UK: No more xmas decs at work!

[AndyR]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13555334,00.html

This is happening at our work as well. No more christmas decorations in case it offends none christians!! The UK is going mad!

Anyone got a spare H1B going handy?

 

[Queso]

From that article, it looks more like employers are scared of Health and Safety legislation than offending non-Christians. Given that Sky, The Sun and Fox News are all part of the same company, I think this is a bit of a Murdoch spin on the issue.

 

[Osarkon]

why does this not surprise me anymore? I like how they're obsessed with the idea of not offending non-Christians, but obviously have no regard for the Christians. Don't they consider it might offend them? It's completely ridiculous.

 

[Dunepilot]

My old job was in the voluntary sector, where they're so PC it's nuts. So, when I visited the Vatican, I sent them a big postcard of the Pope. They had to put it up on the wall along with all of the other ones people had sent while on holiday, or they would have risked causing offence to me

 

[MacRy]

Yep the UK has gone PC mental.....which is probably an un-PC in itself.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/6207970.stm

 

[TheAnswer]

why does this not surprise me anymore? I like how they're obsessed with the idea of not offending non-Christians, but obviously have no regard for the Christians. Don't they consider it might offend them? It's completely ridiculous.

If not being able to have a tree and decorations offends a Christian, I'd suggest they refocus on the core beliefs of their faith and not the concepts and traditions coopted and adapted from the non-christian european traditions.

 

[mkrishnan]

If not being able to have a tree and decorations offends a Christian, I'd suggest they refocus on the core beliefs of their faith and not the concepts and traditions coopted and adapted from the non-christian european traditions.

Sorry, but I have to ditto the overseas lack of sympathy on this one.... we've gotten used to having holiday / winter season decorations that don't play favorites. You ought to as well.

 

[MacPanda]

I am so sick of the uk - i really hate living in london - we should remind the politicians that this is a christian country and furthermore how much stress and harm and offence can a bit of tinsel and pretty christmas tree do to people who aren't Christian. Soon we won't be able to walk cos of political correctness - this country is going mad.

 

[Queso]

Once again people, read the article. The only two examples they name are both copping out of decorations because of Health and Safety legislation. I also don't find it coincidence that Tower Hamlets Council is named by Sky News, as it has a large Asian community, so the implication that this is an anti-Christian move rather than a fear of lawsuits move is reinforced to the reader. A classic Murdoch title strategy.

If this is anything, it's a result of the Bliar Governmnet and it's overhandedness towards introducing a constant stream of regulations to justify their pumping up the size of the civil service. It's a very biased article and probably not based on anything but a tiny modicum of fact.

 

[calculus]

I don't want to offend anyone but surely Christmas, apart from the name, doesn't have much to do with Christianity.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

I surprised someone hasn't sued over *not* being able to show some xmas spirit....

Its all stupidity and way over reacted to - such a sad state of affairs.

D

 

[Brize]

The UK is going mad!

Anyone got a spare H1B going handy?

You think the UK's 'going mad' so you want to move to the US?

Best of luck with that.

 

[SpookTheHamster]

I am so sick of the uk - i really hate living in london - we should remind the politicians that this is a christian country and furthermore how much stress and harm and offence can a bit of tinsel and pretty christmas tree do to people who aren't Christian. Soon we won't be able to walk cos of political correctness - this country is going mad.

This is NOT a Christian country. Nor should it be, the Church and the state should never be combined. Granted, some of our laws are still formed around Christianity (Sunday trading, etc), but the UK has always been a community of many different cultures, which is what makes us what we are.

I don't practice any religion, but I think it's silly to ban Christmas decorations when the holiday has moved a long way from it's religious beginnings. We should go the whole hog and rename it "xmas" like they do in Futurama to remove all notion of religion.

 

[savanahrose]

I don't want to offend anyone but surely Christmas, apart from the name, doesn't have much to do with Christianity.

It used to mean something, but it lost its meaning along the way. Now it is too commercialized. My opinion only folks. It used to be about spending time with the family and the birth of Christ.

Now it is like what did you get me for Christmas! bah humbug.

I still believe in the old ways, I just wish that it wasn't so commercialized.

I keep telling people not to get me anything or if they must to give money to the children's hospital but do they NOOOOOOO. Which is too bad, I can't take the presents back because I dont get a receipt with it they would give me the sale price whether it was sold at full price or not, so what is the use.

MERRY CHRISTMAS everybody!!!

 

[Bern]

I don't want to offend anyone but surely Christmas, apart from the name, doesn't have much to do with Christianity.

Well it is the celebration of Christ's birth and that is what Christianity is about I think.... "Christ".

Here in Sydney our Lord Mayor has seen fit to not erect Christmas decorations in the city, but for a few flags, because it will offend the muslim community. We don't even live in a muslim state for goodness sake. I'm sure if I went to a muslim country they wouldn't stop dawn prayers because the public broadcast would offend me.

The whole so called "political correct" policy is actually just a policy of fear.

 

[Bern]

.... We should go the whole hog and rename it "xmas" like they do in Futurama to remove all notion of religion.

Oh great and the muslims should rename it xmadan instead of ramadan

 

[Queso]

Oh great and the muslims should rename it xmadan instead of ramadan

And when the Muslims turn Ramadan into nothing more than a festival of over-consumption as has happened to Christmas maybe they should.

 

[Bern]

And when the Muslims turn Ramadan into nothing more than a festival of over-consumption as has happened to Christmas maybe they should.

Not all Christians treat Christmas that way. Ever seen the muslims eating after xmadan or seen on the news killing each other in the pilgrimage each year?? I call that over-consumption.

 

[calculus]

a festival of over-consumption as has happened to Christmas

You could argue that this is simply a pagan reclaiming of their festival.

 

[Queso]

Not all Christians treat Christmas that way. Ever seen the muslims eating after xmadan or seen on the news killing each other in the pilgrimage each year?? I call that over-consumption.

That's not Ramadan, that's the Festival of Eid. Sort of like we celebrate Carnival before Lent, but they do it afterwards.

You could argue that this is simply a pagan reclaiming of their festival.

Or how I prefer to look at it, self-aware apes using any excuse to stuff their faces

 

[displaced]

The crazy thing is...

Not one single friend of mine who's Muslim, Jewish or Sikh has any problem whatsoever with Christmas, and one or two of them are quite observant about their faith. They'll wish me a merry Christmas (despite the fact I'm not a Christian... or anything), and I'll wish them a happy Vaisakhi. That is showing respect and consideration for other faiths, not neutering the expression of something just because it's more prevalent than other expressions.

That's the beauty of a secular society. Worship and celebrate whatever you damn well like without interference from others. That's true 'political correctness'. Of course, it's difficult... misguided attempts to show consideration for minority faiths by curtailing expression of the major faith is much, much easier for many people than, y'know, actually showing tolerance and -- dare I say it ... interest in -- the other faiths.

The problem is, the bigots win either way. While misguided liberals attempt to 'show respect to others' by mutating Christmas into 'the Holiday season', the bigots see this 'PC gone mad!' as another reason to go around ripping Burkhas from law-abiding Muslim women's faces.

So sad... that decent fair liberalism is spoilt by idiots who think 'Xmas' is more respectful to other faiths than 'Christmas'.

 

[iAlan]

Well put displaced

To be honest, I don't know where a line should be drawn on PC in general. It seems any and all issues are now subject to some 'PC-ifying' for reasons that are beyond me -- and sometinmes beyond logic.

<- Editted 2 hr 5 minutes after the fact -- I just realized my 'tar might be offensive, save for the Apple on top...

I read here on MR that WalMart changed 'Happy Holidays' -- which they adopted last year so as not to offend people -- back to 'Merry Christmas' because people complained

Is there such a thing as 'reverse PC' like some people claim 'reverse discrimination' (BTW -- I disagree with 'reverse discrimination' -- it is either discrimination or not, nothing 'reverse' about it) 'cause if so I want my tree back...

I guess it is OK for a non-Christian to complain but to still get a day off on December 25th?

A set of guidelines issued by the service warned against ...playing too much modern music, because it might offend older members of staff.

Who wants to go to a party with old people anyway

 

[Brize]

There's an interesting article in the Guardian today, exposing the 'PC campaign against Christmas' as a myth. Well worth a read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/christmas2006/story/0,,1967367,00.html

 

[Queso]

There's an interesting article in the Guardian today, exposing the 'PC campaign against Christmas' as a myth. Well worth a read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/christmas2006/story/0,,1967367,00.html

Well, there's a surprise

 

[notjustjay]

The crazy thing is...

Not one single friend of mine who's Muslim, Jewish or Sikh has any problem whatsoever with Christmas, and one or two of them are quite observant about their faith. They'll wish me a merry Christmas (despite the fact I'm not a Christian... or anything), and I'll wish them a happy Vaisakhi. That is showing respect and consideration for other faiths, not neutering the expression of something just because it's more prevalent than other expressions.

Exactly!

The whole world is turning Christmas into a generic "seasonal holiday", and the excuse given is "we don't want to offend non-Christians".

As a result, shops don't say "Merry Christmas", and I've even heard on the news that some places are foregoing the traditional red and green in favour of gold and silver decor. One mall here in the city even has a "Holiday fairy" to talk to instead of Santa Claus!

WHERE are all the people who are complaining that saying "Merry Christmas" is offensive to them?

WHERE are all the people who are complaining that Santa Claus is offensive to them?

WHERE are all the people who are complaining that the colors red and green are offensive to them?

(And, seriously... replacing Santa Claus with a fairy? Getting rid of red and green? Surely this is political correctness gone mad! OK, I can maybe sympathize if there are people out there who don't want anything to do with Jesus Christ, but... who's offended by Santa Claus and red and green???)