Leftist Factions Co-Opt Rather Than Abolish Holidays

For about the past two decades, those to the left side of the sociopolitical spectrum have made such a fuss over their hostility towards traditional American holidays and celebrations that the arising disputations have themselves become an anticipated aspect of the close of each year. It was claimed such festivities promote values so vile that these sentiments must be expunged from the civic calendar and the very names seldom mentioned for fear of irrevocably harming those not participating for whatever the reason.

Though not always cognizant of the epic spiritual and philosophical struggle taking place all around them, Americans can be a remarkably stubborn and independent lot. As such, a number sympathetic to the process of communalization have realized that they might be more successful in accomplishing their goals through a subdued gradualism rather than through sudden revolutionary upheaval.

The first of the remembrances of the waning year subverted by manipulative social engineers is Thanksgiving. This holiday is despised for a number of common liberal reasons.

For starters, it is argued that Thanksgiving is racist because of the hostilities that eventually erupted between Americans of European origins and the American Indians. However, such criticism fails to recognize that, at the time of the first Thanksgiving Feast, these distinct groups were at accord with one another over the blessings shared amidst hardships and struggle.

Frankly, if you have a problem over the concept of Thanksgiving, you have a serious attitude problem. No one is saying that at points that the Indians weren't screwed over. Yet it must be remembered that some of them gave as good as they got in terms of inflicting violence upon innocent Whites not responsible for crafting or implementing policy.

So if you can't take a few moments to express gratitude for what you do have in this country as a result of the values set in motion there at the beginning even if they weren't adhered to in full at every step along the way, you are yourself harboring a degree of animosity bordering on racism.

The next and probably deeper reason as to why Thanksgiving is really despised despite all the lofty platitudes regarding honoring indigenous cultures and the like is that the day expresses gratitude towards God. In this era of postmodern enlightenment, such homage is to be directed more towards terrestrial sources, the COMMUNITY being foremost among them.

Usually when given the opportunity in a public forum such as the popular press to provide words of encouragement and understanding, those holding positions as professional clergy worthy of their hirer tend to draw focus to what God has done for us, how we have fallen short of the glory of God, and how He still loves us anyway with restoration available for those placing themselves under His mercy. Interestingly, pastors of Emergent Church inclinations would rather go along with the flow rather than prevent the nation's downward slide into tyranny and desolation.

Writing in the November 2011 edition of the Hyattsville Life & Times, pastor of the town's First Baptist Church Todd Thomason asserts that the thing he is grateful for this Thanksgiving season is not so much his God, his freedom, or even his family but rather COMMUNITY. In other words, this pastor does not value people as individuals but rather as part of the overall group.

In his analysis, Thomason in particular reflected upon a power outage following Hurricane Irene. Commenting on what took place, the pastor observes, "But I was hardly the only person offering assistance. It was a wonderful display of community at its best."

If this represents the kind of spiritual insight available at this particular congregation, no wonder the discerning get the impression it is becoming increasingly ensnared in the clutches of communalism.

Thomason continues, "Then the lights came back on and we all went back...to our narrower, more familiar life patterns that...keep us apart."

What this misguided cleric fails to realize is that, by its definition, community does not include everyone and by its nature is necessarily exclusive. That is not necessarily a bad thing.

In a paragraph following this lamentation, Pastor Thomason lists a number of things that he views as obstacles to social harmony. These include categories such as economic status, political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Why aren't these valid categories around which to in part derive one's social identity?

G.K. Chesterton is credited with saying that one should not take a fence down until you know why it was put up. Sometimes the best way to maintain amicable relations is to limit one's interactions with those whose values are diametrically opposed to one's own.

Rev. Thomason, on the other hand, advocates such a compulsory and contrived degree of togetherness that one ought to willingly surrender those convictions of the heart one holds most dear. For usually in those kinds of situations where the parties involved hold to conflicting perspectives, it is the party holding to the higher standard that is forced to adopt the more lax principle.