Tuesday, November 14, 2006

News 2 on Religion: Meet the New Political Correctness; Same as the Old Political Correctness

Originally published at Free Tennessee:

In a broadcast story of Wal-Mart's decision to allow its employees in 2006 to wish shoppers "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays," WKRN reporter Jamey Tucker used the terms "PC" and "politically correct" in his own description of Wal-Mart's 2005 policy of requiring the expression "Happy Holidays."  However, Mr. Tucker failed to note that any attempt to change language that offends someone is considered "PC," and thus, he also neglected to point out that the change to promoting the supposedly less offensive word "Christmas" over the word "Holiday" itself is a form of political correctness.

Only one person of the four interviewed in the broadcast actually use the term "PC," and that person's point was reported as "everyone needs to lighten up."  None of the interviewees were shown as saying that they personally stopped coming to Wal-Mart because they were not wished a Merry Christmas.  Despite the fact that Wal-Mart did not give Mr. Tucker their reasons for changing their policy, the reporter concluded that Wal-Mart "was once again celebrating Christmas" because they were sending customers the message, "We messed up last year."

Particularly puzzling about Mr. Tucker's assumptions is his omission of the fact that the word "Holiday" is as historically rooted in Christianity as is the word "Christmas."  In fact, "Christmas," literally deriving from "The Mass of Christ," is a term rooted in Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy rather than emerging from the Protestant Tradition (which does not have the Mass).  That point was also left out of the report.

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