Don't Call Me a Ho, Santa.

zakk · #1 (**permalink**) 11-15-2007, 08:41 PM

Censoring Santa: Sydney says no, no, no to Ho, Ho, Ho - BloggingStocks

Quote:

Censoring Santa: Sydney says no, no, no to Ho, Ho, Ho
Posted Nov 15th 2007 2:52PM by Sarah Gilbert
Filed under: Scandals

Christmas (or should I say "Xmas" -- "the holiday season" maybe?) continues to be criminalized and the companies that make a business of tinsel, gaily wrapped packages and "ho, ho, ho" don't know whether to embrace or hide from the specter of political incorrectness.

I'm sorry. Did I offend you?

In the latest blow to the no-longer-holy holidays, Santas in Sydney, Australia are being urged to say "ha, ha, ha," instead of "ho, ho, ho."

Recruitment firm Westaff (NASDAQ: WSTF), which contracts with hundreds of Santas, sending them to stores and social appearances throughout Australia, has re-vamped its training. It's telling would-be Santas that the "ho ho ho" phrase "could frighten children and could even be derogatory to women," according to an Australian newspaper.

As Zac Bissonnette says, "ho, ho, ho" is offensive? I could understand if Santas were walking around calling people nappy-headed 'hos," but Santa's jolly greeting is more kid lit than gangsta rap.
After all, what does "ho, ho, ho" remind you of, more, than "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"? Can't you just see a belly bouncing like a bowl full of jelly?

Oh, dear. Now I've just offended those with larger-than-normal body types.

While Christmas is certainly much ballyhoed by businesses worldwide -- from Starbucks' frenzy over its holiday drinks to the American high holy Black Friday -- it turns out that Christmas may not even be good for the economy. (Experts posit that buying so many unwanted things ends up making us unhappy, and is wasting our resources. I'd buy that for a dollar.) Christmas is just a minefield. Emphasize Christianity and you're alienating your Jewish and Muslim customers; pull a Lowe's and call your fake spruces "Family Trees" [pdf link] and you'll have the Christians boycotting you. This year, thanks to the China lead paint scare, many families don't even want to buy toys unless they're made in the U.S.A., handily excluding the majority of toy companies' products.

If you are a business, can you win this year? Probably not. Unless you remember that this whole thing is supposed to be about the spirit behind "ho, ho, ho." Be jolly no matter what the size of your belly and how jelly-like its jiggles. Offer products that are good, safe and useful no matter how they're marketed in your circulars. Give a little.
And, if there's no one watching and you're really careful, maybe you can wish some of your customers a "merry Christmas!" and laugh. Ho, ho, ho.

Wolfn · #2 (**permalink**) 11-15-2007, 08:45 PM

Political Correctness gone mad.

IbnMardhiyah · #3 (**permalink**) 11-15-2007, 08:54 PM

I vote to convert the word ho to ha, with all its attendant meanings and implications.

hahaha, suckers.

woops, sorry. Maybe I should have said ah ah ah.

Variable · #4 (**permalink**) 11-15-2007, 09:48 PM

Way to turn the jolly old fat guy with a snowy white beard into maniacal laughing freak. thumbs down

Bluestar · #5 (**permalink**) 11-15-2007, 11:53 PM

aye. Just as absurd as baa baa, rainbow sheep and not celebrating christmas in school but celebrating every other festival possible!

Not good.

ps. My sympathies go out to santa, it's not nice when people say you have a goofy laugh

YOUSUFofSD · #6 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 12:57 AM

why in Oz...are there a lot of...

Rain · #7 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 05:48 AM

i like santa...i always went to his grotto as a kid.

but this is ridiculous, ho can't turn into ha, it doesn't sound right.

Bluestar · #8 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 10:51 AM

did you sit on his lap, rain? I did, i tried to pull his beard off too

didn't know in this case it was actually real. Santa wasn't happy.

Rain · #9 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluestar

did you sit on his lap, rain? I did, i tried to pull his beard off too

didn't know in this case it was actually real. Santa wasn't happy.

err, NO, i was a nice, civilised child with perfect mannerisms.

oh, and i knew Santa wasn't real, my mum said: there's no such thing, we're muslims! so that was pretty much it, really.

zakk · #10 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluestar

did you sit on his lap, rain? I did, i tried to pull his beard off too

didn't know in this case it was actually real. Santa wasn't happy.

so you feel that, as you were the one who assaulted him by pulling off his beard, he was fully justified in calling you a ho?

Rain · #11 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zakk

so you feel that, as you were the one who assaulted him by pulling off his beard, he was fully justified in calling you a ho?

Noo, you got it wrong. She pulled the beard off AFTER he insulted her with "ho"

zakk · #12 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain

Noo, you got it wrong. She pulled the beard off AFTER he insulted her with "ho"

at which point, he called her a ho two more times?

Bluestar · #13 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zakk

at which point, he called her a ho two more times?

no, he got up and started to shout adhan. Right looking man, wrong religion.

zakk · #14 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 01:05 PM

So you go around sitting in the laps of bearded men? At random?

wheelworks · #15 (**permalink**) 11-16-2007, 01:09 PM

Are they gonna ban this too?