General Chat

I'd like to abolish the word "crimbo" - it has a mocking trivialising ring to it.

When in the military I recall lots of us using the term "Merry Crimble."

Karen


it is indeed "political correctness" that has led to the very decreased use of terms such as Christmas season, Happy Christmas, etc.


it is supposed to be annoying to those of other religions to hear such phrases.


However, if you ask ordinary Joe Blow other religion", most have no problem with hearing phrases including the word Christmas


so ................. who is deciding that we should not use them???????????????/

Exactly, Sylvia! Just WHO are the culprits who have instigated this 'holiday' malarkey?!!

probably the same idiots who use "absolutely" all the time instead of just "yes"
Use "at this moment in time" instead of "now"

I don't know about the UK .................

but it seems OK here to light menorahs in public places, and to say Happy Hannukah

it seems OK to have parades for Diwali, etc

it seems OK to celebrate other religious holidays in school classrooms, but not Christmas or Easter


but it's not OK to call a Christmas Tree a Christmas Tree when in a public place, or to wish everyone you see Happy Christmas.


It seems to me that the political correctness is coming from only one side ................... and that is not from the other religions!

I'm with you totally 'at this moment in time', Ann!

Sylvia, you are absolutely spot-on with your observations.

I detest it when someone helps me and I say 'thank you' and they reply 'no problem' instead of 'you are welcome'. Uggh.
It should never be a problem, methinks!

Hmm - I can see where you are coming from Sylvia, but to a certain extent its the 'authorities' be it the Council or others who are very nervous about upsetting non-Christian minorities. Most of the established minorities don't give two hoots if its a Christmas Tree & Christmas Lights, or Festive tree & Festive Lights!

The little girl next door asks us if we like her Christmas Tree and has a 'Santa stop here' sign in the front garden. Her family's nominal religion? Sikh!

DET

Yes, I agree, the push is from the "authorities", the council, the school board, etc




But over here, they were pushed into action by "community activists" complaining to them



I've always failed to see why the Christian religious observances had to be stopped ........

...... could not ALL the religious observances be done, including Christian?

Slightly off-thread but still within very broad parameters about Councils etc being PC.

read this: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/20104798/council-sets-rules-on-body-language/

I spent over forty years in local government, many as a senior manager in WA in a medium sized council, and it was all the gestures etc that kept me sane. They broke up what would otherwise be extremely boring meetings!

Isn't it strange that the people who condemn Christmas in various ways

never refuse the Christmas days off and the money that goes with it.

F.

I apologise to those who may have read this piece I posted earlier today on another thread - but it seems relevant to the general topic of language being discussed here.

Developing Words: -

Sir John Cheke (16 June 1514 – 13 September 1557) was an English classical scholar who wrote: ‘I am of this opinion that our own tung should be written cleane and pure, unmixt and unmangeled with borowing of other tunges; wherein if we take not heed by tiim, ever borowing and never paying, she shall be fain to keep her house as bankrupt‘.

* Don't waste your time putting this through your spell-checker!