I mentioned a week ago that Liberty Counsel (a Christian group) put out their annual list of “Naughty & Nice” places to shop. “Naughty” were places that said things like “Happy Holidays.” “Nice” were placed that prominently displayed “Christmas” at the expense of everything else.
The Gap is mentioned among the “Naughty” places.
Gap – Web site: No mention of “Christmas.” Search revealed six non-Gap manufacturers? items that included “Christmas.” “Go Ho Ho” TV Commercial: Lighthearted but mentions several unrelated holidays. National boycott because the company repeatedly seeks to profit from “CHRISTmas” yet continues to offend Christians.
The emphasis is mine.
That commercial is below.
Please note the anti-Christian bigotry.
The lyrics:
Two, Four, Six, Eight, now’s the time to liberate
Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanza, Go Solstice.
Go classic tree, go plastic tree, go plant a tree, go add a tree,
You 86 the rules, you do what feels just right.
Happy do whatever you wanukkah, and to all a cheery night.Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, go whatever holiday you wanukkah.
The American Family Association is thrilled that Christmas is now mentioned in the ads and they’re now asking their followers to stop boycotting the store.
I’m just kidding.
Now, they’re even more pissed off.
AFA believes this ad to be completely dismissive and disrespectful to those who celebrate the meaning and spirit of Christmas. AFA asked Gap for a meeting to discuss the ad, but Gap has not responded.
If this is Gap’s answer to recognizing Christmas, we are deeply disappointed.
What. The. Hell.
They won’t settle for anything less than a commercial that says, “Fuck the Jews,” will they?
Dan Neil of the Los Angeles Times has the same reaction as so many of us:
It would be easy to get sidetracked into debating the merits of the War on Christmas. Why, for example, is the phrase “Happy holidays” so insufferable to Christian fundamentalists, but not the vulgar, surfeiting exploitation of Christ’s name to sell smokeless ashtrays, dessert toppings, Droid phones and trampolines? I’m not a theologian but I think the Gospels are pretty clear that Jesus was no fan of merchants.
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But here’s the real question: Why attack Gap for not using the word “Christmas” in its advertising when in fact it does, and in a big way too?
When will Christian pastors tell their congregations not to support groups like AFA? Saving them the wasted money seems like a perfect holiday gift this season.
(Thanks to Jessica for the link!)
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***Update***: muggle left a comment that deserves some attention:
… [The Gap’s] customer service number (I didn’t find an e-mail) is 1-800-427-7895. Select more options then feedback to get a live person.
You have to pick on-line or in-store so I just picked on-line and talked to a very polite woman who I think was delightfully surprised to hear my praise for an all inclusive commercial. You could hear the fatigue in her voice when I said I was calling about the commercial and you could hear it disappear when I went on to praise them for having such a great commercial and that I appreciated their being all-inclusive of everyone. I even told her I don’t normally shop at Gap but I got my daughter and grandson matching t-shirts and will now go to Gap to get them jeans. I even told her to pass my comments along and be sure to tell them to stick by their guns and not give into AFA pressure. She was very pleasant and thanked me for the call.
Call and give support for this ad and if you’re going to make a purchase because of it, let them know. Best way we can counter this war on Christmas nonsense.