In the Age of Political Correctness, this is very unexpected: mixing commerce, religion, & culture.

But it did happen--just a few days ago!

You may have seen this already--indeed, four people have sent me the YouTube clip of the first in a three year series of what is being called the Random Acts of Culture Series.  Six hundred and fifty Philadelphia singers mingled amongst a Macy's Department Store crowd on November 2--only to bust into a rendition of the Handel Messiah's Hallelujah Chorus while people were shopping!  Here's the clip if you haven't seen it...

I'm pretty sure someone may have been fired!  

What is most amazing to me is that a deliberate decision was made by somebody to launch a national campaign--RandomActsofCulture.org--in, given the times, a most unusual way:  in a godless marketplace playing Handel's opus magnum that--here's the point--celebrates the birth of Christianity's central figure, Jesus!  

Remember, now, we're talking about a department store setting--a venue where in most places clerks are admonished to not utter the words "Merry Christmas," but, instead, to be more universally careful with the words "Happy Holidays."

Please don't offend the customers!

So how did this come about?  Did someone get the wrong message?  Did somebody lose their job over this?  This can't be anything but a mistake!  That a blatantly Christian theme was selected--when so many other manifestation of high culture or powerful musical art are possible--in such a public space...all in a time of political correctness seems, well, unexpected--to say the least.  

Don't get me wrong--I think it's cool; after all, it's a great, moving piece of classical music.  But it's ability to offend a socially charged zeitgeist of political correctness just catches me with my mouth wide-open.  I'll describe a personal incident that led me, in part, to be surprised.  

Don't you say "Merry Christmas" to me!

Last December--with little else but genuine seasonal cheer in my heart, I wished someone I worked with--but, as it turned out, apparently didn't know that well--a "Merry Christmas" as we parted company after a brief-but-friendly conversation at the coffee machine.  The person I had just wished a Merry Christmas pivoted abruptly and informed me that "Merry Christmas" was not especially appropriate, for she was a Jew.  I immediately apologized for my inadvertent exuberance and vowed to remember this factoid about her forever.  End of conversation.

[All I said to my colleague was "Merry Christmas"--I can only imagine what might have been said had she been compelled by circumstances to listen to the words of Handel's Messiah!]

My pessimism about the thin-skinnedness of far too many people today was partially off-set by the sheer audacity of the decision to sing Handel's work in a place where it was possible--albeit not intended, I am sure--to be viewed as attempting to proselytize or offend ordinary people, especially those who didn't share in the music's origin, meaning, or religious heritage.  

So the marketplace guy in me wants to know:  How can we do events akin to this again and again and again--all in different ways--to make the point that we as a society may be emerging--still normal--on the other side of politically correctness?  I realize I'm hoping for a lot, but I bet there are more people than you think looking forward to seeing those YouTube clips, too! 
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