No room in the plaza for `Nativity Story' (Chicago)

[underpants]

I post this because I was reading about how O'Reilly repeatedly called Chicago "stupid" and didn't know the story behind this.

Don't be surprised to hear some spin on this in the "War on Christmas" BS. The truth is that they didn't want the over commercialization of the event or the blaring trailer all over the place at this event.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0611290110nov29,1,212668.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

A Nativity display has a spot at this year's holiday celebrations in Daley Plaza. So does an Islamic crescent and a Jewish menorah.

But clips from a film celebrating the birth of baby Jesus are too much for the Christkindlmarket, a Christmas festival held at the plaza for more than 10 years.

"This particular incident is about a movie studio aggressively marketing a movie and trying to sell tickets to that movie," said Veronica Resa, spokeswoman for the Mayor's Office of Special Events.

Jim Law, the city's executive director of special events, said Monday that showing scenes from the film would be "insensitive to the many people of different faiths" who attend the festival. Officials amended their position Tuesday, citing guidelines "to refuse or reduce any blatant commercial message."


Other sponsors include the Hard Rock Hotel, Mercedes-Benz and Lufthansa airline. But while they, too, are commercial enterprises, their presence at the festival is more muted, city officials said.

[Skinner]

1. I'm probably going to get reamed for saying this.

But my impression is that the mayor's office shot themselves in the foot on this. If they accepted sponsorship from the Hard Rock Hotel, Mercedes-Benz, and Lufthansa, it seems that they can accept sponsorship from a movie. I suspect that if the movie had been totally unrelated to christmas, they would have taken them as a sponsor. Which is odd, considering that this is a holiday-themed event.

(Full disclosure: I celebrate Christmas, but I'm not Christian.)

[underpants]

3. You could ask a native Chicagoan but I had a different take on the Mayor's office

if anything their second response was much better than their first response.

Either way the article says that the corporate sponsorships are understated anyway. I don't know, maybe a Chicagoan has some perspective on this.

[Skinner]

5. Yes, their second response was much better than their first.

As well it should be. The second response strikes me as damage control for their poorly conceived first response. Too bad they didn't think before they responded the first time.

[Brazenly Liberal]

8. It's a Chicago thang

This Mayor Daley, like his father before him, tends to govern by the seat of his pants. He doesn't worry about inconsistencies and just does what he damned well wants to do - and largely gets away with it because he knows what his father knew: If the schools open on time and the garbage is collected and the snow is cleared off the streets and precinct captains can get your potholes fixed, all the yammering and complaining and "whither Chicago" editorials in the world won't keep you from being reelected.

[Dorian Gray]

21. I agree...

It seems silly. Posters for the film? Big deal. I know they were going to play clips, but surely they could have compromised and allowed for a silent display.

[XNASA]

2. Ha! Piss-off O'Rielly.

Although I must say that Christkindlmarket is only a shell of what it was like once. It used to take up an entire city block, now it's stuck in Daley Plaza.

[underpants]

4. Question

Is the corporate sponsorship understated as the article says or not?

I know that is a matter of degree but offer us some first hand knowledge (I remember you posting about this festival last year or the year before).

Skinner and me want to know.

It could be that the movie study was going to saturate the place with posters and giant screens. It also could be the case that I don't know what I am talking about.

[XNASA]

7. I'd say it was understated. Especially now that it's smaller.

I can remember in year's past, when they had the room, there might have been a tent with a couple of new M-B's or BMW's in it. That's not the case now, unless I somehow missed them. However, the market is presented by the German-American Midwest Chamber of Commerce......so you can see the Daimler/BMW tie-in. It's all small booths of mostly handcrafted items. You know...ornaments and hand-blown glass and wool scarves from Bavaria. Stuff like that.

Here's the link to the market. You can check the vendors and sponsors for yourselves.

http://christkindlmarket.com/

[BushOut06]

6. Good for them

Why should the public be forced to put up with blatant government-sponsored displays of religion? Why not have a depiction of the Glorious Resurrection on government property for Easter? Nativity scenes have no place whatsoever on government property, or in government-sponsored events.

How would Christians feel if their city government allowed a Wiccan celebration of Winter Solstice to take a prominent spot in a city parade? You know damned well the fundies would be flooding the switchboard to demand their removal.

[seriousstan]

9. Should this vendor be removed also?......(from their website)

Bethlehem Nativity Products – From the Holy Land
Nativity scenes, praying hands & religious symbols

[BushOut06]

10. Sure

Sounds like a pretty blatantly religious vendor to me. If they weren't specializing in just religious items (especially Xtian), then it would be acceptable.

[hedgehog]

12. From the article, I think if some Wiccans showed up, they'd be

welcomed. It's mostly a shopping fair as in the Christmas fairs of Germany. The city just issues the permits, a German culture group does the actual organization.

[BushOut06]

15. Maybe, but there would be protests

You can bet that Christian fundie groups would be pressuring the city to deny any Wiccan or pagan groups.

[XNASA]

17. Or just maybe our fundies aren't as nutty as your fundies.

Really, here in Chicago, almost anything goes. And nobody gets too torqued up about other people expressions of thought, or religion.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

11. I saw the movie trailer last week

and I would like to see the film, but I remember thinking that one fact clearly stood out: since the filmmaker is doing a historical depiction and I assume trying to stay as true to facts as possible, Mary and Joseph look very much like the real Mary and Joseph probably looked. Which is...very middle-eastern. This should piss off O'Reilly, who I'm sure would much prefer Mary to have the blonde hair and blue eyes, and Joseph to be modeled after,oh say, maybe himself? Once he gets a gander at dark and swarthy Joseph on the screen, he will probably mosey off to another subject. :)

[Ilsa]

20. "...and Joseph to be modeled after, oh say, maybe himself?" LOL!

O'Lielly, should be registered as a sex offender if he wants to be a pedophile!

[MrPrax]

13. All Praises to Chicago!!!

Urgent Message from the High Council of the Santa Brigades!!

Dated: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2006
18:10 North Pole Time , 15:10 GMT, 27 Shopping Days Until the Resurrection.

Santa sends praises to the faithful of Chicago for their righteous actions.

But the forces of the 'Baby' God are gathering.

The Infidels and their 'baby' god are desecrating the Holy Day!

They refuse to accept the yearly resurrection of the One True Spirit of Christmas, Santa Claus (Santa Be Praised).

For this, the Infidels shall pay...full retail. May their bank accounts run red with rivers of ink. May their women and children lament and cry into the night over 'no raincheck' policies.

You must find the Infidels and convert them.

Where there are mangers, let there be reindeer.
Where there are Wise Men, let there be Sno-Foam
Where there are Immaculate Births, let there be reasonably priced icons of the Faithful communicating from the Lap of The Prophets of The One True God.
Where there is thoughtful reflection on the brotherhood of humanity, let there be deep discounting on high ticket items.

So the Council Commands all Faithful to Battle...


We Have No Fear of Mr. Danger and his Minions. May Santa Scrub Him Clean with loofah sponges and cheap cologne.

[DavidDvorkin]

14. No religious symbols should be in any public square

That includes the other ones mentioned.

[BushOut06]

16. Agreed.

That's been my take all along. The fundies love to counter with "majority rule" bullshit. Best way to counter that is to ask them 'What if Islam were to someday become the majority religion in this country?' Of course, when you ask them something like that, they tend to huff and puff and respond with nonsense circular logic. Expecting logical reasoning from many fundies is like banging your head against the wall.

[DavidDvorkin]

18. Or satanic symbols

If people think such displays are okay so long as they include other than Christian symbols, then why not Satanic ones? (I'm not sure what those are, but I'm sure they exist.)

It's just assumed that Christian symbols are acceptable, especially if leavened, in the past, with Jewish symbols, and nowadays with Moslem ones as well. The argument tends to be over just how far this is allowed to go, when it should be over whether the process should even have been started.

[madrchsod]

19. i really don`t think anyone in chicago cares

some nitwit in the mayors office won`t be invited to the christmas party...