Tis the season for no holds barred selling. In the Christian world the slogan “Peace on earth and good will to men” is used to sell everything from Christmas cards to war. Beauty contestants parrot world peace as their goal in their pursuit of contest gold.
While not a bad philosophy the slogan has questionable lineage. The best guess is it began with some lost biblical copywriter. Since its Greek scribbling the slogan has seen numerous translation errors (or corrections) and tweaking to its present marketing status. Unfortunately slogans are not are not goals, and pulpits have long been used for the worst abuses of both peace and good will.
Christmas is a particularly good time for some old time pulpit pounding. Leveraging sentimentalism and loneliness, churches, charities and some outright con men try to shame people into supporting some cause or the other. If Christmas is so unprincipled and mercenary how did it get that way or was it always of questionable virtue?
Several centuries after the believed birth of Christ a Christian politician co-opted a pagan festival as a way of gaining more followers and incidentally more power. It was almost a thousand years later before a living nativity was staged (1224ce) again to awe and inspire conversions. For 22 years (1659-1681) Christmas was banned in Boston, which like most Boston bannings did make the holiday attractive. Despite fighting a war for peace and good will the holiday was irrelevant to the American Congress that held its first session on December 25, 1789. The founding fathers were much more dedicated to the people’s business in those days, but almost a hundred year later they declared the date a federal holiday which then stretch into most of a month as the people are left hanging over a fiscal cliff. Hessian soldiers and German immigrants brought their practice of brightening up winter by decorating evergreens but it was a picture of Queen Victoria‘s 1840 Christmas Tree that built today’s American Christmas tree industry. Victoria’s sexual repressive era sold the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe as safe sex. Washington Irving created the idea that St. Nick could fly in his wagon. Artist Thomas Nast put Santa in a red coat in the late 1800 but it was Coke Cola marketing that made Santa the jolly old gent that became the Christmas icon. Santa sold Cokes and a red nose reindeer pointed the way to a department store while Frosty the Snowman sold booze.
Christmas really is a Bah Humbug, but it once almost brought peace on earth. Europe was torn by a war and bible thumpers on all sides declared God was on their side and the fight was to bring peace. Five months into W.W.I the troops took Christmas peace into their own hands and declared an unofficial truce along the front line, German and British soldiers joined hands in good will among men, until some Christian Generals decided killing was much better for their image and promotions.
Despite the slogan’s failure, it’s a sound philosophy, but the target should be peace and good will everyday not just on the holiday created for marketing.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Wondering 122112
Despite best intentions I did no wandering this year. No valid reason, just plain procrastination with ex post justifications. I could blame the Aztecs, what was the point of seeing a world that was supposed to end yesterday?
I expected a big finish and sat up all night staring south over the shimmering waters of a swimming pool. There was no grand light show; no giant Aztecs charging out of purple clouds to avenge their conquest. Disappointment reigns, however while contemplating the “END” I wondered about the mystical 2012 year.
The Aztecs almost got it right, 2012 was an election year with politician’s lingering claims and counterclaims doing much to destroy any world respect. The people spoke but politicians protested and rebelled to punish the 47 percent. Pure speculation, it seems that House Republicans are manipulating the Stock Market. They promise a budget, the market soars, then cancel the deal and the market plunges. A buyback and repeat of the cycle reaps windfall profits on insider trading. Madoff should have run for Congress he could have made much more money and been exempt from prosecution.
A frustrated Mother Nature stepped in with a series of Super Storms that battered Asia, Europe and America. Fundamentalist Christians are blaming fundamentalist Muslims for the current storm that is disrupting Christmas holiday ravel. Wasn’t Christmas plagiarized from an ancient pagan ritual? Apparently there are lots of disappointed gloom and doom boys out there, the movie channels have been running marathons of every bad ‘end of the world’ picture ever made.
So far Africa has been spared a super storm and Aztec fever but they have their very own disaster known as Africa Command and Associates. Forced from Iraq and Afghanistan the Generals are vigorously stirring the Africa pot searching for a war they can win. Now even formerly stable countries are facing conflicts as the Generals poke them with their big sticks.
Speaking of big sticks. Back in the good old days of the Vietnam War a Khaki Mafia emerged. This was a conspiracy of senior NCOs to control clubs, prostitution, black markets, and everything else that generated cash. Post war analysis concluded that officers should have a piece of the action. Ethics and integrity eroded, how to courses were taught on deception, financial manipulations and black ops. As very bright bureaucrats moved up the ranks they began to feel themselves above the law and applied their skills for self-interest. With little oversight during the 911 era many dipped a toe into dark pools, others dipped more than a toe. As another problematic military adventure draws to a close there is less cover for personal adventures. 2012 exposed cookie jars and perfumed gardens raided by senior officers with cover-ups and deceptions right out of their textbooks. The other shoe has yet to drop, or is that another falling star?
Where is a good Aztec apocalypse when we need one?
I expected a big finish and sat up all night staring south over the shimmering waters of a swimming pool. There was no grand light show; no giant Aztecs charging out of purple clouds to avenge their conquest. Disappointment reigns, however while contemplating the “END” I wondered about the mystical 2012 year.
The Aztecs almost got it right, 2012 was an election year with politician’s lingering claims and counterclaims doing much to destroy any world respect. The people spoke but politicians protested and rebelled to punish the 47 percent. Pure speculation, it seems that House Republicans are manipulating the Stock Market. They promise a budget, the market soars, then cancel the deal and the market plunges. A buyback and repeat of the cycle reaps windfall profits on insider trading. Madoff should have run for Congress he could have made much more money and been exempt from prosecution.
A frustrated Mother Nature stepped in with a series of Super Storms that battered Asia, Europe and America. Fundamentalist Christians are blaming fundamentalist Muslims for the current storm that is disrupting Christmas holiday ravel. Wasn’t Christmas plagiarized from an ancient pagan ritual? Apparently there are lots of disappointed gloom and doom boys out there, the movie channels have been running marathons of every bad ‘end of the world’ picture ever made.
So far Africa has been spared a super storm and Aztec fever but they have their very own disaster known as Africa Command and Associates. Forced from Iraq and Afghanistan the Generals are vigorously stirring the Africa pot searching for a war they can win. Now even formerly stable countries are facing conflicts as the Generals poke them with their big sticks.
Speaking of big sticks. Back in the good old days of the Vietnam War a Khaki Mafia emerged. This was a conspiracy of senior NCOs to control clubs, prostitution, black markets, and everything else that generated cash. Post war analysis concluded that officers should have a piece of the action. Ethics and integrity eroded, how to courses were taught on deception, financial manipulations and black ops. As very bright bureaucrats moved up the ranks they began to feel themselves above the law and applied their skills for self-interest. With little oversight during the 911 era many dipped a toe into dark pools, others dipped more than a toe. As another problematic military adventure draws to a close there is less cover for personal adventures. 2012 exposed cookie jars and perfumed gardens raided by senior officers with cover-ups and deceptions right out of their textbooks. The other shoe has yet to drop, or is that another falling star?
Where is a good Aztec apocalypse when we need one?
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