tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post1229864536159260179..comments2024-03-28T13:46:08.524-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/28/24: Attention Jews: Resist the treeNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-85930583399836422612019-12-22T09:45:16.048-06:002019-12-22T09:45:16.048-06:00good point by Jakash-miss his commentsgood point by Jakash-miss his commentsprivatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18413982311699012802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-68171006944130856712014-12-23T20:16:02.961-06:002014-12-23T20:16:02.961-06:00It's hard to explain the lack of feeling for t...It's hard to explain the lack of feeling for this holiday, which has nothing to do with religion.<br /><br />It's a tree, bright lights, presents. For many, what else?<br />WendyChttp://twitter.com/WendyCCHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-73808242103179562862014-12-23T17:45:11.381-06:002014-12-23T17:45:11.381-06:00It's not for me to say what's bad form for...It's not for me to say what's bad form for Jews, or not, so I'll certainly leave that to you. I'm not the Jedi Council, either, of course. Observance-wise, I'm about as Catholic as you are Jewish, and I just wanted to offer a different perspective. I'm not talking about "embracing Jesus." I'm talking about the difference between Santa or a Christmas tree and having a creche in your yard. The former, at this point, are pretty far afield from being primarily religious, though I grant that they started out that way. Heck, this whole two-month "Christmas season" was created by folks who want to sell stuff. Christianity-wise, it's Advent right now, which is to Christmas what Lent is to Easter. The Christmas season, religiously, comes AFTER Christmas, but you won't find that out from your tree salesperson or the people decorating department stores in early November. None of which is going to change your mind, I realize. Thanks for the reply, though. Jakashnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-22046208907697480682014-12-23T17:26:01.979-06:002014-12-23T17:26:01.979-06:00If my Christian / atheist family goes out for Chin...If my Christian / atheist family goes out for Chinese food and a movie on Christmas, would that be wrong? David E.B. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03790499532593362051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-14953118778793426372014-12-23T16:55:47.904-06:002014-12-23T16:55:47.904-06:00It might be so secularized to Christians, who are ...It might be so secularized to Christians, who are so used to their own traditions they just seem general, not religious. But they ARE religious. Of course it's easy for you to say, "Jesus came for everybody, all are welcome." But if you embrace Jesus, you're Christian. Jews for Jesus is a Christian come-on, not a Jewish splinter group. The Christmas tree isn't a generic winter holiday trapping -- that would be a snowflake. Again, I'm not the Jedi Council. i think the tree is bad form for Jews. Anyone who wants to argue otherwise, well heck, lots of Jews have trees, so obviously they disagree. They're wrong of course...Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-31569102218334324972014-12-23T16:48:48.814-06:002014-12-23T16:48:48.814-06:00Everybody but me went to Cunis. Never liked sodas...Everybody but me went to Cunis. Never liked sodas or shakes (or even pizza back then when it was new). <br /><br />My house is still there on 78th Street. In much better shape than when I left it.<br /><br />Johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-41085009764915939112014-12-23T15:41:24.662-06:002014-12-23T15:41:24.662-06:00Love the paraphrase! We aim to please, O Anonymou...Love the paraphrase! We aim to please, O Anonymous one...Jakashnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-24254901892096190302014-12-23T15:39:08.770-06:002014-12-23T15:39:08.770-06:00More to the point, it seems to me, is that if you ...More to the point, it seems to me, is that if you were to have a Guinness and some corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day, nobody would think twice about it.Jakashnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-82293840016475788242014-12-23T15:31:25.020-06:002014-12-23T15:31:25.020-06:00The Mannys argument, to paraphrase a great physici...The Mannys argument, to paraphrase a great physicist, is so bad it's not even wrong.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-44202484620003729932014-12-23T15:20:06.889-06:002014-12-23T15:20:06.889-06:00As the great Samuel Johnson said, "I have giv...As the great Samuel Johnson said, "I have given you an argument, sir. I am not also obligated to give you an understanding." People from Ireland speak with a brogue. It doesn't affect the meaning of their words, but it's an Irish thing. If I speak with a brogue, no matter how skillfully, it's bullshit, and pretense, because I'm not Irish. It's like that. Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-52806217551663834012014-12-23T15:00:07.371-06:002014-12-23T15:00:07.371-06:00Sorry, Neil, that's still having it both ways....Sorry, Neil, that's still having it both ways. You can't say that the turtle god is make-believe, and that the rules of your turtle club are nonsense, and simultaneously enforce the entry rules of the party as if they were real. Sometimes when one washes up, one gets soap in one's eyes.Richjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-81848910968668613032014-12-23T14:56:23.637-06:002014-12-23T14:56:23.637-06:00Well down the street. If you are familiar with the...Well down the street. If you are familiar with the area we lived right by rail road tracks. There is no longer a White Castle there. I only remember a few things from the area. There was a place called Cunis, that served great sodas. I think it is in South Holland now. There was a store on the corner of of 79th and Essex. I think it was just called Alperts after the owner. Bought a lot of baseball cards there. It has been at least 15 years that I took my wife to show her were we lived. Showed her Bradwell. sanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-72865990095053104672014-12-23T13:41:46.208-06:002014-12-23T13:41:46.208-06:00So, you lucky dog, you just had to walk across the...So, you lucky dog, you just had to walk across the street to White Castle's, whereas we had to trudge several blocks for our sliders.<br /><br />Johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-79115998832574615612014-12-23T11:37:06.052-06:002014-12-23T11:37:06.052-06:00My sister in law just sent this to me
http://www....My sister in law just sent this to me<br /><br />http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2009/12/holy_night.single.htmlsanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-12676626472211788512014-12-23T11:25:16.120-06:002014-12-23T11:25:16.120-06:00You are a bit older than me. I was 5 in 1592. So...You are a bit older than me. I was 5 in 1592. So that is when I probably first went there. I moved to Wisconsin in 57. We lived at 79th and Essexsanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-27441091860903456272014-12-23T11:19:11.952-06:002014-12-23T11:19:11.952-06:00I'm gonna have to disagree. The "Santa /...I'm gonna have to disagree. The "Santa / Christmas tree / lights all over the place for two months / make a buck from it while you can" aspects of Christmas are so secularized that I don't see why anybody who wants to can't join in. Which is why I think the conservative "war on Christmas" is such B. S. The greeting that staffers at Wal Mart or Macy's are offering to strangers in order to pump sales has absolutely nothing to do with the religious part of the holiday; it's all about the crass, commercial part that is anathema to the message of the Gospels. Independent of that, Neil, I'm sure you'd be welcome at Christmas Mass, as long as you didn't line up for Communion, though the churches are already stuffed with people who don't show up regularly. <br /><br />"Crashing a party" seems a stretched analogy to me. If a guy across town had a big party on your birthday, but didn't affect you at all, how would that be crashing your party?<br /><br />Questions: do you maintain this same attitude toward celebrating Halloween? You know, All Hallow's Eve, the night before the Christian All Saints' Day, another formerly Christian concept that has exploded well beyond its religious origins? Am I being crass in "lining up for the buffet" at Manny's Deli, because I'm not Jewish, but I enjoy some of the secularized versions of traditional Jewish foods?Jakashnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-49232064822751802732014-12-23T10:12:53.776-06:002014-12-23T10:12:53.776-06:00Your ripostes are getting better than the blog its...Your ripostes are getting better than the blog itself.<br /><br />Johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-31578443480818869662014-12-23T10:04:12.502-06:002014-12-23T10:04:12.502-06:00So you don't see the difference between my hol...So you don't see the difference between my holding a party to celebrate the turtle god, and you're showing up uninvited? Those are different qualities at work. Bear in mind that you're not grasping something doesn't mean it's ungraspable. I'd say it would wash for you if you scrubbed a bit harder. Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-51633560908722528002014-12-23T09:32:21.703-06:002014-12-23T09:32:21.703-06:00Doesn't wash, Neil. You can't have it both...Doesn't wash, Neil. You can't have it both ways. Rules, traditions, and disrespectful to crash a party. And yet, simultaneously, it's all airy nonsense and fairy tales. Talk about intellectual dishonesty!Richjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-15396362342261241452014-12-23T09:07:36.837-06:002014-12-23T09:07:36.837-06:001949 I think. Just 1/2 year because St. Bride'...1949 I think. Just 1/2 year because St. Bride's (we lived on 78th & Coles) wouldn't let me start in January. So I had to start 1st grade again in September and skip 3rd grade later to rejoin my age cohort.tatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-33961750871063234412014-12-23T08:37:56.489-06:002014-12-23T08:37:56.489-06:00John when did you go to Bradwell. I went there as...John when did you go to Bradwell. I went there as well in the 50'ssanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-74552551216068706552014-12-23T08:24:05.745-06:002014-12-23T08:24:05.745-06:00When I was in 1st grade at Myra Bradwell Elementar...When I was in 1st grade at Myra Bradwell Elementary School, I envied my Jewish classmates, who seemed to get off school once a week for some mysterious holiday or another. Which wasn't fair, since they got Christmas off too!<br /><br />John tatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-43966977411915183392014-12-23T05:27:56.882-06:002014-12-23T05:27:56.882-06:00I have some Asian friends who aren't Christian...I have some Asian friends who aren't Christians that have some of the most beautifully decorated homes and trees loaded with presents underneath. I assumed they were Presbyterians but was told "we don't believe we just do it for the kids and presents". They're second generation Americans adopting the mainstream American culture. Personally as a devout Catholic I'm not offended. I love kosher hot dogs with bacon and cheese. It's a free country, Merry Christmas everybody! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com