The War on Political Correctness

[Dinger]

A school has banned tinsel due to fears that it could cause the strangulation of a child. Children often drap tinsel round their necks at Christmas time and schoold goveners and the headmaster had concers that it could lead to the strangulation of a child. The school in Chipping Sodbury has made a statement saying "We want the children to have a good time whilst making sure that there are no accidents to spoil it. If tinsel were to be worn round the neck this could lead to injury. We constantly strive to provide a safe environment for our children and staff"

With education a pile of arse at the moment and schools in poor repair etc thankfully people are still wasting time thinking up crap like this to 'make us all safer' - makes me so mad.

Incidentally tinsel is held together by cord with a breaking point of a few pounds. The school ties that children wear round their necks as part of the school uniform have a breaking point of approximately 20times that of tinsel.

Dinger

[NotDeadYet]

I can't even get it to stay up round my window without even trying to hang a schoolchild from it.

[Dinger]

Originally Posted by NotDeadYet

I can't even get it to stay up round my window without even trying to hang a schoolchild from it.

Tut Stuart, my mother says tinsel is 'tacky' now - tasteful ribbon is the thing to go for apparently - like us men give a f*ck

Dinger

[NotDeadYet]

I've been noticing more and more, we don't seem to have Christmas anymore. Everything is "festive". The bank has up its "festive" opening hours. B&Q sells "festive" fairy lights (can you even call them fairly lights anymore? are they lights who have made their own personal lifestyle choices? does it discriminate against gnomes, goblins and imps?). Tesco sells "celebration" cakes. I live in a town with many religions, Eid celebrations are called Eid, not "festivities" or some other equally bland cop out. Bah. Even though it's Christmas, it is still a Monday. Bah!!!

[Mr T.]

Originally Posted by NotDeadYet

I've been noticing more and more, we don't seem to have Christmas anymore. Everything is "festive". The bank has up its "festive" opening hours. B&Q sells "festive" fairy lights (can you even call them fairly lights anymore? are they lights who have made their own personal lifestyle choices? does it discriminate against gnomes, goblins and imps?). Tesco sells "celebration" cakes. I live in a town with many religions, Eid celebrations are called Eid, not "festivities" or some other equally bland cop out. Bah. Even though it's Christmas, it is still a Monday. Bah!!!

Amen to that mate. You'll notice the Yanks never say 'Happy Christmas', it's always the more saccharin and anodyne 'Happy Holidays' - the irony being that the etymology of 'holiday' is holy day, a celebration of the birth of Christ (ergo Christ Mass) - not some present-sodden 'Yule Fest'.

[NotDeadYet]

It really is the ultimate in political correctness. Considering that Christmas began as the repackaging of various winter Pagan festivals -- the solstice, Saturnalia, the birthday of Mithras, etc.

[Mr T.]

'Christmas is taboo in America, but now people are fighting back'
(Filed: 19/12/2004)

If you think celebrations in Britain are becoming too politically correct then don't go to the US. Philip Sherwell reports

For her son's school "holiday party" last week, Julie West baked a birthday cake for the baby Jesus - a gesture of defiance both against his teachers and the growing campaign in America to remove any trace of Christmas from public life.

Six-year-old Aaron had brought home a note from his school, in Washington state, that asked parents to provide food that their family traditionally enjoyed during the holiday season.

"He asked for the cake I make at Christmas with the words 'Happy Birthday Jesus'," said Ms West. "I called the school to let them know, but a few days later the teacher phoned back to say that I couldn't bring the cake as the party was not a religious event."

Ms West, who attends a non-denominational church in Edmonds, near Seattle, was amazed. "It wasn't an attempt to impose my beliefs on anyone. It was just a cake," she said. "I think all traditions and religions should be celebrated at this time of year."

After researching the issue on the internet she contacted the Rutherford Institute, a mainstream pressure group that defends religious freedom. It assured her that even though the American constitution bans the promotion of religion by the government, simply bringing a cake iced with "Happy Birthday Jesus" into the school broke no laws. "So I took the cake in for the party on Tuesday and none of the other parents or children were offended," she said. "The only comment was how delicious it was.

"I didn't set out to make a point, but now I hope I have helped a few other people understand their rights."

Not everyone is as robust. Across the United States, celebrations for what many Americans now refer to as the "C word" have been all but restricted to churches and private homes.

In Wichita, Kansas, a local newspaper ran an apology after referring to a "Christmas tree", rather than a "community tree" at the city's Winterfest celebration. In Denver, a Christian church float was barred from the city's parade while Chinese lion dancers and German folk dancers were welcomed. In parts of Florida, fir trees have been banned this year from government-owned property.

A mayor in Massachusetts issued a formal apology to anyone offended by a press release that mistakenly described the town of Somerville's holiday party as a "Christmas party". Schools in Florida and New Jersey have banned all carols and elsewhere in Washington state a school principal banned a production of A Christmas Carol mainly because Tiny Tim prays: "God bless us, every one."

In one New Jersey school district, where the singing of Christmas carols has long been abandoned, officials have this year forbidden children's orchestras to play songs such as Silent Night because that might remind people of their Christian content.

Frosty the Snowman and Winter Wonderland have, however, been deemed acceptable as they are devoid of any religious references.

"The majority of people in the towns think that this policy is unnecessary," said William Calabrese, the town president (mayor) of South Orange. "This feels like a slap in the face to diversity, not a symbol of it. They're sterilising the school systems, taking away freedom of choice. It's a type of totalitarianism."

The fightback, however, has begun. Showdowns are taking place across the country as individuals, and conservative and religious groups, come out against the zealous interpretation of the separation of Church and state.

In Chicago, a Nativity scene has been given police protection after a life-sized model of the infant Christ was briefly stolen before being recovered earlier this month.

"This has been getting worse for years and people have finally had enough," said John Whitehead, the founder of the Rutherford Institute, which has issued its own "Twelve Rules of Christmas" setting out people's religious rights.

"Political correctness is all-pervasive here. Christmas has become a taboo in America but now people are fighting back."

In the Oklahoma City suburb of Mustang, voters angered by a school board's decision to remove a Nativity scene from a school play demonstrated their fury at the ballot box last week. They rejected the board's plans to raise $11 million (£5.7 million) by issuing bonds.

Many parents were particularly angry that the play still featured Santa Claus and a Christmas tree in addition to symbols of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah and of Kwanzaa, an African-American celebration established in 1966 as a counter to Christmas. These were deemed "cultural" rather than religious.

Also last week, a court challenge began in New York to overturn a policy that allows the Jewish menorah and Islamic crescent and star to be displayed in schools, but forbids Nativity scenes.

The Catholic League and Thomas More Law Centre are appealing against a lower court ruling that found that the Jewish and Muslim symbols have a secular dimension while the Nativity is "purely religious".

Organisations such as the Americans United (AU) for Separation of Church and State believe that the campaign to put Christ back into Christmas is being pushed by conservative Christian groups buoyed by the victory of President George W Bush and the religious Right in last month's elections. "They are emboldened," said Robert Boston, an AU spokesman.

The Chicago Nativity has been at the centre of controversy since the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Jewish Congress and the American Atheists launched a legal challenge against its location on public property.

Their case was thrown out because the scene was erected by a private group. This year, at least, other expressions of religious freedom are also being allowed in the city.

Pressure groups such as the Rutherford Institute and the Alliance Defence Fund, which hires lawyers to fight perceived anti-Christian bias, say that many teachers and public officials are confused about the law and wrongly believe that any religious displays or symbols are forbidden on government property.

Others have been cowed by a stream of complaints and are just seeking "the easy life", according to Mr Whitehead. Retailers are particularly sensitive to complaints. Several stores, including Macy's, have reportedly banned their staff from referring to Christmas in case they deter non-Christian customers, prompting a group of angry Californians to boycott its outlets.

While President Bush's holiday greetings card, posted to a record two million recipients this year, carries a line from Psalm 95 – "Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song" – there is no mention of Christmas on the White House website. Even Fox News, the conservative television network, cannot bring itself to wish a merry Christmas to its viewers. Instead, "Happy Holidays" is flashed up to the tune – but not the words – of Ding Dong Merrily on High.

The Rutherford Institute despairs. "This is not a Left-Right, Republican-Democrat issue," said Mr Whitehead. "It's about everyone's right to celebrate their religious beliefs as they want. We should be including all religions, not excluding one."

[Dinger]

XMAS SONGS OUT OF TOUCH

'Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer' is "insensitive" and "sets a bad example to children". These are the findings of an investigation carried out by an independent government watchdog, tasked with taking everything too seriously and removing the fun value from anything that hasn't already been spoilt.

Mr John Turndull of the National Organisation for Frightfully Unsuitable Narrative, told Yorkshire Divers that 'Rudolph' and indeed many other Christmas songs, were setting a bad example to young children all over the world. "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer is a shockingly inappropriate tale of prejudice, discrimination and elitism" said Turndull. "As we all know, none of the reindeer would accept Rudolph for who he was, but instead, used to laugh and call him names based on his disability. They refused to allow him into their inner circle, and as such, wouldn't let him join in any reindeer games. This xenophobic and cruel depiction of Santa's reindeers is a shockingly gruesome and inappropriate story to tell young susceptible children"

Mr Turndull continued "Admittedly Rudolph was eventually accepted into the group after proving his worth and becoming “cool”, but as we know from our previous studies of other heinous works such as “Pretty in Pink” and “Teen Wolf”, this acceptance comes at a price. I mean, lets look at the facts. He only became a valued member of the group when Santa and the other Reindeer NEEDED something from him. They realised that Rudolph, with his nose so bright, was the perfect candidate to pull the sleigh that foggy night, and so offered him the hand of friendship. But they didn’t want his friendship! They were obviously just using him! Where was Santa when Rudolph was isolated and rejected? Where was Santa when he had no one to play with and needed the love and support of an adult? Are these the horribly material and selfish values we want to instil into our children? I think not!”

Mr Turndull’s list of inappropriate songs will be published in a report which will soon be submitted for discussion in the House of Commons. The outcome of this could see many Christmas songs be altered or re-recorded to suit the proposed guidelines. Although this report is still top secret, Mr Turndull did offer Yorkshire Divers an ‘exclusive’ insight into some of the songs put forward for alteration.

‘Rocking Around the Christmas Tree’, the 1948 classic by Johnny Marks, promotes unsafe behaviour in modern day society according to Turndull, due to the dangers to epileptic seizure from the lights, the common hotchpotch of poor electrical wiring and the tendency in modern homes to purchase cheap laminate shiny flooring. Turnbull suggestions include changing the title to ‘Standing Beside The Christmas Tree….With Your Eyes Closed……In Appropriate Rubber Soled Footwear’ and pushing the tree safely into a corner.

‘I Saw Mammy Kissing Santa Claus’, the 1952 song by Tommie Connor, encourages the notion that adultery is OK, and gives children false hope that Santa may some day move into their house to become their ‘new daddy’ and lavish them with gifts everyday. According to Turndull this song should be completely banned from the airwaves, along with other similar titles such as ‘Why Is The Easter Bunny Humping My Mummy’ and 'The Tooth Fairy Took More Than My Teeth Last Night'.

He concluded. "This has gone on for long enough, and something has to be done. How the hell can we expect children to understand that the highly complex underlying social issues which persist in many of these songs are just a bit of fun?”

Some record labels have already begun taking pre-emptive action, by recording alternative versions of some Christmas songs. One such song, Bing Crosby's “White Christmas”, was re-recorded by Derry crooner Fergal Sharkey in a secret session in London’s Abbey Road Studios last week. So poor was the version though, that the producers opted instead for superior set of alternative Bing Crosby vocals, which were obtained in a Los Angeles recording studio, shortly after digging him up.

Dinger - www.purederry.com

[Mr T.]

Originally Posted by Dinger

'Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer' is "insensitive" and "sets a bad example to children".

[Mr T.]

Just been announced on Radio 4 news - some muppet of a Vicar has instructed his congregation to sing the words "God rest ye merry people...", whilst singing their Christmas hymns this year. FFS!

"I didn't want to offend the women in the congregation" was his voodoo excuse.

Twat.