One of President Donald Trump’s favorite topics is Christmas—he has said that he will fight the so-called “war on Christmas” since he was campaigning. Statements like “They don't use the word 'Christmas' because it's not politically correct … we're saying 'Merry Christmas' again.” (Cilliza, 2017) have been said over and over again, almost to the point of exhaustion. To President Trump, “Christmas” means much more than just the name of a holiday—it represents the religious implications of the holiday, but more importantly the end of a “politically correct” era fueled by saying “Happy Holidays.” In Book III of John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding, he explores how words and ideas relate and just like how President Trump views the word “Christmas,” it refers to an idea, not a thing.
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The “we’re saying Merry Christmas again” line has been President Trump’s go-to at campaign rallies, in speeches, and in tweets. Even as far back as the Value Voter Summit in 2015, Trump said:
The word ‘Christmas.' I love Christmas. I love Christmas. You go to stores, you don't see the word 'Christmas.' It says 'Happy Holidays' all over. I say, 'Where's Christmas?' I tell my wife, 'Don't go to those stores. I want to see Christmas. I want to see Christmas.' (Hoffman, 2015.)
Trump has said that line again and again, because it works—few phrases have connected with audiences quite like the “Christmas” one. One of his speaking techniques is repetition, and this is shown consistently in lines like “Mexico is going to pay for the wall,” “make America great again,” and “we are going to start saying ‘Merry Christmas again.” This repetition serves to drill his ideas into people’s minds and make his statements unforgettable.
Trump’s stress on “Christmas” accomplishes two things: appealing to evangelical Christians afraid that the religious aspects are being taken away from the holiday, and appealing to “anti-political correctness” people.
Concept
John Locke, in Book III of his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, explores language and the “delicate balance” between words and ideas. He argues that words refer to ideas, rather than things. Locke points out what, in his opinion, is the biggest problem with words—that they are just sounds and do not bring the same mental connection to a listener as the speaker has in mind:
Now, since sounds have no natural connection with our ideas, but have all their signification from the arbitrary imposition of men, the doubtfulness and uncertainty of their signification, which is the imperfection we here are speaking of, has its cause more in the ideas they stand for than in any incapacity there is in one sound more than in another to signify any idea: for in that regard they are all equally perfect.
That then which makes doubtfulness and uncertainty in the signification of some more than other words, is the difference of ideas they stand for. (Locke, 1690)
Locke states that we only have direct knowledge (what he says is gained through revelation and perception,) of our own ideas, therefore the speaker’s own ideas that they are trying to convey can easily be misconstrued and misinterpreted. This is due to the shortcomings of words.
However, words aren’t all bad according to Locke:
There will be no imperfection in them [words, relating to ideas], if he constantly uses the same sign for the same idea, for in that case he can’t fail to have his meaning understood, which is the right use and perfection of language. (Locke, 1690)
As long as one uses the same word for the ideas they are trying to convey, words can be very useful.
In Chapter 10, John Locke describes the three “ends of language”—which represent the purpose of language:
First, to make known one man’s thoughts or ideas to another; Secondly, to do it with as much ease and quickness as possible; and, Thirdly, thereby to convey the knowledge of things: language is either abused or deficient when it fails of any of these three. (Locke, 1690)
Locke then identifies common failures of each of those three “ends of language,” including “when men have names in their mouths without any determinate ideas in their minds,” and “when they [men] have complex ideas without having any distinct names them.”
Analysis
All eight of the Christmas cards from the Obama White House included the phrase “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays,” a perceived more inclusive holiday greeting. This year, the Trump White House card reads, “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” in gold, with the classic Christmas red and green colors also present. This was perceived well by Trump supporters; reporter Benny Johnson of the Daily Caller states: “The distinction was cheered by conservative pundits and traditionalist who thought the Obama approach to Christmas was too ‘politically correct’ and ‘inclusive’” (Johnson, 2017). At his first lighting of the National Christmas tree as president on November 30th, Trump began his remarks with, “I told you that we would be saying Merry Christmas again, right?” His implied claim that Obama shied away from saying “Merry Christmas” is true in the case of the White House Christmas cards, with Obama opting to use “Happy Holidays” most years, but President Obama did not shy away from the word in speeches or on Twitter. Journalist Chris Donovan of ABC tweeted on November 29th a collection of Obama saying, “Merry Christmas” annually on Twitter dating back to 2009.
Using John Locke’s claim that words represent ideas, not things, it is easy to see how Trump gives power to the word “Christmas.” To President Trump, the word “Christmas” is much more than just a word—its implications include the religious history and fighting back against, in his opinion, overbearing political correctness. It is undeniable that Trump has been fighting against the so-called “war on Christmas,” using the phrase almost every time he can in speeches and statements. This repetition is something Trump does frequently when speaking, and it correlates with John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding, in which he states, “if he constantly uses the same sign for the same idea, for in that case he can’t fail to have his meaning understood.” Trump’s use, to the point of overuse, of stressing that he will “bring Christmas back” applies to both the previous Locke claim and the second of the three ends of language, “to do it with ease and quickness” (Locke, 1690). The “ease and quickness” aspect is very important—whenever the word “Christmas” is spoken by Trump or released in a statement from the Trump White House, the implications come immediately to mind.
Each of the other two “ends of language” also apply to Trump’s use of “Christmas.” The first, “to make known one man’s thoughts or ideas to another” (Locke, 1690), relates directly with Trump and Christmas. Once Trump originally began talking about “bringing Christmas back,” every time he uses the word “Christmas,” his thoughts and ideas immediately are portrayed. The third, “thereby to convey the knowledge of things” (Locke, 1690) is also present. In fighting against the “war on Christmas,” Trump is attempting to convey the knowledge that he has about the holiday. During the campaign trail, he was frequently criticized for “pretending to be Christian.” In a White House press release sent out after the lighting of the National Tree titled “At Christmas Tree Lighting, President Trump Revives the Tradition’s Religious Spirit” (Hamblin, 2017). It included the line: “whatever our beliefs, we know that the birth of Jesus Christ and the story of his life forever changed the course of human history.” (Hamblin, 2017). Trump’s statements about the story of Jesus Christ in that press release and in speeches are used to show his knowledge of the historically religious aspects of the holiday.
Implications
As the Christmas season, or Holiday Season, approaches, this alleged “war on Christmas” will be in the news every day until December 26th. The fight against “P/C culture” is one that appears that Donald Trump will never shy away from; it is what he ran and won on, and continues to be a main focus of him and his supporters. He will continue to use “Christmas” in every speech and statement, the effects of which are still unknown. It may disenfranchise Americans of other faiths who do not celebrate Christmas and who feel their holiday isn’t properly represented, or it may become old news that no one cares about. One thing’s for sure, though, Donald Trump has a way with words, and the power he gives to them can be greatly attributed to ideas from Locke.