Editor:
Adam Djurdjulov's column ("'Twas a marketing Christmas," Nov. 30) hit the mark, but it left something out. Unfortunately, most articles I have read attacking the consumer circus of Christmas have also missed this important point.
Suppose Adam's point is correct (it is). Christmas has become almost completely separated from its original purpose of worship, and has become a feeding frenzy of avarice and consumerism. Well, what do we do about it? As sick as the holiday season has become, a lot of people depend on it for their livelihood. Think about all the high school (and college) students working in service-related jobs. They probably got their jobs during the holiday season, when companies take on extra employees to handle the extra burden. These jobs probably would not exist if it were not for the holiday season orgy of commercialism. Think about all the small (even large) business owners who struggle through the year, relying more or less on the profits of the holiday season to pull them through. (This is particularly true in Tucson, with its enormous summer business slump.) If we remove their basic means of subsistence, what do we replace it with?
Changing attitudes about Christmas shopping would entail changing the entire American way of business. I'm not saying it shouldn't be done Ÿ in fact, I'm quite in favor of it. However, it would be incredibly difficult. The questions we must ask if we decide to change things are many. How do we go about changing the current system? What sort of system should replace it? I hope someone else has the answers, because I certainly do not.
Michael Herman
Undeclared Freshman