Misplaced Christmas Spirit

[Jerry Sizzler]

The American Family Association is selling light-up crosses to place out on your lawn for Christmas.

Sounds festive, right? What could possibly be wr--



Oh. Awkward.

[Problematique]

Holy shit.

[WarrenM]

Haha, god, that's awesome.

[Shmtur]

That's a facepalm moment right there.

[Jakub]

Haaaaaahahahahaha

[Rimbo]

i must be missing something

[Jakub]

Geez, I'm Canadian and I know this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_burning

[bago]

Nothing like celebrating the death of your flaming messiah on his birthday.

[Ryan A]

Originally Posted by Rimbo

i must be missing something

Come on, Rimbo... even you can't be this dim.

[Rimbo]

Doesn't really look like a burning cross to me. Looks like a very thin cross with Christmas tree lights on it.

*shrug*

[barstein]

Someone posted this to MeFi and a mod who shared Rimbo's reaction deleted the post. Personally, I must confess surprise that it's even open to interpretation in these circles (agree with the rest of you guys).

[bago]

Seriously, since before this election, when was the cross considered a Christmas sentiment, other than playing off of the star?

[Rimbo]

Originally Posted by bago

Seriously, since before this election, when was the cross considered a Christmas sentiment, other than playing off of the star?

[barstein]

Originally Posted by bago

Seriously, since before this election, when was the cross considered a Christmas sentiment, other than playing off of the star?

I don't believe this is really about the cross, but rather the burning cross.

[Rimbo]

Originally Posted by barstein

I don't believe this is really about the cross, but rather the burning cross.

Except that this isn't.

[barstein]

Originally Posted by Rimbo

Except that this isn't.

You mean the debate in this thread?

[Ryan A]

Originally Posted by Rimbo

Except that this isn't.

Just quit before you're too far behind.

[RobotPants]

Good ol' literal Rimbo. Discussion over, it's not actually a burning cross!

[Kalle]

[barstein]

Well, for me at least, there may be one positive outcome to this. I just surveyed my kid and realized that her school hasn't covered the KKK yet, so guess it's time to plan out a home taught elective!

[Rimbo]

^--This looks more like a burning cross to me than that one.

[Jerry Sizzler]

Come on, really? You don't see it at all? Not even a little?

[Siren]

Originally Posted by Kalle

That same cover is in our foyer... I can't help but laugh every time that I have to flip that switch.

[Bahimiron]

I always thought the symbol for the United Methodist Church was a bit questionable.

[Rimbo]

Originally Posted by Jerry Sizzler

Come on, really? You don't see it at all? Not even a little?

I see it a little if I use a lot of imagination. But it's not anywhere near the threshold of hyperventilating going on here.

Look, Christmas lights + Christmas crosses = Christmas crosses with lights. And if you live in New Mexico, you might literally have a cross made out of burning candles. It's a long, long way from this:

Originally Posted by bahimiron

I always thought the symbol for the United Methodist Church was a bit questionable.

Ahhh, yes, that's the one I was trying to recall. Much closer to the ol' lynching symbol than a couple of cheap poles with some lights wrapped around 'em.

[Kraaze]

Even if you don't personally see it Rimbo, I think this thread offers plenty of evidence that a lot of people did see it right off (count me in here too). You'd think of all the people in the American Family Association involved with putting this product together, at least one would have seen it and said something . . .

[Enidigm]

Originally Posted by Rimbo

i must be missing something

Admit it, you have one.

[Anders Hallin]

I don't get it, all I see is a lower case t.

[snowcrash22]

Originally Posted by Anders Hallin

I don't get it, all I see is a lower case t.

for tolerance

and tanenbaum

[Rimbo]

Originally Posted by Kraaze

Even if you don't personally see it Rimbo, I think this thread offers plenty of evidence that a lot of people did see it right off (count me in here too). You'd think of all the people in the American Family Association involved with putting this product together, at least one would have seen it and said something . . .

Yes, well, a lot of people believe that dinosaur bones were left here by God to "test" people, or that the mere sight of a woman's nipple is going to pervert a young child's mind. Doesn't make it reasonable.

What's next? Telling Hindi that they're supporters of Japanese Nationalism because of the "rising sun" on their foreheads? Accusing the Beatles of promoting Manson's race war because they wrote "Helter Skelter?" The cross was a symbol of Christianity centuries before the Klan started burning them, and lights for a Winter Solstice goes back even earlier than Christianity. People have used lights to make crosses to put in front of their houses for decades; it's a way of saying, "I am celebrating the Christian version of this Holiday." I can see how if you didn't grow up in America in a predominantly Christian neighborhood you might not immediately see this in that way; but even then, this doesn't look like a burning cross so much as a cross-shaped glowing cactus.