Christmas, a holiday that brings a cheerful spirit even in the darkest times, is one time that people celebrate with their families, friends, and co-workers, forgetting feuds and sharing delicious food.
This Eve is not just about traditions but is more of a spirit that is celebrated by not just Christians but people from all religions, faiths, and even atheists.
Specific aesthetics of this holiday have been prevalent for eons and have still brought the same cheers. However, this generation seems to be hell-bent on being “woke” to the point that we now prefer slumber instead.
On November 13, 2023, “@LibsOfTikTok” exposed an email by Wauwatosa Deputy City Administrator Melissa Cantarero Weiss, who handles tourism, communications, and city management on X (Twitter). The email content suggests that this year, Christmas should be celebrated with “inclusivity,” further stating to avoid the usage of conventional “red and green” colors and use neutral colors for decorations.
Everything About Melissa Cantarero Weiss
Melissa Cantarero Weiss started her civil career as an assistant village administrator and director of public works at Sussex.
Ms. Cantarero earned her master’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University.
Per her LinkedIn profile (which is not public as of the time of writing this article), Cantarero is responsible for work in communications, tourism, administration, clerk, attorney, information systems, and human resources. She is currently designated as Wauwatosa Deputy City Administrator.
Her Twitter (X) bio states that she was recognized as one of the top 100 (ranked #10) by ELGL (Engaging Local Government Leaders). ELGL describes Ms. Cantarero’s achievements as follows–
“Melissa is a devoted local gov public servant who is always on the list of people who can come up with solutions. In the past year, she’s been tasked with overseeing the success of elections through COVID, managing multiple public engagement sessions with sensitive topics, helping guide our tourism rebounding efforts, supporting crisis communications throughout police incidents and severe weather, and supervising multiple teams through all of this change. Melissa has done all of this with grace, and it’s led us to successful community relations, updates to city policies, and employee engagement in a challenging time.”
And now, it’s time to add another achievement to her profile– “email writing skills that can outrage the entire internet.”
Why Are People Outraged Over Wisconsin Christmas Decorations?
Deputy City Administrator Melissa Cantarero Weiss drafted a collective email addressing the city employees, also approved by City Administrator James Archambo. Here are the key points Weiss proposed–
- Creating an “inclusive and welcoming environment ” for all residents from different backgrounds.
- Refrain from using colors that imply a particular religion. For e.g., avoid using red and green colors and instead draw inspiration from the colorful Northern Lights, including blue and purple. She also suggested the decorations be neutral in color for “equitable” representation.
- Weiss believes it is better to use the term “snow people” instead of “snowman.” This was possibly the boiling point of the outrage, as people were of the opinion that such alterations were unnecessary and ridiculous. I say we call it Olaf instead.
- The Deputy City Administrator proceeded to suggest that we should integrate non-religious symbols into Christmas like snowflakes, etc.
Ms. Weiss reiterates in her mail that–
“While we understand the significance of this holiday for many, it is important to recognize that not all Wauwatosa employees, residents, or business owners celebrate Christmas. In our ongoing efforts to foster a more equitable and inclusive community, we believe it is crucial to be considerate of how we decorate public spaces during this season.”
Instead of spreading the holiday cheer, this email ignited an uproar on X, where people poured in their reaction to the woke proposal.
What is your take on this? How would you react if you received this mail? Do you think wokeness is propagated as a mask to control people’s faith?
Do you think this proposal is ridiculous, or do you agree with some of her points? If so, let us know in the comments section below.
