Had a run-in with christian privilege this morning.
On Metro.
Fairly crowded train car, and on comes a Christian Caroler. Who takes it upon himself to sing Oh Come All Ye Angels as loud as possible.
Unluckily enough for him, we were commuting and were next to where he started to sing. Our reaction started with a "Could ya not?", and escalated to a discussion of Christian privilege as it contrasts with other religious.
You never see jewish carolers. Or Hindi. Or Muslim. There was a woman wearing the hijab five feet from this asshole, and she wasn't singing about Allah.
But you know, there's a "war on christmas".
I'm annoyed. What is to be done about it?
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hijab not jihab
ReplyDeleteType fixed. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I can do is apologize. In case no one else has, I am so sorry for the rude and abrasive way that this woman acted, and I'm so sorry that she used her religious beliefs as an excuse to be an obnoxious jerk.
ReplyDeleteChristianity is a religion specifically for the outcasts and the desperate. There's a lot in the Bible about suffering, dealing with oppression, etc. A Christian who doesn't go through difficult times feels empty and confused.
So Christians look for things to be oppressed and offended by. The war on Christmas. The Starbucks cup. Islam Jihad. The Gay Agenda.
Instead, they should be looking out for and helping those who ARE oppressed. I promise you that there is a soup kitchen near that woman's church desperate for help. A food pantry that needs donations. A prison filled with hopeless people.
But arguing about Starbucks and handing out tracts is easier. It gives a false feeling of being in battle, like a rich baron who takes up fencing. And Christian culture bends over backwards to churn out these false battles.
I wish I knew what to do about it.
What David said. I am amused at how the definition of "Christian persecution" has changed over the millennia. Christian Persecution used to mean "You get tied to tree and/or fed to a lion". Now it means "A sign might refer to your holiday obliquely rather than directly".
ReplyDeleteI wish I could reconstitute some first-century victims of Christian Persecution just to show 'em the horrors that Christians in America suffer every December.
Come on, Christianity isn't the only religious practice that caters to "outcasts." They literally got it from older religions. That's not the reason why these folks are right assholes about pressing their religion on others.
ReplyDeleteNow, if we want to talk about the entitlement donned by anti-Jesus "Christians" who bark about being oppressed by Starbucks while they refuse to help the poor, the hungry, the suffering, we can acknowledge that.
Privilege is remarkably hard to see from inside it.
ReplyDeleteIf this was a Muslim proclaiming there is one god and Muhammad is his prophet? I'd expect the swat team.
If this was a group of standard-issue carolers? They'd know to not enter a train, and remain in the tunnels.
If it was a homeless person, asking for money? They'd do it quietly. Unless they are selling Street Sense, which'd be a single announcement.
Only the Christians would sing continuously for five minutes without being stopped.
David Schirduan Thank you for your apology. But I'm interested in why you jumped to this person being a woman, even though the post is clear about it being a dude. Is it just a stereotype that women are more likely to do this type of aggressive proselytizing?
ReplyDeleteDianne Harris No, I'm just a dingus. I mixed up his contrast between the woman wearing the hijab and the man doing the caroling.
ReplyDeleteI've been approached by way more "aggressive evangelist" male Christians than female ones, but I don't know if that is because of Christian culture, or culture in general.
Again, sorry for that mistake. I'm a dingus, wasn't trying to make a point. My goal was to apologize and lament Christians' misplaced energy.
Probably a lot easier to infringe upon others if you're starting from being male. That's, like, what we do.
ReplyDeleteI should start knocking on doors singing bim bom
ReplyDelete