War on the Poor, or Was it "War on Christmas"

I read this article today and it made me cry. I only read it because its Facebook tagline was "Holidays are time for traditions, and one of the biggest American traditions this time of year is arguing about religion." It's funny because it's true. And I liked the picture.

The article is called "War on Christmas Spreads to Lincoln Tunnel."

But finishing up the article, I came to the part that really fit what I actually thought about the whole story. I added my own emphasis for you.

"So let's recap: The American Atheists got weeks of free publicity. The Catholic League got to look tough. The media got their annual "War on Christmas" story.

So it's a religious war with no losers — except perhaps for the people who could have used the money that went into billboards. Under the Catholic one, at the exit to the Lincoln Tunnel, Fred Morrison panhandles.

He sleeps in Penn Station, but spends his days under the picture of the nativity scene, begging. What would he put on the billboard if he had a chance?

"I would say, 'To each his own — you figure it out yourself,'" he says. The billboards definitely aren't putting people in the mood to give. "People don't have the spirit like they used to have."

A lot of Catholics and atheists could probably agree on that message.

I appreciate that the author of this story could understand that sometimes in a "war" or especially a competitive media campaign, just playing together by the rules means both teams can win.

When I am organizing around issues, I play out the best case scenario. That doesn't mean that my target just agrees with what issue I am advocating for, and that we can agree on how to proceed. I think it is important to disagree to make a good story. You can educate when debating, as long as it is done respectfully. Both teams can show good faith. They each should describe their positions and the background of their position. A healthy debate is educational, but if there is no disagreement, there is no drama, and the stories are boring. Make good drama that has a resolution. I hate it when people won't play. I will give them the game plan. The game plan. It would be unfair to play against someone who doesn't know their is a game at all. I wish more opposing groups would team up for good drama and education.

Now I just have to figure out how to do this for a class war.