(found in Google image search)
So I honestly don't know how I came across the AFA (American Family Association) but I was bored at work today so I did a little internet surfing.
Do you know who this organization is or what they even do? Me neither. So I checked out their website (Click here!) and according to my findings, they are the "largest pro-family action site." A major issue the organization wants people to take action on is how different companies advertise for the holidays/Christmas.
The AFA made a naughty and nice list: Click here!
The good list consists of retailers that use the word "Christmas" in their advertising, catalogs, and stores for the month of December. The naughty list includes stores that use the word "holiday" and refrain from depicting a single belief like Christmas.
The whole point of this naughty/nice list is to encourage all retail stores to advertise solely for Christmas. They even recommend that everyone should contact these "naughty" companies and complain to the higher ups to enforce change.
The United States has always been considered a melting pot of different races, religions, and beliefs. As an Asian American, Buddhist female, who happens to be a shopaholic, sometimes the word Christmas in advertising doesn't attract my attention. People tend to drift towards people, music, products, etc... they can relate to and not everyone in the U.S. can relate to the Christianity aspect of the holiday Christmas.
Retail stores are being general in the words they use for advertising because they want to include everyone and how they celebrate the season. Stores that use only the word "Christmas" are leaving out a large portion of the population.
2 comments:
I'm also in favor of companies that say "holiday" instead of "Christmas." I think a lot of time we forget how diverse the nation actually is, and I think doing that can (even in a small way) bring focus to that.
You make such a good point! I never realized how Christmas was played out in retail stores until one of my jewish friends pointed that out to me in target. That must be very frustrating for you to see only Christmas things, people need to realize that there are other religions also. "Christmas" has become such a norm, when it should be "Holidays."
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