It's official - our need to appear politically correct has crossed the line, from bordering on madness to out-and-out sheer insanity and I've had a gutsful.
But I'm not going to let it spoil Christmas for me. There, I said the new dreaded 'C word' and I'm going to keep saying it. Christmas, Christmas, Christmas.
I expect the PC are rallying now. Emails are being exchanged and a dialogue is under way to determine a suitable punishment for my crime - once the memorandum of understanding has been signed off, of course. Much like the FBI's most wanted, I now probably top the Santa naughty list.
If you haven't already heard, use of the word 'Christmas' is being openly discouraged for fear its religious connotations may exclude those of other faiths and the faithless. This is the policy used by the Auckland Regional Migrant Services and was supported by our own Race Relations Commissioner, Dame Susan Devoid - sorry ... Devoy.
The blatant targeting of Christians is bad enough, but it's the double standard that gets my blood boiling. On one hand ARMS are asking us to be accepting, respectful and welcoming to all cultures who choose to relocate here, but when it comes to our traditions and our beliefs, we are meant to dumb them down and effectively minimise their importance to us to give the appearance of inclusion. That's not promoting tolerance and acceptance; it's promoting denial. How can people learn to tolerate or accept anything until they are exposed to it or educated about it?
