Happy Festivus, the atheist holiday
posted at 1:11 pm on December 23, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Yes, granted, it hasn’t traditionally been limited to nonbelievers. Still: It’s a holiday about nothing popularized by a show about nothing and created explicitly out of antipathy to Christmas. Toss in a rule about celebrating it in French and you’d have perfect existential despair. Even the aluminum pole — unadorned, unsentimental, but unbowed — makes for a fine skeptic symbol. I’m going to e-mail Hitchens and Dawkins and urge them to stake a claim “for the rest of us.” Expect a joint press release shortly.
While the stories of Festivus-inspired laughs are vast — like the woman from Kansas City whose Festivus feats of strength include thumb-wrestling, and the Festivus Pole lot in Wisconsin where the poles are sold like Christmas trees — it has inspired some criticism from pundits who fear it is taking away from traditional religion-based celebrations like Christmas.
”It is odd to me that Festivus would be a part of that debate, because the No. 1 reason this holiday has caught on is that it isn’t exclusive,” Salkin says. “It’s not religious. Festivus means nothing. And something that means nothing is very useful because everyone can agree on it. It excludes no one. It’s the joke that everyone’s in on.”
Today being the day, I’m inclined to take the rest of it off and proceed to the gym for the Feats of Strength, to be followed later by the boss’s Airing of Grievances about why I’m not at work. Celebrants/Seinfeld fans may, if they wish, air their own grievances below; “there’s too much atheist content on the site” has already been duly noted and logged. My own grievance: Did you know there’s not a single copy of Mario Kart Wii available for purchase at a major American chain right now? If you want it under the tree (er, pole), be prepared to be gouged with a 40 percent mark-up by small dealers.
Exit question: According to the episode, Festivus doesn’t end until the head of the household is pinned. Does that mean the holiday must be celebrated with others or, more strictly, that it must be celebrated with family, in which case singles are ineligible? A fine point of theology. Or atheology, as it were.
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Well, maybe you should have bought it a few months ago. I snagged it the day of release, with no problem.
There’s my grievance: Procrastinators. If you did what you were supposed to do when you had to do it, you could be playing video games RIGHT NOW.
For the record, I like Christmas better.
Krydor on December 24, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Still lying about other people, accusing them of things that they haven’t said, proposed or done and being a general a*hole on this site every – single – day ?
You should stop.
wise_man on December 24, 2008 at 11:44 AM
yep thats madisonwacko!!
he should, but he can’t…the voices make him
right4life on December 24, 2008 at 11:53 AM
Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
OhEssYouCowboys on December 24, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Luke 2:8-14 – [8] And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. [10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. [11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. [12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. [13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, [14] Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.
OhEssYouCowboys on December 24, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Still obsessing? You should stop.
MadisonConservative on December 24, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Oh, McCain still sucks, that’s why the non-conservative lost, and Merry Christmas.
MadisonConservative on December 24, 2008 at 1:09 PM
John 14:6 -
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
OhEssYouCowboys on December 24, 2008 at 1:18 PM
Yes, that’s it – learning to live in love, and letting God’s love in, are more and more what I see as the point of my life.
Thanks, chunderroad and CyberCipher. And your collie!
Rosmerta on December 24, 2008 at 1:20 PM
Oh, don’t get me started… damn Amazon affiliate Springle (Amazon themselves did fine but their affiliate didn’t) sent my present for my brother, in the mail… to me. Why I’d need another copy of the PS2 game “Phantom Brave” I can’t imagine. Those discs don’t wear out that quick.
At least he got the PS2 itself, the memory cards, and Disgaea (and the re-release made that easier to find than when I got it)… so he’s playing; Amazon sent those and got the shipping correct. But he could have had another game to play right now if people could competently do their jobs.
And if you own a PS2, like strategy/RPG games, and don’t own Disgaea… you have 200-300 hours that I’ve frittered away.
Disgaea, Disgaea 2, Phantom Brave, and now Makai Kingdoms… Nippon Ichi Software makes some cool games.
And I just checked the e-mail for “your order has been sent”… and it has my brother’s address for the shipping address. So they definitely knew better at some point.
gekkobear on December 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Some people just don’t know when they’re well off.
You just go right on ahead and dig your own hole, I’ll be glad to fell sorry for ya when you fall in, like it’ll make any difference.
Speakup on December 24, 2008 at 2:45 PM
you should stop
wise_man on December 24, 2008 at 2:47 PM
Oh, and did your prediction that Bob Barr would get 20% of the vote come true, Nostradamus?
wise_man on December 24, 2008 at 2:48 PM
+1
SaintOlaf on December 24, 2008 at 3:40 PM
If this is a serious question, read this: Molinism.
davidk on December 24, 2008 at 5:04 PM
My grievance: the constant Rush Limbaugh circle jerk!
*_*
happy festivus!!
abobo on December 24, 2008 at 8:15 PM
The small dealers know they have an item in high demand, that they have very few of them, and that most buyers will not return just because they got a deal. They have no reason to settle for the old, irrelevant list price.
Welcome to free markets. Pay the small dealer of your choice or do without Mario Kart Wii.
After the Obamination, we can all wait several hours for price controlled food and health care, so count your blessings for now.
Right_of_Attila on December 24, 2008 at 10:31 PM
By my reckoning, since the correlation of the dates of Festivus and Christmas is very high, it is certainly not a holiday about nothing. It’s a way atheists can secretly celebrate Jesus’ birth without mentioning his name.
I could certainly understand and support a Festivus pole being placed next to the Christmas tree, Menorah, and Kwanzaa lights.
They know not what they do, but, verily, they do it.
unclesmrgol on December 25, 2008 at 1:13 AM
But, after the obamanation, will the Wii Fit allow public display of six packs — even by the feminine players?
unclesmrgol on December 25, 2008 at 1:15 AM
Rosmerta on December 23, 2008 at 4:02 PM
Organization? It’s a very loose, undisciplined group of people who have a very broad range of beliefs, from the hatred spewed by Westboro Baptist Church, to ordaining women ministers in other churches. In ordaining female minisers and deacons, these sects have thrown Paul under the bus. One Church?
Pelayo on December 25, 2008 at 10:04 AM
With irony that rich, we could afford three bailouts!
..
..Awesome/!
Reaps on December 26, 2008 at 1:32 PM
I was referring to the Catholic Church, which has had an unbroken line of leaders in the Popes, from Jesus’ anointing of St. Peter to John Paul the Great (Santo Subito!) and Benedict XVI.
I believe St. Olaf is referring to the Orthodox Church, which (according to my limited understanding) broke away from the Catholic Church early on and since then has been doctrinally very similar, but with different leadership.
Rosmerta on December 26, 2008 at 8:53 PM
I should add, AP’s objection was that God apparently hasn’t been speaking to us about all these questions we have. My point is that if you look at the writings of the many brilliant and godly Catholic saints and theologians, let alone the visions and messages of the many carefully church-reviewed and approved visionaries, God is most certainly speaking to us today and has been ever since the time of Christ.
Here’s my list of just a few whose lives and writings are worth study:
St. Athanasius – kept the Church united during some of the first major theological disputes, by his own brilliant argument
St. Thomas Aquinas – maybe the most brilliant theologian, possibly next to St. Paul, that the Church has known, and godly and humble with all his gifts
St. Catherine of Siena – singlehandedly motivated the Pope of the time to return to his seat in Rome from exile in Avignon; one of the three women named Doctors of the Church
St. Theresa of Avila – another Doctor of the Church whose writings on mysticism and the monastic life are still widely studied
St. Therese of Lisieux – our third female Doctor, whose “Little Way” to God is brilliant in its deceptive simplicity
St. Faustina – the “Apostle of Divine Mercy” who has brought so many to the knowledge of the depth of God’s love for them
And so many more – I can’t understand why people idolize sports figures and actors and even politicians, when we have such a rich treasury of goodness in 2,000 years of saints!
Rosmerta on December 26, 2008 at 9:18 PM
Rosmerta,
Actually it was the Roman Catholic Church that broke away from the Orthodox(right believeing)Church when they changed one of the vital aspects of the Faith..the Creed.
There is only one unchanged Church with real Apostolic succession and that is the Orthodox Church.
Hopefully the Roman Catholics will eventually renounce their heresies and come back to the True Faith and the Church founded by Christ and the Apostles someday..
SaintOlaf on December 26, 2008 at 10:19 PM
actually its the PROTESTANT church that is the true church!!
(I’m just stirring it up)
actually the true church is not an organization, rather those that are HIS…
right4life on December 26, 2008 at 11:22 PM
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