Political correctness gone far too far.....

[Elvi]

Good grief!

SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.

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Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.

One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.

"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.

"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.

"Leave Santa alone."

A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20071115/tod-lifestyle-australia-christmas-offbea-37b0eca_1.html

[Zakharra]

 I heard about that over the radio. That is definitely political correctness being taken too far.

[kongming]

I agree. That is just plain stupid.

[Cherri Tart]

i'm actually more offended that they think women are so stupid that they'd think Santa was calling them Ho's. 

[Celestial Goblin]

The way I heard it, it turned out to be sensationalist journalism, though.
That is, I heard the real instruction was for Santa's to change their guttural laugh because it's scary to children, not because of the pimpin' connection:)

[kongming]

So it's not the enormous beard, the enormous fake gut or the fact that adults are trying to convince them every strange man is a kidnapper/paedophile, it's the laugh?

I mean, I know plenty of children are afraid of Father Christmas in their younger years, my youngest sister included (she grew out of it), but is it really the laugh?

[kylie]

Oh gawd, yes, I always thought they were big and strange. 

And really, too jolly in a very grabby sort of way.  What does that thing want with me! 

Not to mention the whole lists of naughty and nice business.  How moralizing.  What's the point of getting trinkets if you can't be naughty in the process, or a little naughty in using them?!  ;)

Brrr-rrrr.  Humbug.  Run away!  *looks over shoulder frightfully* 

[kylie]

But about ho-ho-ho.

Let's not forget AHH-Ha-ha-haaaa!  That which is cackled out by the wizards and sorceresses pursuing so many little females (and not a few other types of goodish wee things) in children's TV cartoons. 

And who was it that said, I'll get you my pretties again...  Eeek. ;)

[Ignaddio]

Something related that happened recently on the ship.

So we've got these things called working parties. This is, basically, 25 or so people called together on the ship to do Supply department's grunt work. They take stuff from store rooms and move it to other store rooms. All very boring. There's an A working party and a B working party. When the job requires both working parties, they muster both of them; this is called the 5--man working party.

I don't know that anyone complained, but about a week ago, I started hearing the announcement changed a little, "Now muster the 50 sailor working party." I can't imagine anyone being upset by that. They usually only send men to them anyway; the women that get sent more often than not find a way to weasel out of doing real work.

[Sabby]

Here in Australia, things are changing so that day care workers and teachers won't be allowed to say "No" to the little kids. Its 'traumatizing' apparently.

And I heard that somewhere in the states, theres a hoo-ha over saying Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Store attendents who say Merry Christmas offend those who don't believe in Christmas, and so 'happy holidays' was used instead. No surprise, the christians got upset over not being wished a merry christmas.

[National Acrobat]

I think it's all stupid. I am not a christian, and I don't get upset by someone telling me Merry Christmas, and in fact, I tell people Merry Christmas myself. It's Merry Christmas for crying out loud. I hate political correctness. It has crept into every aspect of life, and it's highly annoying.

[Zakharra]

Here in Australia, things are changing so that day care workers and teachers won't be allowed to say "No" to the little kids. Its 'traumatizing' apparently.

You have got to be joking. Saying 'No' is traumatic?   :-\ ???

[Sabby]

Yep. You have to say "Please stop doing that"

[Zakharra]

 Ppfftt.. As if little kids ever respond to 'Please stop that.'  Mine didn't.

[schnookums]

You know what I hate most about all this? The existence of these people end up stifling legitimate complaints. You get actual incidents of prejudice and wrongdoing and in the end those stories get the most attention because any sane person is just boggled at the raw stupidity of it. I mean, heck..I may be Dr. Liberal McLiberal (of the clan McLiberal) but not telling kids No? Geh, the stupid, it burns!

[kongming]

But it's still okay to tase kids, right?

[National Acrobat]

You know what I hate most about all this? The existence of these people end up stifling legitimate complaints. You get actual incidents of prejudice and wrongdoing and in the end those stories get the most attention because any sane person is just boggled at the raw stupidity of it. I mean, heck..I may be Dr. Liberal McLiberal (of the clan McLiberal) but not telling kids No? Geh, the stupid, it burns!

So true. Stupid usually trumps common sense in this day and age, but then again, it's the new thing, to be seen and complain about yourself, not the real issue, which is where a lot of this political correctness gets stupid.

[Avi]

The sad thing is that, no matter what you may be saying about how you disagree with political correctness taken to crazy levels, (I do too), you'll still find yourself putting anything you say through various filters now.  You never know when some off-hand comment will piss a crazy person off and lead them to sue you, punch you, choke you, et cetera. 

This is all a product of this whole lawsuit-happy society we have in the States.  When they have to put "Caution: This Could Be Hot" on coffee cups, you KNOW that people are out to get you, no matter how stupid their complaint is.  God Bless America...

[Sabby]

You get actual incidents of prejudice and wrongdoing and in the end those stories get the most attention because any sane person is just boggled at the raw stupidity of it.

The same statement could be applied to any number of issues. At my old high school, girls would self harm for attention from teachers and show them off to friends. So, the few cases when it was a legitimate problem, those few girls who really needed help never got it.

[Celestial Goblin]

You know what I hate most about all this? The existence of these people end up stifling legitimate complaints. You get actual incidents of prejudice and wrongdoing and in the end those stories get the most attention because any sane person is just boggled at the raw stupidity of it. I mean, heck..I may be Dr. Liberal McLiberal (of the clan McLiberal) but not telling kids No? Geh, the stupid, it burns!

Oh yes, big agreement here.
It's really sad how the infamous cry "Think of the children" has become synonymous with "Bad idea based on panic and paranoia,meant to portray anyone who disagrees as hating children".
We are supposed to think of the children since they can't fend for themselves. Just actually think.:)

But it's still okay to tase kids, right?

Of course. It will only toughen them up.
Back in my times, parents used tear gas just to get kids to go to their room in the evening. ;D

[kongming]

Luxury. When I was a girl...

We'd have to wake up at 8 O'clock the night before, eat a bowl full of cold poison, clean the swamp we lived in then work a 26 hour day breaking rocks with our teeth. Then, when we got home, our father would kill us, and dance on our graves singing hallelujah.

[Sakujo]

Actually, I prefer "Ha ha ha", because it sounds like the fatman is in on a joke no one else is. :D

[Hunter]

You have got to be joking. Saying 'No' is traumatic?   :-\ ???

It hurts their budding self esteem.  Or so the crock of bull they use says.

[RubySlippers]

deleted

[Elvi]

Could you actually clarify what that post (above), had, if anything, to do with this topic please Ruby?

As far as I know, Sydney, Australia, has bugger all to do with the United States of America or it's constitution.