Has political correctness gone too far?

Question

In Australia, newspapers are reporting that Shopping centre santas are no longer allowed to say "ho ho ho" but "ha ha ha" instead.

This is for several reasons...

1. Children are far too scared of santa, and ha ha ha is something children can relate to.

2. That children will associate the "ho" in "ho ho ho" with another term which is considered derogatory.

Come on, let Santa say ho ho ho like he always has..

What do you think?

Answer 1

the bleeding hearts are ridiculous. infact, they offend me, which makes them politically incorrect. so really, they are a bunch of hypocrites!

Answer 2

These "reports" are always surfacing and I wonder where the papers get their info from. It's very similar to one in the UK a few weeks back where it was reported that workers were frightened to put up decorations for fear of offending ethnic/religious minorities etc. At the time that was put down to a Government "think tank". I do remember my daughter running out of Santa's grotto 7 or 8 years back and refusing to go anywhere near. The idea of a 3 year old associating ho-ho-ho with anything other than a (fake) laugh is quite frankly ridiculous.
The odd thing is that there are never any names behind these reports and I often wonder whether there is some agenda on the government/opposition's part to get people talking about an irrelevant issue rather than more important topics.
I have a dislike of the orgy of greed and gluttony that Christmas has become and if "they" wanted to do something really constructive, I would not object if stores were told they couldn't stock the stuff or put up a grotto before Advent. Outlaw people lighting up the front of their house like a football stadium? Fine by me. Stop people blasting millions of pounds worth of gunpowder into the air on NYE? I won't bat an eyelid (especially as I'm now only supposed to smoke my pipe in a cupboard under the stairs). Frankly though I'm sure there are more important issues for even the most trivial of tabloids to report, even concerning Christmas, and can't help but wonder if there is not some hidden agenda here.

Answer 3

not allowing santa to say "ho ho ho" is like saying rudolph can't have a red nose because red noses are somewhat associated with alcoholics. Political correctness is just spiralling out of control pretty soon we won't be able to do anything in case we offend people. It wouldn't surprise me if Christmas will end up being banned because not all religions have christmas or as it seems to be turning away from the true meaning of celebration and turning into a money making campaign by the sales industry (most notably shops). Bt going back to the original report rearding Santas why would he saying "ha ha ha" is he laughing or making fu of someone??? Let them keep the tradition that has been around for many generations and let them say "ho ho ho" and lets try and halt the absurdness of political correctness infringing on many innocet phrases.

Answer 4

How can children be afraid of Santa when they can play computer game that kill people or destroy things? Yet again it is a parent/s duty to teach children respect, manors, and all the other things that have been lost over the past few decades.

As for 'Ho Ho Ho' I am sure Santa was around a long time before women/men of the night were known as Hoe's that is just total madness

Answer 5

I think that it is ridiculous, the word "ho" and Santas "ho, ho, ho" are completely different because of the way they are said. I can understand these people doing this if a Santa was using the "ho, ho, ho" phrase to insult women but nobody is. Its like saying we need to call a garden hoe, a garden ha in case any woman gets slightly insulted. Personally I think this is going to far!!!! The world is getting like Big Brother, the government might as well just hand out booklets on how we can sew up our own mouths so nobody will ever be insulted ever again!!!!!!

Answer 6

This is an absolutely ridiculous statement, yet another case of the bleeding heart leftie liberals increasing the nannie state even further.
Children love Santa and Ho Ho Ho is a phrase that has been associated with the charactor for a very long time. And I would like to know WHAT women would be offended - did they have no childhood?
Come on people make a stand and stop this erosion of common sense before we loose the plot completely!

Answer 7

Ho - does a child who still believes in santa have a clue what the term "Ho" means ? I live in UK where the term "Ho" doesn't mean that much to the majority of the population, and less to small children. I think that these warnings come more from the minds and predujices of the objectors than they ever could from the "target" audience ie young kids. If you really have a problem with this area just go into print and say Santa is a myth and go from there. Do not impose your predujicies and views about the meanings of words onto the next generation. Let them cope - believe me most of them will.

Answer 8

Just as with all things people who move to live in another country should accept the customs of that county may not be the same as the country they have come from and accept that what is offensive in their culture is not offensive in another.
When in Rome do as the Romans When in Australia ... When in Britain...
We are already loosing to many of our customs and traditions due to Political correctness. Christmas is becoming something to be ashamed of. Religion is slowly being taken out of it. The meaning is being lost in Political correctness. Try and find a Christmas card in shops which depicts the birth of Christ which is what we celebrate. Angels are being replace with Fairies.
HO HO HO is what Santa has always said and so HO HO HO is what he and his helpers throughout the world should say. Children soon get over the fear of the man in the red and white outfit when they understand who he is. Education not changing tradition is what is needed.

Answer 9

As someone who worked as a photographer, taking photos of kids with Santa, I can safely say that 90% of kids are TERRIFIED of him. Some have to be physically dragged screaming up to him (which is outrageous and the parents should be told off). Its the beard. And the fact that, since they were born, there have been images of this guy all around their houses. They have been blackmailed with "be good cos Santa's watching". In a three-year-old's head, Santa is up there with God, the devil, and the tooth-fairy. Then suddenly they are taken into a room and he's sitting there... they freak out! It as NOTHING to do with how he laughs, talks, smiles, smells.. most don't get within ten feet of him.

As for banning HO HO HO... come on. If three year olds listen to rap records at home where some "gansta" is calling a woman a "hoe", then there is something wrong with the bloody parents, not the Santa tradition. Sad...

Answer 10

Children maybe scared of Santa but not the reason above, probably because of a huge stranger in a red suit and lots of facial hair. I would hope that most children at the age of believing in Santa woul not understand the derogatory term.(my children at this age would not have done!) Santa was an Xmas symbol before some idiot shortened the word whore to HO because they lack the brain cells to say the full word!!! So....Ho Ho Ho everyone, Merry Xmas xx

Answer 11

I feel really sad that my children will not be able to grow up and experience the same childhood I had although I will do my best to make sure that they do. I was able to sit on santa's lap, Santa also had a big belly (refering to the reports earlier in the week that Santa should have six pack instead of big belly as it encourages children to eat more and become overweight, I'm not overweight), Santa also said Ho Ho Ho as a child I had no idea that this had any other meaning than what Santa said.

Let children be children and enjoy the same things that we used to enjoy. The majority of us turned out all right didn't we? What has this world become?