THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: FireStarter on 05 Dec 2006, 02:21
-
No it is not my first rant ever, but my first here. I post rants because I like discussion on things I find worthy to rant about.
This rant is about the psuedo-christian holiday Christmas. Whiich thanks to America, has been turned into something the Church of Satan could celebrate along side "christians". This being said I will also state that I am a Bible Baptist Christian, and that I find the whole concept of this holiday offensive. Yes, this does belong in the music talk forum, because one of the key aspects of the Christmas tyranny is the parading around and forcing down the throats of millions not in agreement with the holiday the horrid music typically involved with this sad celebration of capitolism and greed. Deck the Halls, being among the worst attempts at combining the "christian holiday spirit" with the much older Druidic version. Spread the yuletime cheer, do any of you actually know what the FUCK yule is? Yule being the Druidic celebration of Winter Solstice Yes, christmas is not christian, any attempt to say it is just shows how little you know about the origins of the current holiday.
This holiday was concieved of by the leaders of the Catholic church, with a combination of other misguided attempts at christian holidays. These "holidays" were made to encourage pagans/druids/non-christians to accept the christian faith. It has had a totally different effect, rather than bringing the Bible to more people it has increased the ignorance of the actual religion. To the extent that in todays world the Christmas holiday is very NON-christian in practice. It focus's people greed and want and gives them an excuse to embrace it and revel in the humanity of the whole thing. One of the key tenents of the Satanic church is man before God. Hence the upside down pentagram, yes the five pointed star, as seen on the american flag is an old christian symbol, the meaning of it is God, the Holy spirit, and Christ. God being the top most point Christ the right one and the holy spirit as the left with man (right) and woman (left) being placed BELOW the domain of heaven (the upper three points). This symbol signifies the proper order of things, that man is under the Domain of God. However during Christmas time, the needs and wants of man are placed above the worship and glorification of God, hence the Satanic influence on christmas. The old joke about Satan Claus is closer to the truth than most people wish to admit, not to mention that Christ would NOT want his birth to be celebrated in such a disgustinly greedy manner, on top of that Christ was not by any stretch of imagination born midwinter. "While the sheperds tended their flocks in the fields..." would not happen at winter time, no they'd be sitting in the stables freezing their asses off.
The thing I most dislike about this holiday is the simple fact that the horrible music (not Ode to Joy, a refreshing breath of air in this stagnant holiday) performed by people who seem to believe that true artistic renditions of old pagan tunes is best performed off key and with horribly extended vocal warbles. This music does nothing more than stroke my murderous nature almost to the point of ignition. Fuck this holiday, and fuck everyone that chooses to defend it, and claim that this wonderful christian holiday is being attacked by phrases like "Happy Holidays" yeah fuck the misguided christian right. Jesus was a liberal, assholes.
(the edit was to insert the comma between Jesus and assholes, to emphisis the pause. thank you good day.)
-
Wow.
-
yup.
(the edit was to insert the comma between Jesus and assholes, to emphisis the pause. thank you good day.)
plus it's, y'know, grammatically correct. As would a comma between "thank you" and "good day".
-
"First" rant? I doubt the veracity of that.
-
The thing I most dislike about this holiday is the simple fact that the horrible music (not Ode to Joy, a refreshing breath of air in this stagnant holiday)
Ode to Joy wasn't written as a holiday tune. Beethoven wrote his 9th symphony to glorify how beautiful it is to be alive. The full symphony moves me to tears.
Anyway,
I am going to defend the holidays. I honestly don't care what the origins of Christmas are. I really don't care how much of it is commercialized. I do care, however, that people, in general, are in a better mood and are more in tune with the giving, loving side of their humanity rather than being utterly cold and bitter. "A Christmas Carol" is an example of what I like about the holidays (as well as being just about the only thing Dickens wrote I actually enjoy, let alone stomach).
When it comes to the music, I tend to enjoy it (when it's performed well, mind you.) "Choir of Bells" is an absolutely beautiful song, for example.
-
Well, as someone who defends this holiday down to the wire, let me say fuck you right back.
-
I'm guessing FireStarter is one of those folks who doesn't like Halloween much either.
-
I love certain Christmas songs - Rankin-Bass cartoon music, the songs from the Muppet Family Christmas special (Muppets + Fraggles + Sesame Street = hella awesome), Los Straitjackets do a kinda-surfy album of x-mas standards (including reworking "Viva Las Vegas" into a Christmassy-tune). And I'm not sure why, but I kinda like the version of "Santa Baby" performed by Mase, Puff Daddy, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Salt-N-Pepa, et all. Elvis put out some fun Christmas stuff. Plus Roy Orbison's "Pretty Paper" is by Roy Orbison, and that's all you need.
-
Jeph, there is a brain slug giving the guy in your avatar head. Just though you should know.
We jews don't need Christmas to spend a lot of money.
-
While i may disagree somewhat with the mass commercialization of christmas, i also have to say that Muppet's Christmas Carol is the crowning achievement of human cinematography.
-
>rofl< I forgot to add and I don't need to expound on this one. Mannheim Steamroller.
Oh, and Narr, don't take this personally, but you OBVIOUSLY have never worked retail during the Christmas season. I disliked this season before I spent it once working a cash register, and I absolutly loathe it now. The reasons are, on the other side of that "cheerful holiday mood" you went on about is the other >TRUE< side of Christmas. People are fucking EVIL during this season, everyone is hella stressed, and ready to blow up at the drop of a hat. Hell, I got cussed at by a woman old enough to be my grandmother's mother (my Grandma is 78yo btw) Who was wearing her best church get up, and had stopped by my workplace to pick up a couple last minute gifts after church. We were out. Now, this was Christmas FUCKING EVE, and she gave me, the poor sod at the register a tounge lashing because we were >gasp< out of Christmas snowglobes on the EVE BEFORE THE GRAND GREEDY UNWRAPPING. Yeah, and that wasn't an isolated incident. 90% of the people you see working retail during this season pull the good old passive agressive pychobreakdown. Some of these folks would make me want to share a cell with Charles Manson for life than spend 10 minutes in their house.
Oh, and Muppets + Anything = Awsome.
The Muppets are my only reason for not buying into the whole class 3 firearms license then saving for a GE minigun so I can mow down the lines at the Mall of America on Christmas Eve.
-
Security.
-
Cashier/RETURNS five years running. Let's all cry about it.
-
Yes, the Muppets are the one thing that keeps me from becoming a tower kid.
-
Thanks for the rant Ebenezer.
-
When I said "security" I meant, "can security come and remove this gentleman?" not "I worked at Christmas as security". Sorry for any confusion!
-
Believe it or not, I know some folks who still hold "God over Man" during this holiday season. All is not lost for humanity. However, I do agree that the commercialization of it is pretty disgusting.
-
I skipped over some of this, so I might have missed the point, but am I still in the music forum?
Anyways, I'm pretty sure the vast majority of us loathe the overly commercial nature of christmas. There are plenty of people who make gifts and give ideas as presents. Join them if you're mad at the rest.
As for the singing, yes, it can be bad, but I am just going to make a broad generalization about the world and assume there are more people who can sing than those who do sing. Let them live their lives and move on.
Also, rambling rants are hard to read. You should learn to write if you want to be read.
-
Ever read Thomas Pynchon? Yeah, he's one of my favorite authors. Rambling Narratives is a literary tool, I use it to great extent. The primary purpose is to select your readership. Those that can read and comprehend easily are more likely to read rambling narratives (or stream of conciousness, but if I were to write stream of concousness, I would be arrested and confined as a potentially dangerous weapon of mass destruction. Hydrogen Singularity bombs have nothing on me. That is by the way a >real< weapon, the concept is the same as the H-Bomb, but it uses a cluster of H-Bombs to compress a considerable amount of H2 past singularity, but because it lacks the mass it's an unstable singularity, which then creates the only version of the big bang man can. It's a stupidly excessive concept, and it has never been tested, for good reasons, Bikini Atoll nothing it's yeild can't be accurately calculated w/o a test.)
-
Rambling narratives and stream of conciousness are literary devices. You use them in literature. Using them to make an argument is a good way to demonstrate that your argument is incoherant or that your incabable of presenting it in a compelling manner.
-
Devices, that's the fucking word I was looking for thank you.
And I can write a coherent paragraph. The question is, as opinionated and as much information as I've collected, do you really want me to take the time to write it out? Or are you just curious as to what it may look like...wait I have an idea, I can show you what it would look like, not my work albeit, but well it's someone after my own heart.....infact on the exact same subject I just posted on.
Note: Though I have read this particular rant, I had already formed my opinions prior. I do not jump on bandwagons, I just add information to my massive mental collection. I have proof, note though the below author does make reference to Yule and Christmas (items I hadn't known about prior to reading the article and the included references) but he/she does not make reference to the Church Of Satan. Nor does he mention the fact that the Catholics created christmas as an amalgamation of pagan faiths and christian beliefs to encourage conversion. That is something I came across while still undergoing my Irish Catholic upbringing. So, if I talk bad about the Catholic church, it is NOT from the viewpoint of an outsider but someone who moved away from that particular faith. Thank you, enjoy the linked rant, it is a good read, infact all of them are, I will post the homepage as well.
Fuck Christmas (http://www.fuckchristmas.org/)
<a href="http://www.annotatedrant.com/>Annotated Rant[/url]
-
Who cares about the origin of the Christmas Holiday?
I agree with the poster who said that they liked the Holiday season because everyone, for the most part, just seems to be in a better mood than the other months. And yes, I HAVE worked retail during the Holiday Season and while at points it was hell, other times it wasn't bad at all. On many occasions I had little old ladies yell at me for the store being out of something or for the computer overcharging here, but on other occasions I had little old ladies ask for my advice on which toy would be the better gift for their little grandson.
As for the music...I can agree to some extent, but I enjoy just about the same amount of Holiday Music that I hate.
I may have to rant about people who rant about the Christmas, it happens every year and will for the rest of your life, you should probably come to terms with it.
-
basically: CHILL THE FUCK OUT GUYS. ENJOY THE NOG AND COOKIES N SHIT
-
Who cares about the origin? Knowing where you come from is KEY to not making the same mistakes again. The origin is EVERYTHING. Just like the Shriners do their little part do you really want to give money to an organization that is already powerful and secretive? I come on about not liking christmas because it's nothing that it claims to be, How'd we get from a great man preaching humility and long-suffering love, to an entire country preaching greed and material goods? Then to say somehow that the two are related is just WRONG. I go after the origins because I'm not against Christ, I'm against the greed. Again, the origin is EVERYTHING, if christmas was sold as what it actually is, everyone's holierthanthou preaching would tast sour in their own mouth.
What happened to the whole concept of practice what you preach, there is moral superiority held everywhere, no one listens to their own fucking words. The more famous the "christian" the lower their own morals are. Pat Robertson? George Bush? Oh, yeah Bush, in what part of the teachings of Christ did he say "Make shit up and go shoot some Arabs" fuck what part of the teachings of Christ encouraged his staunch unwillingness to accept? I'm sick, of all these sunday morning Christians who preach and preach and preach, then go out and fuck some whores. That's what I'm sick of, I was getting at it a bit round about with my rant. Here's the brutal honest truth, 90% of American Christians will, by their own standards, GO TO HELL. I'm not going to say I'm the perfect example of a Christian lifestyle, it's been at least a month since I've read my Bible. Yes I've fucked women I'm not married to, and never will marry. The difference between me and them is I don't preach one thing and go do another, I'm a sinner, and I am not afraid to admit it. Is Christ my Savior? Yes.
Do I endevor to be more like Christ? Yes. Will I ever get close? Fuck no. The best I can do is rant about things that aren't right, to try and open some eyes. My personality is not exactly pleasant, but you read it did you not? Though my tactics differ about as much as Martin Luther King and Malcom X. No I am not comparing myself to Malcom X, though I have to agree to his approach more than King's, but who's way won in the end? Ghandi is a better man than I can ever be, but the firey hot tempered fighter does have a use in this world, passion gets attention.
And again I ended up meandering >shrugs< I'm gonna go shoot some faces in some CS: S. Well after I lsten to Sound of Silence again to calm my ass down....maybe Bridge over Troubled water considering my topic here.............
Oh, and my "Christmas" drink of choice comes in two colors Red and Green, they both taste like shit, but then I don't mind the Christmas bullshit as much either, after I polish 8oz off. Maybe the new Pint Bottle at walgreens is a better idea.
-
there is moral superiority held everywhere, no one listens to their own fucking words.
You were right about not practising what you preach, huh.
-
You are suggesting what?
Oh, and the only thing I have the right to "preach" about now would be hypocracy. I do everything I humanly can to avoid being a hypocrite, if I find myself standing in that black cloak outside the gates, I am not afraid to admit I am wrong.
-
I'm guessing FireStarter is one of those folks who doesn't like Halloween much either.
FireStarter is one of those folks who makes me think we should require licenses to use the Internet in the same way we require licenses to drive cars.
-
Guys I am guessing that someone named "Firestarter" who has a flaming anthropomorphic somethingorother as an avatar just might be a troll.
-
My personality is not exactly pleasant, but you read it did you not?
No not really
-
Well, goodnes, folks, if this dear FireStarter is a troll, do what you do to any troll: make fun of them. Or ban them, but I dunno if he's done anything bannable yet.
-
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a46/ironoxide887/grinch.jpg)
And I LOATHE sang-tob goppers, my say do you follow?
-
The Pogues 'Fairytale of New York'
that Eels song where E sings 'Baby Jesus, BORN TO ROCK'
general feelings of warmth, love, happiness, and gifts
i'm not religious, but there are good things about Christmas... even as a practical measure to cheer people up during depressing winter seasons
-
basically: CHILL THE FUCK OUT GUYS. ENJOY THE NOG AND COOKIES N SHIT
I'll drink to that.
-
I dunno if he's done anything bannable yet.
Furry avatar...sure, it's intolerant, but c'mon.
Furries, man. Furries.
-
You know I didn't realize it was a furry until I actually looked at it. I mean, really looked at it. (To me it just looked like a red blur)
-
Just chill and listen to this song (http://www.box.net/public/static/xekpoyv7vo.mp3).
And wait to watch Firestarter explode.
-
Meh. It's the winter solstice celebration - biggest celebration of the year in just about every Western culture. It's as old as dirt. Christianity co-opted it for a bit for their own purposes, and they are now all indignant because it's once again become a secular holiday - I'm not impressed with the whining.
And yes, most people know that Jesus was probably born some time in October in 4 BCE or so. As far as the materialism of it, that probably was a legitimate element early on - if you've made it half way through winter and you can manage a feast, there's a good chance you'll actually make it to spring.
Actually, I'm not sure what/who you are ranting against, so I'm not sure if I'm agreeing or disagreeing.
Oh, but Christmas "music" does suck. A lot.
-
Firestarter, can I buy Crack from you?
I'll drink to that....
-
Lets all buy crack from firestarter!
-
This is ridiculous.
I'm caulking this thread.
(http://royalhomestoronto.typepad.com/rhtoronto/images/caulk.jpg)
-
I'm stocking this thread.
(http://www.sumec-china.com/images/christmas-stocking/03.jpg)
-
Meh.? It's the winter solstice celebration - biggest celebration of the year in just about every Western culture.? It's as old as dirt.? Christianity co-opted it for a bit for their own purposes, and they are now all indignant because it's once again become a secular holiday -
What do you mean, 'again'. It never was one before, and there'll be quite a few people, me included, actually celebrating the solstice when it comes around.
-
tl;dr
-
We should have FireStarter Fridays where we post incoherent rants made up of dense, poorly spelled paragraphs that barely relate to music and hand out prizes for who does it the best.
-
I'll have to agree, working retail during the holiday season is tough. I work at Michael's Arts and Crafts, where everyone goes to buy their decorations. You have no idea how evil little old ladies really are.
-
I'd win Firestarter fridays...why? because I'm the demi-god of semicoherent stream of though sentences.
-
Nope (http://www.robotwisdom.com/jaj/ulysses/penelope.html).
-
I don't see what the big deal is.
Who cares what made the holiday what it is? It's like that and there's nothing you can do about it, so just sit back and enjoy the ride.
-
That made me giggle.
It was a very manly giggle, of course.
-
We should have FireStarter Fridays
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i47/TheLovableCynic/firestarter.jpg)?
-
I nearly died reading that. Thank you.
-
We should have FireStarter Fridays
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i47/TheLovableCynic/firestarter.jpg)?
You are my new hero!!
-
I'm cranky, but seriously...just a thought here...
If you're going to say things like this:
Ever read Thomas Pynchon? Yeah, he's one of my favorite authors. Rambling Narratives is a literary tool, I use it to great extent. The primary purpose is to select your readership. Those that can read and comprehend easily are more likely to read rambling narratives...
(which was an obvious attempt to be condescending, or at the very least to imply a shortcoming on the part of the reader rather than on your own part) you should probably make sure you spell things right...y'know, words like "hypocrisy" (not "hypocracy") and "emphasize" or, if British, "emphasise" (not "emphisis." "Emphasis" is the noun).
I wouldn't be doing the grammar/spelling nazi thing, especially not as a noob, but maaaan do I hate when people are undeservedly condescending. Meh.
</trip-trapping on the troll bridge>
-
>giggles< I blame nyquil
-
You are my new hero!!
DOn't thank me, thank Achewood for being amazing.
www.achewood.com
-
Kallisti, I hate when people are arguing with bad spelling. It bothers me a lot, and I probably would have called our firestarter on it, if I'd been reading his posts.
The thread is much more amusing if you skip over everything said by someone with a furry avatar, and try to interpolate what they said based on the response. It's like an adventure!
-
Kallisti, I hate when people are arguing with bad spelling. It bothers me a lot, and I probably would have called our firestarter on it, if I'd been reading his posts.
The thread is much more amusing if you skip over everything said by someone with a furry avatar, and try to interpolate what they said based on the response. It's like an adventure!
Heck, I do that out of necessity!
-
Oh, and Narr, don't take this personally, but you OBVIOUSLY have never worked retail during the Christmas season.
You need to get your facts straight, meine Freundin. I have worked at GameStop over the holidays at least twice.
I know people can be bastards, and you know what? The best way to get them to become a TOTAL bastard is to be a bastard right back. Kill 'um with kindness. Some people won't warm over no matter what, but some will.
I live to love. Regardless of how many times I get hurt, I refuse to become a miserly codger. A "Scrooge" if you will. The times that it's payed off have been otherworldly, utterly beyond my vocabulary to attempt to do it justice. Something right now is going right in my life and for lack of a better way of describing my good mood, I've transcended "happy" into some other, stronger, more meaningful state of being.
-
Am I aware of the "Satanic" ties to Christmas. Well, sure, in the sense that it's hedonistic. Of course, it could still be worse, because the idea is at least to lavish someone else with empty materialism. Am I bothered? Not really. It feels good, as long as you don't get too carried away, and you're engendering a feeling of caring and connectedness to other people. So, why should you care about the "religious" aspects of the holiday anyway, unless you're a fundamentalist idiot. Existentialism rules.