RSS Feed |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Turkeys among us I know Thanksgiving is Thursday, and I should be writing about the holiday and the turkey and the dressing and all the blessings in my life. But, a little news item last week blew the turkey out of the water. In Australia, some department store Santas have been advised against saying "ho, ho, ho" and are asked to say "ha, ha, ha," or something similar instead. Can you believe that? The reason behind this change in jolliness jargon is a belief that "ho, ho, ho" is offensive to women. Give me a break. While Santas in the U.S.A. weren't mentioned in the news item, I can't help but believe some fool somewhere is going to think having a politically correct Santa is a good idea. And that's probably just the beginning. So, if Santa can't say "ho, ho, ho" does that mean we can no longer kill snakes with hoes? Do we now have to call them something else? Do I have to say "grab that flat thing with the long handle, no not that one, the other one, the one we used to call the h word and kill this snake" lest I offend someone? And does this mean the ladies' leg covering business has to rename store departments and products? Can we no longer wear hose? Must we all wearing stockings now? Pantystockings just doesn't have the right ring to it. Does this mean the water hose can no longer be that? Do we have to start calling all things hose something else, lest we offend? I've about had my bait of political correctness. I'm fed up with having to choose every word with such care just in case someone with ultra sensitive feelings might find them dented a little. And, if we want to talk about offensive, well, I am certainly offended that anyone could believe that women would be offended by Santa Claus chortling "ho, ho, ho." What is offensive is that someone is actually spending their time deciding what I, and millions of other women, might find offensive. We live in a world where people cover their bodies with tattoo ink, and poke holes in their noses and lips and tongues and who knows where else and insert rings and studs and who knows what else. We live in a world where mothers and fathers abandon their children, or don't abandon them yet don't take care of them either. We live in a world where we let our old people go hungry and charge them out the wahoo for medicine, yet Santa saying "ho, ho, ho" is tagged as offensive? Apparently, our society needs to sit down and reevaluate our priorities. Are we going to spend all of our time micro managing language and what might hurt someone's feelings while we let everything else go to you know where in a handbasket? I hope not.
Happy Turkey Day.
|
for larger version       |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
