HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-11-18, Page 5MI El
The annual holiday wars have started once again
e weather is getting
colder, the leaves are
turning and festive
decorations are appearing
in stores. It's that time of
year again; time for war.
The so-called "war on
Christmas" comes around
everyyearwhere the media
tells us that Christians are
upset that Christmas is
being taken out of American
culture. Bill O'Reilly comes
out of his cave and claims
the war is real, and he's win-
ning it. His FOX news coun-
terparts claim that Christi-
anity is being outlawed and
soon we won't be allowed to
say Merry Christmas in
church and every news
website insists that the big-
gest holiday of the year is in
peril. The real question: is
anyone really offended?
Column
Matt Recker
This year's festivities
started with Starbucks. If
you've been following the
news this weekyou've no
doubt heard about the cof-
fee brand's new cup design.
Apparently plain red sends
Americans into frenzy like
the bull from die Bugs
Bunny cartoons, or so we're
told to believe. One of the
first to play their outrage
card was YouTube vlogger
Josh Feurstein, a conserva-
tive Christian who makes
intentionally inflammatory
videos in order to anger lib-
erals and rake in those
sweet, sweetYouTube
views. If you've seen his vid-
eos before you'll know that
Feurstein will take anything
from coffee cups to Obama's
haircut and spin it so that it's
a threat to his God, his
country or his guns. He's a
provocateur. He lives to stir
up controversy because it's
made him a lot of money on
the Internet. Outrage is liter-
ally his business.
And one person is all the
media needs to start its war
coverage. Within days of
Feurstein's video everyone
from CNN to CTV Windsor
was reporting on people
who are enraged by Star-
bucks' cup design. Forget
the fact that basically
nobody is actually upset,
you can't get ratings from
calm, rational behavior.
Getting people whipped
into frenzy against an invis-
ible enemy is big business
in the media. The more
news outlets tell people that
"liberals and Muslims are
trying to take Christmas
away'; however untrue,
makes them more likely to
click on more articles, tune
in longer and engage others
in comment sections.
Never mind the fact that
every time America declares
war on abstract concepts
they inevitably lose. The war
on poverty, the war on
drugs, the war on terrorism
andthewar on obesity.
IN THE YEARS AGONE
Nov. 18,1887 Nov. 15,1912
■ Gilmore, the supposed
notorious thief, who was
tried on Thursday in Exeter
for burglarizing B.C.
O'Neil's bank, was let go
scott free as no further evi-
dence could be found
against him.
• Mr. E.C. Coleman has
been appointed Lieuten-
ant in the Seaforth Volun-
teer Company. Mr. Cole-
man will make an
excellent offi cer and will
be very popular with the
men.
• Miss Mary Tyreman,
daughter of Josiah Tyre -
man, of Seaforth, who has
been teaching at Carling-
ford during this year, has
been engaged to teach a
department in Mitchell
public school at a salary of
$250 per annum.
• A very destructive fire
occurred in Bayfield on
Saturday night last result-
ing in the total destruc-
tion of the flouring and
sawmills of Mr. Thomp-
son. The origin of the fire
in unknown. Mr. Thomp-
son's loss will be very
heavy, and the burning of
the property will be a loss
to the village and neigh-
bourhood as they will not
likely be rebuilt.
■
■
■
While working on the
Clark bridge abutments,
fifth line of Morris, the
cement mixer was placed
upon the section of the
old bridge remaining.
The latter gave way and
down went machine and
men into the river. They
had a fall of about 14 feet.
With the exception of a
cold bath none of the
men were hurt but John
Little, of the fourth con-
cession, who received a
nasty cut on the face. The
cement mixer and the
engine attached were fin-
ished out of the water not
much the worse.
Special missionary ser-
vices will be conducted in
the Methodist Church next
Sunday, When Dr. Wallace
Crawford, of China, will
preach at 11 a.m. and 7
p.m. On Monday evening,
the doctor will take his
audience by moving pic-
ture through the mission
stations in Japan and
China.
Farmers in the Kippen area
have been having trouble.
Silo filling this fall has been
a discouraging task on
account of the heavy rains.
There are still fields of corn
in that part to be harvested
and the soaking rains of
this week make things look
blue. At the rate there pota-
toes will be rotting, very
soon there will be a famine
with Kippen people, and
the only remedy will be to
fall back on turnips and
beans.
• In the Western Foundry
moulding shop in Wing -
ham, Mr. Marshall Bell,
while pouring off a hot
ladle or iron, upset the
metal over one of his feet.
Although the burn is not
considered dangerous,
the boot protecting the
foot, Mr. Bell will be laid
up for some time.
Nov. 19, 1937
IN Solemn tribute was paid •
to the memory of the Sea -
forth and district men
who gave their lives in the
Great War at the Remem-
brance Day service before
the solders' monument in
Victoria Park on Thursday
morning. The short
impressive service was
largely attended.
• Alterations and improve-
ments to the rink building,
mooted several weeks ago
when the present owners
Dr. E.A. McMaster and
C.M Smith purchased the
property, are now nearly
completed. Major change,
and one that will appeal to
hockey spectators is the
addition of bleacher seats
on the east side of the rink,
which will provide seating
for between three and four
hundred spectators.
Eluding a police dragnet
which had been out for him
since his escape from Walk-
erton
alkerton jail on Tuesday of last
week, Norval Bell, aged 34,
Seaforth man, traveled at
least as far as Toronto police
have learned. Bell, who has
lived in Harpurhey for a
number of years, was sen-
tenced at Walkerton on
Tuesday to five years in
Kingston penitentiary for
theft. He escaped the same
evening.
Commemorating Armi-
stice Day and in honor of
Coronation Year, a flag,
the gift of Mr. Andrew Lit-
tle, was unfurled for the
first time on Nov. 11 at a
quiet ceremony on the
grounds of Scott Memo-
rial Hospital. The pole,
which was donated by
William Ferguson, Bay-
field, was erected by Mr.
Robert Porterfield and Mr.
Frank Lamont. Th e hospi-
tal board wishes to express
its appreciation to those
who contributed this in
addition to the hospital.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 • Huron Expositor 5
www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com
While America maybe good
at winning real wars with
real people, when they
declare it on ideas the battle
rages on and on with no
end. Despite conservative
news powerhouse Bill
O'Reilly's claims that he per-
sonally won the war on
Christmas years ago, appar-
entlythe fighting has started
once again.
If there is a war on
Christmas, social media is
the battlefield. Articles
about the "war" are prime
targets for likes, shares and
comments. If you do any of
those things you're helping
spread the article around,
you're propagating the lie,
and you're a part of the
problem. Even if you com-
ment to say that it's non-
sense that will make the
article appear on the feeds
of your friends and family.
More clicks, more money.
That is the essence of
"click -bait journalism!' If
you don't engage, they
ea orthhuronex 1 ositor.co
don't profit.
Do you know anyone
who is actually offended
by Starbucks cups? Do you
know anyone who has
been reprimanded at work
for saying Merry Christ-
mas? The fact is that 80% of
Americans celebrate
Christmas and the retail
industry rakes in over $6
billion in November and
December. If you go to
your local Wal-Mart you'll
find 800 people dressed
like Santa before you find
one menorah, and asking
where the Ramadan deco-
rations are will only get you
strange stares. Nobody is
attacking Christmas, it's
not going away, please
don't feed into the hype. A
healthy dose of skepticism
is essential in the day of
click -bait journalism. Cele-
brate whatever you want
with whomever you want
and don't let the media tell
you you're a soldier in a
fantasy war.
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OPINION?
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Seaforth, ON
NOK 1WO
Shaun.Gregory@sunmedia.ca
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