13 December 2008

Jingle Bells

If I hear another 'Jingle Bells' I think I will scream. I am not a real shopper, I must admit, but when I do venture into shops to buy essentials the constant racket emanating from speakers is exceedingly annoying. It is noise pollution.
If you are a rational person who believes, as I do, that this Christmas malarkey has been beautifully marketed to encourage you to empty your pockets, bank accounts and any reasoning abilities you may have, then you may also object to the level of brain and ear poison inflicted upon the public at almost every turn.
Mind you it is not just in the shops. Switch on the radio, television even the trusty old internet somehow manages to beam targeted adverts with all kinds of slimy smiley ads to encourage you to spend money.
The jingles, the adverts and then throw in the fake fabricated story of the nativity and the whole 'god' and 'Jesus' bit. It is enough to make me wish it was all a really bad dream and all those sheeple would wake up and realise that the big con is just that. It won't happen, unfortunately. The great con will continue and people will continue to do as the racketeers expect them to do. Spend without thinking. 'Cheers!'

12 comments:

Bent Society said...

I agree about the over-commercialisation of Christmas and I'm an atheist. But I do remember being a small child and really feeling the "magic" of all the lights and decorations and the parcels under the tree.

There is a lot of fun to be had a Christmas - it's all an illusion of course. But then most cultural "events" are only there because we make them important. There is nothing intrinsically worthwhile in any of them. WE create the magic in our own heads.

It’s all a wonderful fake mirage. But I still find it fun... so long as we keep it in perspective.

What worries me is when it gets blown out of hand and ruined by over commercialisation and when people spend so much more than they can afford as a way of not dealing with the non-seasonal realities of their lives and relationships...which just makes their problems worse. More debt, more misery. In the UK our Government’s total economic policy now rests on encouraging its indebted citizens to spend on more “stuff” – they are desperate that retail sales significantly increase over Xmas to boost the failed economy.

“Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jungle all the way,
Oh what fun it is spend,
Let’s eat the Golden Goose today!”


Robin

Matthew S. Urdan said...

"Sheeple" great word! Can I use it?

Anonymous said...

Ba humbug! :-) X

C Woods said...

I attempt to be tolerant of those with different beliefs than I. Thus, I can stand the first hearing of each holiday song of the year. The second time I hear it, I start grinding my teeth. Then I proceed to biting my tongue (literally and figuratively) and often have to get out of a store before I start shouting obscenities. I haven't done "Christmas shopping" for years, but gees, I can't even buy milk without being subjected to holiday music.

Then, the biggest problem is I get "Candyman syndrome" ---I can't get one of those dang songs out of my head.

The one I really hate is the Hallelujah Chorus. I have memories, as a pre-teen and teen, attending endless rehearsals for the Messiah at my parents' church, when the children's choir, teen girl's choir, regular adult choir, men's choir, brass choir, & a bunch of soloists with screechy operatic voices joined together for a grand performance.

Now, all I have to hear is two hallelujahs and I'm out of there.

-----
My Thoughts Are Free: http://tirelesswing.blogspot.com

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Anonymous said...

The Ghost got in before me - do you have kids/nieces/nephews? If you do, and you don't make a point of making birthdays extra-special, or otherwise at some point give presents "just because you're wonderful" then it's just a little sad. I love making my kids faces light up, some years with the toys they want, others by sheer creativity, obviously finance dependent, but they don't need to know that.
j

Anonymous said...

Hi Zee,

I wish you Yuletide Joy and A Blessed New Year together with your family.

Happy Holidays!

Bent Society said...

Zee check this story out:

http://www.grumpyoldsod.com/wanker%20of%20the%20week.asp

...do you think the church needs to ask: "What would Jesus do?"

Robin

Unknown said...

I also agree that there is an over comercialization of Christmas. I am actually okay with not getting into all of that frenzy. I haven't purchased a single gift and if not from family pressure I wouldn't participate in Secret Santa. My son is too young to understand so that is taken care of. I am sure as he gets older we will participate but I am still thinking that it will be nomminal.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you on this, Zee. Since I've been an adult, I've never put up a Christmas tree or decoration.

My Christmas fantasy went up in smoke when I had to wrap gifts at a young age. I must say I was heartbroken. But as I matured, I began to ask the question...Who's Christmas is it anyway? Who's really benefiting from this time of the year?

Answer...the retailers and the hustlers with all the beachfront homes that I see when I go on vacation.

*Sigh* Nevertheless, if this season makes people happy, then, I'm happy for them.

Anonymous said...

Oops.."Whose" my bad.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more. In fact I've just been waffling in a similar vein on my own blog, although not about Jingle Bells.

What is strange is that if you say you don't like Christmas and think that it's over-commercialised, crass and hypocritical (or something along those lines) you always get the "bah humbug" stuff... yet most of the people I see are more stressed, irritable and unhappy at Christmas than at any other time of the year.

So why do we all still do it? The answer might be in that next cracker that you're just about to pull!