According to a poll by Fox News, almost eight in ten (77%) Americans will greet another person with Merry Christmas. That breaks down to 87% of Republicans and 72% of Democrats.
While I personally prefer to be wished a happy Festivus right before the feats of strength and airing of grievances begin, it’s clear from these numbers that the sensitivity surrounding our Holiday greetings is another example of political correctness run amok.
According to this data, wishing someone “Happy Holidays” in an attempt to be inclusive could potentially backfire. Christians tend to take offense at the watering down of the holiday. Some department stores, who have instructed their employees to wish customers “Happy Holidays”, have faced angry boycotts as a result and this data shows they are doing more harm than good with their orders. Some groups have assembled a “Naughty or Nice” list of retailers based on their Christmas greetings!
Democrats (28 percent), urbanites (28 percent) and Northeasterners (25 percent) are among those more likely to say they feel pressured to use a generic “Happy Holidays” greeting. Conversely, in addition to Republicans (again, at 87 percent), regular churchgoers (82 percent) and rural Americans (83 percent) are more likely to say “Merry Christmas,” the poll found.
Curiously, the data also shows that one in five (21%) Democrats had their company holiday party canceled this year. More change to believe in.
Merry Christmas: offensive slight or desired tradition?
Posted by Chris Wilson on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 3:06 PM
According to a poll by Fox News, almost eight in ten (77%) Americans will greet another person with Merry Christmas. That breaks down to 87% of Republicans and 72% of Democrats.
While I personally prefer to be wished a happy Festivus right before the feats of strength and airing of grievances begin, it’s clear from these numbers that the sensitivity surrounding our Holiday greetings is another example of political correctness run amok.
According to this data, wishing someone “Happy Holidays” in an attempt to be inclusive could potentially backfire. Christians tend to take offense at the watering down of the holiday. Some department stores, who have instructed their employees to wish customers “Happy Holidays”, have faced angry boycotts as a result and this data shows they are doing more harm than good with their orders. Some groups have assembled a “Naughty or Nice” list of retailers based on their Christmas greetings!
Democrats (28 percent), urbanites (28 percent) and Northeasterners (25 percent) are among those more likely to say they feel pressured to use a generic “Happy Holidays” greeting. Conversely, in addition to Republicans (again, at 87 percent), regular churchgoers (82 percent) and rural Americans (83 percent) are more likely to say “Merry Christmas,” the poll found.
Curiously, the data also shows that one in five (21%) Democrats had their company holiday party canceled this year. More change to believe in.