Kate Hawkesby: Sacking Santa and other 'sexism' stupidity

COMMENT: When I read that organisers had axed Santa from the Farmers Santa parade, due to him being sexist, I realised we'd reached peak madness.

Santa, in this case otherwise known as Neville Baker, made the fatal mistake of saying out loud, that he doesn't hire women to play Father Christmas. I know, outrageous. What was he thinking?

He claimed the expectations people have when they meet Santa is that he is a man. Did he not get the memo that this is 2018? That you cannot possibly utter such offensive words.

He got the sack. The Auckland Children's Christmas Parade Trust, organisers of the Farmers parade, said they would no longer be employing him as his comments were "inappropriate and unnecessary". You have got to be kidding me.

Is it inappropriate to suggest people's expectations of Father Christmas are that he's a man? Of course not. Is it necessary to sack Santa because he expressed an opinion? No, it's ridiculous.

If we can sheet this faux uproar and token outrage by the corporates who sacked him as kowtowing to feminist ideals, then this is where feminism has gone awry.

Can men literally not do a single thing without deferring to women, acknowledging women, professing women's capabilities? Must we as women be offended by literally everything?

And put the shoe on the other foot for a moment. What would the ardent feminists say if a man suggested Wonder Woman be played by a man?

This falls into the same category as the female scientist who called US airport security 'sexist' because they asked her why she needed two laptops. She said it was micro-aggressive. She felt she was a victim of gender bias because she'd been asked by a man a question that, to be frank, could've just as easily been asked by a woman.

Likewise a man carrying two laptops may've been asked why he was carrying them. She was being asked a genuine question, yet she felt ridiculed. So whose fault is that? His? Or hers? Can men not ask women questions, for fear of being called sexist.

If we jump up and down and scream "sexist" every time we are spoken to by a man, what are we doing to advance the cause of women? How is it in the interests of feminism to constantly sound like victims?

How about we just answer the question and not assume the worst of every male who opens their mouth.

How about we try to be a bit more discerning about what's a question, and what's 'micro-aggressive'.

And as for the sacked sexist Santa: how about corporates such as the Farmers parade organisers harden up - and stop indulging this kind of madness by endorsing this current crazy currency of offence.

Correction
An earlier version of this story indicated that Farmers dropped its longstanding Santa for its Christmas parade. This was incorrect. Farmers is the naming rights sponsor of the parade. Employment decisions are made by the Auckland Children's Christmas Parade Trust. We apologise to Farmers for the error.