Case #36: Video

[19centconstable]

[George looks very sorry to have to admit this, but:]

I thought that was a rather lovely trip, but I still don't understand what Kwanzaa is.

Comments

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

You know more than me. I still don't know what any of them are. But I do know there are more than one!

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

More than one what?

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

Holidays!

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Oh, well yes. Of course. They're year-round.

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

Well, winter holidays.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Have you got any back home?

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

Just Winternox. But there's no real event like these. I didn't know that there were all of these celebrations.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

How do you celebrate this Winternox, then?

[expectremorse.livejournal.com]

...Kwanzaa?

That's what you had to deal with?

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Not exactly: it doesn't begin until the 26th, apparently.

[expectremorse.livejournal.com]

....Fuck. I don't even know what that is.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

It's Boxing Day.

[expectremorse.livejournal.com]

...Ka-

Boxing day? Is this like a thing? [Is there actual boxing George?]

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

...Yes?


Sorry, what do you mean, a thing?

[championoftime]

It's a holiday meant to bring African Americans closer together as a community by representing several of the harvest celebrations of their ancestors.

It's another holiday meant to bring people together, this one created in the 20th century after an unfortunate riotous incident, where the sense of family and personal ideals was necessary.

Anything that draws attention away from violence and hostility is quite a beautiful sentiment, really.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Ah!

But...why not simply celebrate Christmas?

[championoftime]

Well, for one, not everyone is Christian nor wishes to acknowledge it commercially. For another, it's well timed. Why should it interfere with Christmas if they did wish to celebrate it? One can celebrate more than one holiday.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

But then why doesn't everyone celebrate both Christmas and Kwanzaa?

[championoftime]

Mostly because African Americans, being in a position of frequent social oppression, would not want their holiday to re-purposed for the predominately white upper class. Therefore exploiting their cultural heritage and showing them further disrespect for the sake of personal gain. Christmas is similarly used as marketing promotion, but often it reasoned that there is less at stake with capitalizing on it as a generic winter solstice holiday celebration.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Oh.

...but...how is it disrespectful to celebrate someone's heritage with them?

And what is a marketing promotion?

[championoftime]

It's not disrespectful if you're invited to celebrate with them. But doing so without their permission is extremely invasive. An open festival is one thing. Lantern lightings, tulip festivals, Oktoberfest. But some holidays are deeply personal and it's simply more polite to be asked to participate. Especially when it's symbolic kinship, brought about by cultural exclusion and overcoming adversity with others of similar backgrounds.

Marketing promotion is where you sell a product under the guise of it being related to an event, place, object, or individual. Frequently rather than celebrating what it is intended to celebrate, the product makers only wish for financial gain.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

People do that to Christmas?

[championoftime]

There is a reason that it is so widely resented anymore. Especially by those aboard that have no reason to celebrate it, yet are forced to by the conditions of the ship. Just as they're forced to be here. They've no reason to see the optimism that should come hand in hand with the holiday.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

That's awful. Surely there's something we can do?

[championoftime]

It never hurts to request people to celebrate the holidays with you. On a more personal level.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

That's certainly simple enough. I might have done anyway.

[championoftime]

Splendid! You're already doing well by the holidays then.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

It is the most wonderful time of the year.

[And if there is a popular song with similar lyrics, George is unaware.]

[strangehistorian]

It's an adaptation of an African harvest festival, celebrated from Dec- Oh!

The Doctor seems to have covered it.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

It's quite alright. Some of it remains over my head, I'm afraid.

[strangehistorian]

Well, all I know about it I read in the Encyclopedia Britannica.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

I wasn't aware they made those in dragon size.

[strangehistorian]

That's why my humanoid form is so convenient!

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Ah.

[George is slightly disappointed. Dragon-sized, flame retardant books sound excellent.]

Do you miss dragon...ing?

[strangehistorian]

I do fly around in the CES!

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Oh, congratulations!

...

Would you allow me to ask an inappropriate question?

[strangehistorian]

Well, yes. But you'll understand if I may or may not answer.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Of course.

Um. When you...you know...what becomes of your clothing?

[strangehistorian]

Oh, the clothing is just part of the illusion. I can turn up wearing whatever I can conjure, really, and it vanishes with the rest of the form.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

So then, you're actually...

[Nuuuuuuuudity.]

[strangehistorian]

The clothes are as real as any of it.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry?