if you REALLY knew what your neighbors were doing, or wishing to be doing, you would not be able to sleep at night, LOL!

I am straight, but personally my life is rife with role models from my youth who happened to be gay. Their gayness never got in the way of their ability to teach me lifes lessons. I also have many platonic friends who happen to be women. I am very close with many women whom I never have and never will sleep with, or desire in that manner. So why do guys have no problem mingling with a woman, yet feel that if a gay man approaches them it is going to involve sex? Do I fear that if I am alone with a woman I am going to have to have sex? No. And in relationships that involve mere friendship, why does the bedroom have to be a consideration? It does not. When it does, that is inappropriate, and when it does, then you address it. The person who offers an unwanted advance and continues after being spurned is wrong no matter what their affiliation.

Which brings me to this...IMMERSION. Big word...meaning to become immersed in something is to understand it more and not fear it. If all of a sudden nudity were accepted, it would become a non issue...but it is taboo so all of a sudden those who crave it are perverts. The gays are out there...always have been always will be. Try immersing yourself in a bit of the culture to understand it so that it is not so alien. Why are so many people afraid of gays? Is it a fear or is it social scorn...religious conviction..? What is the reason for your ire? Take a fag to lunch...get to know them without bringing up sex acts. Understand that they are just like you and me, separated only by their gender preference, and the culture that may go along with that. Understand that you have nothing to fear, and you cant be forced to be attracted to something you are not...so dont be afraid of being turned unless that is what you are secretly looking for anyway. Dont be uncomfortable watching a love story just because the two leads happen to be male.

My girlfriend is a fag hag from way back as well...and she has gay members of her family, and her family is religious and yet very accepting of them. It is easy for us to see the fine points in people without their sexual preference being an issue. Maybe it is time for all of society to get past that as well. You like what you are programmed to like...and if you are not programmed to be gay, you wont be. I am a big fan of the women...never consciously made that decision, just what puts the old lead in the pencil. I cant blame a woman for the same thing, LOL! I had been accused in the past of being on the other team (especially when they hear about being a flower broker, LOL) but I dont necessarily see that as an INSULT, more of a misunderstanding. If a gay man pays me a compliment or drops a fishing line, I will accept the compliment as flattery and correct them on my preference, without the desire to either harm them or f*** them, LOL! Same as I would from a woman... It is the year 2005 folks, come...evolve with me...

Take a fag to lunch.

Give It Away Now

Give it away now...

Current mood:pleased

Humming that Chili peppers song...LOL! THAT should be my Christmas Carol because that is what the season evokes...giving. Not out of necessity or obligation...sometimes it just feels good to give.

I dont have much spirit...even less this year for a lot of reasons. I have a hard time getting the warm and fuzzies. So yesterday I stepped to the plate to do something I wanted to do, not what I was obligated to do.

I wanted to get a bike for a needy child. I stopped by one of the Salvation Army trees and took off a tag for an 11year old boy who needed a bike. Got him a nice bmx style bike. Gonna drop it off on my way to lunch today.

I am not bragging, my point is, to encourage each of you to commit a random act of giving this week and each week up to Christmas with no expectations of reward or merit. I will bet you will find more spirit than you thought. That might be worth the price of a bike to me.

Ladies and Gentlemen...Elvis is Dead

Ladies and Gentlemen...Elvis is Dead

Current mood:contemplative

So I am at work the other night, and a customer...one that does not participate much, but makes the rounds, asks me to sing a request. He requested a good 'ol Elvis song. I oblige him, so I look thru my titles to see what Elvis songs I have that I could do...looking for something out of the box and not done to death.

As I am scanning over my page and a half of Elvis songs, I realize that out of ALL the titles I have, only a handful are really done regularly and worn out. Many have never been sung at all. And I am pondering his body of work, and I realize that Elvis probably never actually wrote a song. Elvis was a mere performer. Of course, his performances were legendary and he had a trademark look and sound and style, so you can give him kudos for that.

BUT...should his body of work be held up to proclaim him as the King? When will we dethrone him? Have not or will not others come along and exceed his impact on the music world? Havent others shaken the world more than Elvis, without the recognition?

Elvis was the worlds greatest Karaoke singer.

But having felt all that, I picked a song and did it up for my customer. He thanked me, and asked me to do another. This got me ever so slightly bent, so I politely declined. My reason to him was that there are 2 other karaoke hosts within a few miles who make their living as Elvis impersonators, and stake their claim as to how wonderful they are doing Elvis songs. I did not want to do multiple Elvis songs any more than the Elvis KJs want to sing the songs that I do. I am far more versatile and will choose just about any group once and try it. I dont pigeonhole genres or bands or eras...on any given night I will do anything from the Beatles, Bee Gees, Zeppelin, Tool, System of A Down, Marvin Gaye, Al Green and on and on with no rhyme or reason. But I digress...

Elvis was a great performer, but does that fact allow us to overlook his bad points? He was a drug addict, he was a pedophile, he was unfaithful. But, he was good to his mama, and man, the guy could sing huh?

So it just strikes me as peculiar, that a man can be a great performer and be reviled by so many willing to overlook the realities, yet there are others who have contributed far more, created more and been better humans that are overlooked. Yes, he became larger than life. He has also become a caricature of himself. I just have a hard time getting my head wrapped around the concept that so many people celebrate him as the greatest ever...and that karaoke hosts dress up like him all over the world, and that men in their 60s and 70s still wear his hairstyle, yet all he has really contributed is his performance. He has no body of work that he has created...just his performances. His image has become a marketing bonanza...his estate is probably worth more now than when he died from licensing arrangements. And dont say nuthin bad about the king. In the south he is as revered as Jesus H. Christ hisself.

F'in ponderous. Elvis was a great singer...and testament to his great abilities is how many people choose to imitate him...because it is easy perhaps? Lets see the troops of Roy Orbison singers come out...they would kick the Elvis singers asses, LOL! I would take Roy over Elvis any day as the king of EARLY rock. Wrote his own stuff, an octave range unsurpassed in rock...

I wont tell anyone what to believe...just speaking my mind. If I am wrong, I am welcoming that debate.

Thankyewvermuch. Harryoke has left the building.

Pay It Forward...NOW!,

Pay It Forward...NOW!,

Current mood:angry

I hate doctors...and I hate the bureaucracy involved in medical payments, and insurance, and all the crap that goes along with it.

If anyone has ever been in the hospital, you can relate to my rant...especially if you had no insurance.

For those who have not known me very long or dont know me, I was involved in a tremendous accident on Sept 24, 2004 on the way home from work. I got my van spun out backwards, airborne, barrel rolled mid air and hit two trees while midair, bending the van in half, and in the process knocking me out, busting my head and face open, slicing my arm open, breaking 2 vertebrae in my neck and causing nerve damage that made my right arm practically useless. To say I have come a long way since then is an understatement... I am aware of how lucky I was and how amazing my recovery was, but that is the subject of another blog another day.

Now...I am bitching about the handling of the paying of the bills.

I had car insurance and a very minor health insurance policy. These did not make much of a dent in the bill at all. I am finding myself alone responsible for the balance. If you are very poor or very rich, you are better off than being very middle class, which is what I am. I earn too much to cry hardship, and I am not rich enough to say "it's only money". (we are talking about a lot of money...more than I paid for my house.)

It would have been easy to declare bankruptcy or have my lawyer discharge them in other ways, but I am taking the high road and taking responsibility for my debt. This decision is one I will come to regret.

Another issue is how we are billed. I went to one hospital and I get separate bills from each person who touched me. Would it not make sense to put all these bills under one umbrella to make it easier to get paid? That would make too much sense so it will never happen.

What would happen if you ordered a pizza, and got a bill from the box company, the drivers insurance company, the driver, the pepperoni company, the cheese company etc... all seperately? This is what medical billing is like.

Anyway...skipping over a lot of technical mumbo jumbo, I have been speaking to a rep at the hospital in regard to getting this straightened out and after determining all my other avenues were exhausted, started looking for ways to pay this debt.

They were unwilling to dicker to a lower price for a cash settlement...they said if any insurance money had been received that they would not adjust the price. That is because they do more business with the insurance companies than they do with the patients, so it is not in their interest to kiss a patients ass. It isnt like you make a conscious decision on what hospital to go to in an emergency, so customer service is not necessary.

So, to make a long story short, I pull an equity line on my house...redo my mortgage and this month made arrangements to have them paid in full. The checks already have gone out.

This stressed me out, because I cant wait to see the statement next month for my new mortgage payment. But, I felt good about doing the right thing and having the albatross around my neck laying on the ground behind me. I also protected my assets, credit and all that...

I felt good until this morning when the Sheriff left after leaving me a summons where they have already initiated a lawsuit against me. This tweaks my knobs because I have been constantly in contact with the same useless person who has been saying everything is cool...and he has not said a word about turning me over to attorneys, etc... I stuck to my word and did what I said I would do. At least if he would have threatened me or gave me a heads up this was coming I would have been prepared.

No brainer, If this goes to court I will win...and I will not be paying any court fees or anything like that...I did my part, but the dicking keeps coming, doesnt it?

What have I learned?

Be insured. Consult attorneys and listen to them. F**k hospital bureaucracy. Keep records.