a bit of patriotism
Traditionally Thanksgiving is primarily a North American holiday with religious origins, but lately people are emphasising another meaning: a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. Fair enough, as it is true. But listening to Morning Ireland on RTÈ 1 radio one of these thays, a priest was so excited on detaching religions from Thanksgiving that brought me attention.
Likewise in United States and their people, Europe and the rest of the world are getting more and more their heads on the consumption factor, stablishing a sort of dependency on that. Although this activity is adictive itself, in time of crisis as we are, every little helps, even a stimulus from a religion person - an authority! - to reassure non-christians and non-jews (including skeptics and atheists) that YES, THEY CAN SHOP AS WELL!!
Here in Ireland, on the Republican side, companies start to take advantage of the exchange rates between the British Poud and the Euro. As it's becoming cheaper to buy across the border, they are offering shopping-day packages to the north! And the government of the Republic pays in the radio for a propaganda saying something like "don't go to the north for you Christmas shopping. The money you expend there goes to their taxation system, not to ours." This is the point, ministers, the taxation here is so high that shops can't be competitive enough to beat the delas of the north. Furthermore, people are not (yet) doing theis Christmas shopping... they are doing their regular shopping; grosseries, clothes, housewear...
The message couldn't be more clear:
On this Thanksgiving, show your country how patriotic you are: SHOP! SHOP! SHOP!
Likewise in United States and their people, Europe and the rest of the world are getting more and more their heads on the consumption factor, stablishing a sort of dependency on that. Although this activity is adictive itself, in time of crisis as we are, every little helps, even a stimulus from a religion person - an authority! - to reassure non-christians and non-jews (including skeptics and atheists) that YES, THEY CAN SHOP AS WELL!!
Here in Ireland, on the Republican side, companies start to take advantage of the exchange rates between the British Poud and the Euro. As it's becoming cheaper to buy across the border, they are offering shopping-day packages to the north! And the government of the Republic pays in the radio for a propaganda saying something like "don't go to the north for you Christmas shopping. The money you expend there goes to their taxation system, not to ours." This is the point, ministers, the taxation here is so high that shops can't be competitive enough to beat the delas of the north. Furthermore, people are not (yet) doing theis Christmas shopping... they are doing their regular shopping; grosseries, clothes, housewear...
The message couldn't be more clear:
On this Thanksgiving, show your country how patriotic you are: SHOP! SHOP! SHOP!
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