Whats happening to your UK Christmas?

[Bazf]

These are a couple of things about the p c christmas has anyone elseheard of any?


A COUNCIL has banned their official Santa from sitting children on his knee. Every child visiting the grotto in Wrexham, North Wales must be accompanied by an adult to avoid "potential problems."
And youngsters have to STAND next to Santa if they want their pictures taken.
A council spokeswoman said: "Santa has been instructed to avoid all physical contact with children."


A SALVATION Army band refused to play carols at a town's festive celebrations after politically correct council bosses dropped the word CHRISTMAS.

They pulled out of the Christmas lights switch-on because the event had been re-branded "Winter Celebrations".

The row in Oakengates, Telford, Shropshire, is the latest attack on tradition.

[Margaret Pilkington]

In some places it is no longer even called Christmas.....for fear of offending the ethnic minorities.....they call it Winterfest. I really do despair!

[WillowTheWhisp]

Interestingly yesterday on Blackburn market a member of an "ethnic minority" (are we allowed to say that or is that even non-PC these days?) was buying Christmas cards and discussing with me the merits of the traditional crib scene image as opposed to santa/tree/presents. She preferred the Biblical scenes.

Exactly who does get offended by Christians celebrating Christmas? A lot of Christians are offended by taking Christmas out of the season, let alone taking Christ out of Christmas. Should that not be taken into account also?

[Perran]

This is fine example of the snowball effect. Once one council or organisation sets a precedent others follow. The main fear is of prosecution under racial equality laws or of being accused of racism. The main point that these people seem to miss is that if we are to be multi cultural all faiths should be treated equally. That includes the Christian majority, can you imagine the uproar if we started telling Jews not to celebrate Hanuka or Muslims not celebrate Eid? Do Christians get upset when these festivals are celebrated? I know I don't so why do these councils etc assume that Muslims, Jews, Hindus etc are upset by Christmas? In the act of trying to create harmony they are actually causing disharmony aswell as treating non christians with contempt by assuming they will be offended. Most people I talk to are fuming if they are Christian or mildly bemused if not.

On a lighter note I found this poem the other day which just about weighs it all up! Enjoy!

A Politically Correct Christmas Story

'Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves".
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And labour conditions at the North Pole
were alleged by the union to stifle the soul.

Four reindeer had vanished, without much propriety,
Released to the wilds by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear
That Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid
Were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!

The runners had been removed from his sleigh;
The ruts were termed dangerous by the E.P.A.
And people had started to call for the cops
When they heard sled noises on their rooftops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe had his workers quite frightened.
His fur trimmed red suit was called "Unenlightened."

And to show you the strangeness of life's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorised use of his nose
And had gone on Geraldo, in front of the nation,
Demanding millions in over-due compensation.
So, half of the reindeer were gone; and his wife,
Who suddenly said she'd enough of this life,

Joined a self-help group, packed, and left in a whiz,
Demanding from now on her title was Ms.
And as for the gifts, why, he'd never had a notion
That making a choice could cause so much commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur,
Which meant nothing for him. And nothing for her.

Nothing that might be construed to pollute.
Nothing to aim, Nothing to shoot.
Nothing that clamoured or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls, or just for the boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific.
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacifistic.

No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish a truth.
And fairy tales, while not yet forbidden,
Were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden.
For they raised the hackles of those psychological
Who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.

No baseball, no football...someone could get hurt;
Besides, playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist, and should be passe;
And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.
So Santa just stood there, dishevelled, perplexed;
He just could not figure out what to do next.

He tried to be merry, tried to be gay,
But you've got to be careful with that word today.
His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground;
Nothing fully acceptable was to be found.
Something special was needed, a gift that he might
Give to all without angering the left or the right.

A gift that would satisfy, with no indecision,
Each group of people, every religion;
Every ethnicity, every hue,
Everyone, everywhere...even you.
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...
May you and your loved ones, enjoy peace on Earth.

Copyright; Author Unknown

[-pixie]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Interestingly yesterday on Blackburn market a member of an "ethnic minority" (are we allowed to say that or is that even non-PC these days?)

Funnily enough, and no I'm not joking, the "preferred" term is "minority ethnic" according to someone who works at Blackburn Town Hall.

[janet]

What ever happened to the saying, when in Rome do as the Romans do.

[fibi]

couldn't agree more with you janet, they choose to live here so they should live as we do!!

[lettie]

Funnily enough, we were talking at the Xmas do the other night about chainstore Santa's no longer being able to touch children. When I was a little girl you used to sit on his knee and get a present and tell him what you wanted for Xmas, it was magical. I suppose stores and companys are afraid that their Santa's would inappropriately touch the children, but surely no-one would do that in full view of the parent(s). Like most of this PC rubbish, it has gone way too far. I do concede that Santa would be a perfect job for a paedophile, but considering that about 98% of children are abused by a relative or somebody they know and trust, it would be unlikely the average store Santa would abuse a child.

[vorlon24]

While I agree that the average store Santa wouldn't do that, isn't he somebody that all children know and trust?

[mez]

yes lettie as you know i do agree with you the pc of our"modernworld" has gone overboard, now its the nativaty play "yet again " in schools plus the displaying of the manger scene's, i know this much christ-- mass is to commercialised we must try to remember wot its all about the birth of A CHILD.

[vorlon24]

mez, you just reminded me a couple of years ago some schools stopped parents filming their children in the nativity. Fortunately our school didn't, but the nursery where my daughter goes sent out 'permission' forms to the parents, asking us if we minded if our child was filmed.

This pc business is just getting totally out of hand

[Acrylic-bob]

Just how much further backwards are we expected to bend to accomodate muslims?
We have not been expected to do this for any other group of immigrants. We did not have council communications in Polish and Ukranian following the end of WW2. There was no suggestion that we should alter or curtail our religious traditions to accomodate Jews or Hindu's or Chinese minorities. What is so special about muslims that merits the complete overhaul of our cultural traditions. Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't it the same ethnic groups of muslims who whined, protested and complained loud and long when they had a British administration in their own country? Wasn't it they who could hardly wait to see the back of us in 1947? It seems strange that fifty years on they should be so eager to come and set up home in this nest of racist, imperialist, pigs.

It strikes me that if one goes chooses to live in a country which has different religious traditions, then one can hardly be surprised, or indeed offended, to find those traditions honoured. Surely it is for the immigrant to alter his traditions to fit in with those of the host country, not vice-versa.

But then I am just hopelessly old fashioned, so what do I know.

[fibi]

You're not old fashioned AB everything you have said is right

[Acrylic-bob]

Thanks fibi, I needed someone to tell me that.

[Darby]

Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob

Thanks fibi, I needed someone to tell me that.

Careful
A-Bob............the PC's and Crime Busters may be watching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is how we should now regard the end of december!!

In this multi-cultural, politically correct society I should clarify that I
> am merely imparting, with no obligations, implied or implicit, my best
> wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress,
> non addictive, gender neutral celebration of the Winter solstice holiday,
> practised within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion
> of your choice, or the secular practices of your choice, with respect for
> the religious or secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their
> choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
>

> May you, with reasonable endeavours as a reasonable and prudent person
> (being a person who exercises that degree of reasonableness, diligence,
> prudence and foresight that would reasonably and ordinarily be exercised by
> a skilled and experienced person doing a similar thing in similar
> circumstances and conditions in accordance with applicable laws and
> standards), have a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically
> uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar
> year 2005 but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other
> cultures whose contributions to society have helped to make this country
> great (not to imply that this country is necessarily greater than any other
> country) and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical
> ability, religious faith, political belief, choice of computer platform or
> sexual preference of the wishee.

> By accepting this greeting you are accepting these terms. This greeting is
> subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no
> alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the Wisher
> actually to implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, is
> void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the
> Wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual
> application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issue of
> a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and the warranty is
> limited to the replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the
> sole discretion of the Wisher.


MERRY XMAS TO ALL ON ACCYWEB (Oh hell...Now I'm for it!!!!)