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Do you agree with Ben Stein's unique Christmas perspective?

Do you agree with Ben Stein's unique Christmas perspective?

  • Im a right leaning American, yes.

    Votes: 8 33.3%
  • Im a left leaning American, yes.

    Votes: 5 20.8%
  • Im not American, yes.

    Votes: 1 4.2%
  • Im a right leaning American, no.

    Votes: 3 12.5%
  • Im a left leaning American, no.

    Votes: 6 25.0%
  • Im not American, no.

    Votes: 1 4.2%

  • Total voters
    24
One can imagine.

Seriously, I get so weary with the instant attack based not on anything the individual said or did, but what the tribal drums say they said or did, filtered through whatever radical lens they choose to excuse a mediocre life.

The extreme right are as bad, survivalists in Idaho aren't scary at all, they're too ****ing predictable to frighten anyone. The left, though, has official status in the meme mania, supported in strength by the leader of the Free World, God help us in our dire time of need.

Earlier today, in a meeting with poverty pimps [somewhat unfair, they are unpaid at least] I listened to an hour of woe about government funding cuts, attacks on the poor and mentally ill and on and on including personal remarks, untrue and unflattering about our female premier who, according to this wisdom, is waging war on the mentally ill.

I am sorry, I kind of lost it. The truth is the government in the last two years has expanded funds 'directly earmarked" by 250%, "just not to YOU! Sorry, morons, but in this government you kind of have to justify how you spend the money"...

But filling out paperwork is "encouraging the bureaucratic prohibition and persecution of the disabled..."

I write ONE letter of praise for a program last fall, and am offered seed money to get a new idea underway. One.

So, of course, Ben, who I think is one of the most gifted, clever and wise journalists alive today, says anything, HE, not the idea must be dismissed as anything less would mean you are agreeing with someone who not only allows for the existence of God but believes in Him and testifies to that faith. Which is a capital offense as having a good idea and believing in God cannot coexist.

They know that for a fact because "everyone else" thinks so too...

You know, I have a friend, a street person near me who is way smarter than that. He has no way of staying up with the news, but he asks extremely appropriate questions, absorbs the answers and sometimes even challenges the point.

and some people wonder why I like to hang with him and not the poverty pimps.....
 
Seriously, I get so weary with the instant attack based not on anything the individual said or did, but what the tribal drums say they said or did, filtered through whatever radical lens they choose to excuse a mediocre life.

The extreme right are as bad, survivalists in Idaho aren't scary at all, they're too ****ing predictable to frighten anyone. The left, though, has official status in the meme mania, supported in strength by the leader of the Free World, God help us in our dire time of need.

Earlier today, in a meeting with poverty pimps [somewhat unfair, they are unpaid at least] I listened to an hour of woe about government funding cuts, attacks on the poor and mentally ill and on and on including personal remarks, untrue and unflattering about our female premier who, according to this wisdom, is waging war on the mentally ill.

I am sorry, I kind of lost it. The truth is the government in the last two years has expanded funds 'directly earmarked" by 250%, "just not to YOU! Sorry, morons, but in this government you kind of have to justify how you spend the money"...

But filling out paperwork is "encouraging the bureaucratic prohibition and persecution of the disabled..."

I write ONE letter of praise for a program last fall, and am offered seed money to get a new idea underway. One.

So, of course, Ben, who I think is one of the most gifted, clever and wise journalists alive today, says anything, HE, not the idea must be dismissed as anything less would mean you are agreeing with someone who not only allows for the existence of God but believes in Him and testifies to that faith. Which is a capital offense as having a good idea and believing in God cannot coexist.

They know that for a fact because "everyone else" thinks so too...

You know, I have a friend, a street person near me who is way smarter than that. He has no way of staying up with the news, but he asks extremely appropriate questions, absorbs the answers and sometimes even challenges the point.

and some people wonder why I like to hang with him and not the poverty pimps.....

Thats the problem, they confuse thought with feeling. Emotion with insight. And then its all shoot the messenger from there. Its a very intellectually lazy way to approach life.

We have the same pimps down here, probably worse, its really about them finding ways to manipulate people through appeals to emotion and propaganda for their personal benefit.

And Ive met some of the very poor that have absolutely astounded me, they can't be written off.

What was your proposal regarding?
 
Thats the problem, they confuse thought with feeling. Emotion with insight. And then its all shoot the messenger from there. Its a very intellectually lazy way to approach life.

We have the same pimps down here, probably worse, its really about them finding ways to manipulate people through appeals to emotion and propaganda for their personal benefit.

And Ive met some of the very poor that have absolutely astounded me, they can't be written off.

What was your proposal regarding?

Oh, a part-time work/training program for medium to high functioning 'people with barriers' or "nutbars" as I playfully say. There is a lot of brain power, people who were at one time very high functioning professionals out there who have a lot to offer and are worsening because of being idle.

So, some of us put together some other people and we tried one on one workshops etc., and through the year it kind of organically became this....thing, nutbars in volunteer positions and in two cases some work for pay which did not get clawed back.

It worked so well but only us and some people in my church knew about it so I did some writing to people in government, used some buzz words like "peer to peer" and "linear social integration" and got a response in about two weeks. "What? Volunteer nutbars helping nutbars to volunteer? How much would you like?"

Well not quite, it was here's how to apply but you get my drift.

it's an awesome program with a strong background in substance abuse counseling, and a real sense of community developing but a bit chaotic as we don't really do rules.
 
Oh, a part-time work/training program for medium to high functioning 'people with barriers' or "nutbars" as I playfully say. There is a lot of brain power, people who were at one time very high functioning professionals out there who have a lot to offer and are worsening because of being idle.

So, some of us put together some other people and we tried one on one workshops etc., and through the year it kind of organically became this....thing, nutbars in volunteer positions and in two cases some work for pay which did not get clawed back.

It worked so well but only us and some people in my church knew about it so I did some writing to people in government, used some buzz words like "peer to peer" and "linear social integration" and got a response in about two weeks. "What? Volunteer nutbars helping nutbars to volunteer? How much would you like?"

Well not quite, it was here's how to apply but you get my drift.

it's an awesome program with a strong background in substance abuse counseling, and a real sense of community developing but a bit chaotic as we don't really do rules.

I like it. Seems like a fine idea. Isn't it funny how the govt falls for for phrases and buzzwords?
 
Well to be fair, the original holiday was a Pagan celebration. So this could be seen as just more change of the holiday as mankind moves along in time.

Actually, no, the time which was chosen for Christ's Mass was at the end of a period of pagan celebration. All that's "evil" for lack of a better word is the transmutation of a Christian celebration into a secular consumerist's bon temps bonanza.
 


Christmas is the constant target of political correctness in the USA as well as a major driver of the economy, but its also more than that for the majority of Americans, do you agree with Ben Steins perspective?


I don't exactly agree with his reasoning since I'm not religious, but despite being an atheist, I love Christmas. It's my favorite time of the year.
 
An ancient religious holy day that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ is almost entirely secular? I think you might be projecting what you'd like to be the case. Either way, its a bit ironic.

It hasn't been about Jesus for a long time. It's about Santa Claus and trees and presents. Join the modern day.
 


Christmas is the constant target of political correctness in the USA as well as a major driver of the economy, but its also more than that for the majority of Americans, do you agree with Ben Steins perspective?


l agree christmas ornaments are enjoyable side of the capitalist millenium
 
Thats directly contradicts the comments of many of the lefties in this thread. But I still expect them to tell us all exactly what Christmas is about. :doh

Like the guy said on FOX news this morning...parents spend $50,000 a year for their kids to hate them, their traditions and their country.

None of this is surprising.
 
I'm confused why Ben Stein chose to use the word "saved" and then says: "This is why Christmas is such a joyous time for people, whether Jews...".

That doesn't make sense to me. Since when do Jewish people believe in being saved? Isn't that purely Christian?

Edit:

And I voted no because, while Christmas has religious ideals behind it, I find Christmas to be about love, generosity, and selflessness.

Where do you think those ideals sprang from? [ love, generosity, and selflessness]
 
There's an ever-so subtle attack on Christmas/Christians happening here. 8)

No, there is an an ever so subtle attack on hypocrisy and stupid.
 
It hasn't been about Jesus for a long time. It's about Santa Claus and trees and presents. Join the modern day.

you wouldnt care if it was about jesus :mrgreen:
 
Any expression of affection and good wishes, I take as a good thing. There's way too much suffering in the world, to be offended by good wishes. If you can't just appreciate that someone wishes you well in a season that is special to them, then your attitude sucks.

I don't know if you've ever read my story about my old friend from when I used to work the pedi icu unit back in the 80's. One of the pediatricians was a Jewish man from NYC, and he moved down here to be the medical director of the unit I worked on. Over the first year that he was here, we became good friends- close enough that he would take me to lunch for my birthday, or spend time in his office just talking about life. One year for Christmas, I gave him a funny Christmas card. On front of the card, was a picture of a red rose. Inside, it read :

Roses are Reddish
Violets are Bluish
If it wasn't for Jesus
We all would be Jewish.

We got some great laughs out of that, and it was nice to have a friend who was Jewish, who also celebrated Christmas, and wasn't offended that I joked about religion, and didn't get his ass upon his shoulders if someone said Merry Christmas to him.

Why would a Jewish person get upset when you say Merry Christmas? After all you are worshiping a Jew. Thanks for that.
 
We don't know what day Jesus was born, but we know he definitely wasn't born on December 25. He was likely born in either late spring or early fall.

Or that he was born.
 
Where do you think those ideals sprang from? [ love, generosity, and selflessness]

From Western ideals and liberalism? You can really see the love, generosity, and selflessness of Christians in American politics today (lol).
 
I like it. Seems like a fine idea. Isn't it funny how the govt falls for for phrases and buzzwords?



Because people do.

Government's whole purpose is to get itself re-elected; to do that it must report favorably to the people. Lexicon is a salve, a way of reducing the impact of an economic downturn, or to exaggerate successes. Back in the day the old communist based Canadian Wheat Board would not only announce the same wheat sale three or four times, but the term "sale" was dropped in favor of "Dedicated Trade Agreement."

Politics is sometimes like pinball, it's all in the tilt
 
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