Pink Poogle Toy Forum

I didn't know whether to put this in the debating board but I think I'd rather have a discussion on this...

Anyway, lately, I feel that political correctness has got way out of hand. I'm all for equality but it really was ridiculus when my 3 year old cousin came home singing "Baa baa blue sheep". When have you ever seen a blue sheep?!

Also, teachers at my school have been made to call a black board, a chalk board. Fair enough but why is a white board, still a white board?

Anyway, what bought up this issue is when the Bullring in Birmingham (biggest shooping centre in the city, possibly one of the famous in the country) decided not to have a Santa or grotto as it may be offensive to non- Christians. I'm sorry but personally, I find it completely stupid. Santa is nothing to do with the Christian celebration so why has he been banned? Santa doesn't offend the non- Christians I know and they actually find it amusing that some people are offended by a fat jolly bloke in a red suit! Little kids don't care about political correctness, all they want to do is see Santa Claus and get a present, why should we ruin their fun? Also, in Stoke, they've changed the name of Christmas to Winterfest as yet again, it's offensive to non- Christians.

I'm extremely angry at this. If people are offended by any of these things, then just don't celebrate Christmas. Simple as. My entire school is obsessed with this issue. I and a few few friends have put together a petition to 'Bring Back Santa'. We're going to send it off to local newspapers, local television and the actual Bullring, just to show that the majority of people of all religions are not offended by Santa. One of my closest male friends says he will personally dress up as Santa, go to the Bullring and get parents of young children to sign the petition.

I'd just like to know your thoughts on this subject. I do apologise if I have offended anyone in this rant. I'd especially like to hear from non- Christians, are you offended or not? Also, if I may, I'd like to quote a few of you within a extremely eloquent, yet firm letter to the local press, so it's best that I get your permission first. If I can scan my petition into my computer, would you please add your name to show your suppost. Thank you for reading my rant.

i found alot of people being politically correct (for some reason a few decided to be extremely correct when i informed them of my heritage -just about everyone who ever inhabited the british isle actually)
they stopped when i started doing it.
white chocolate? no. caucasion chocolate.
black templars? no. afro-carribean templars.
sorted that right up.
(the morle of this story, fight fire with napalm)

Forget religion. Why would a shopping center (of all places) ban the very icon that brings so many people to their stores this season in the first place?

Every year when this arguement about "Christmas" being the most dominant holiday in the stores comes up, I'm always saying that it's because no other holiday among "the holidays" has such a secular and commercial side to it (unfortunately). It brings in the most money, that's why it's so dominant.

Santa may have its roots in a Christain saint....but I read somewhere that the image we recognize as "Santa" today was started by the Coca-Cola Company.

PS: Are you in the Debate usergroup?

EDIT: Yes you are.

o_O I'm not Christian and I am definitely not offended with Santa or Christmas or anything. I've never been a Christian my entire life, but until I was about 9 I always looked forward to seeing Santa and asking him for Christmas presents. I've never even thought of Santa as specifically Christian either - he's a big ol' jolly man who gives people presents, why is that politically incorrect?

Yes, I do celebrate 'Christmas' rather than 'Winterfest'. Winterfest sounds too much like Winter Fresh to me anyway. I don't want to celebrate a holiday that sounds like some breath mints. o_o

That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard, how on earth can it be offensive for the country you live in to celebrate a holiday? How can a fat guy in a red and white suit be offensive to anyone except maybe weight watchers? This country is going down hill with its political correctness, it is considered offensive to be proud to be British/English it is illegal to have a flag outside of your house and the papers are full of bizarre stories everyday of people having to change their habits just incase someone gets offended.

Am I offended when other cultures celebrate their holidays? No.
Am I offended because other people follow a different religion to myself? No.
Would I be offended if when visiting a foreign country, they celebrated their religious holidays? No.

My children study other religions and cultures as part of the National curriculum at school, (a very good thing in my opinion) yet they are not allowed to celebrate St Georges Day for fear of offending non-english people. They recently visited a Hindu Temple and dressed in traditional costume, ate traditional food etc but come a Christian religious holiday and the school doesnt want to know about it.

It has to be said though that the vast majority of non christian people living in this country couldnt give two hoots about whether we celebrate christmas or not, there are a few who perhaps get offended (when is there not?) but usually decisions like this come from British christians in authority.

My own personal opinion is that the madness surrounding political correctness today is going to start more resentment, how can we ever abolish racism and cultural hatred when it is considered taboo to be proud of your country or heritage? Instead of avoiding offence all these do gooders are actually doing is fueling the race war and giving the narrow minded even more ammunition to throw at people who are different to them.

Sorry for rambling but this subject really bugs me, yes I dream of a world where people can be accepted for who they are not what they are or what they believe, call me crazy!

Well, the reason it's a chalk board rather than a black board is that most 'black boards' are actually green, so it's a misnomer anyhow. I've always called them chalkboards, anyhow.

As for the Santa thing...okay, I won't lie. Take this however you want - it doesn't offend me, but it annoys me. I don't celebrate Christmas and I don't get presents, and it's just sort of...having it rubbed in my face when I go to school or Neopets or wherever and see all this Christmas stuff, and occasionally, crammed in somewhere, a tiny menorah or something.

But on another note, I do love the festive spirit, and I like seeing all the little kids excited. Plus, Christmas trees and holiday lights are really pretty - so, I can occasionally get annoyed, but all in all I guess I don't have a problem with it. Even if I did, I would certainly never demand that Christmas-related things be banned in a public mall. That's just idiotic.

I am not a Christian and I am not at all offended by this. I love Santa Claus, my favorite guy in the whole world, I don't want them to take him away!

Christmas is a festival, sure it has religious meaning to it but now Christmas is mostly a commercialized holiday, sad but true. Santa Claus is a fat man in a red suit and brings a smile to little kids faces, isn't that what this holiday is about? Happiness?

I celebrate Christmas, my parents deliver presents from Santa to me, I thank him, I love the fact that I can embrace another holiday supposedly from another religion very well. I would be very upset if they took away the Santa Claus in the shopping mall nearest me, even though he is simply one of Santa's helpers, I wouldn't want the spirit of Christmas to be erased from children's minds.

I really hope your petition works and if you need my name, PM me and I'll happily give you it and another statement if you want me too. Good luck.

I know! The whole world can just become one country and we can all cover our faces with grey masks and we can all wear grey jumpsuits and everyone can shave their head, and we can ban all holidays off the face of the planet, and while we're at it, we can all jump into an endless void at the edge of the earth and no one will have to worry about anything ever again.

I, personally, find the whole "Banning Santa" thing stupid. I mean come ON, how is this being discriminatory?


Christmas is just another one of those Holidays that has in today's society become more generic than religious. Although I think that maybe the schools shouldn't go all-out decorating for it (you should see ours ). I celebrate Christmas to the fullest, but sometimes I can't help but wonder why are other holidays aren't so fully expressed. Oh well. That's still no reason to sack Santa. That'd be just like getting rid of the Easter Bunny...

I am so offended How can they call it Winterfest? Where I am I have no four seasons, so does that mean I cannot celebrate Christmas?

Pffft, with the way they're trying to not offend other religions, it sounds like they're gonna end up offending Christians. Okay okay, I am Christian and I celebrate Christmas, but in all honesty I don't celebrate it religiously. It's a day with pretty trees and gifts and love and all that good stuff. When I see Hannukah or Kwanzaa (I know I spelled those wrong) cards at the store, I don't go "OMG RELIGIOUS BAN IT", I'm just like "Spiffy" and go about doing whatever I was doing. Heck, I like Hannukah songs more than a lot of Christmas carols! They're catchy! Then again, nothing like that really offends me. I don't get offended by those who diss America, Christians, white people, sometimes I laugh along if it's funny enough. As for the Santa thing, come on, it's a jolly ol' fat guy who gives out presents, he doesn't go around flinging Bibles at people yelling "HEY WORSHIP JESUS". And even if he was originated from a saint, almost no one really cares about that. What's so offending about a fat guy?! Jeez... it's those kind of stupid people that gave me a detention for saying "crap" and "oh my God". "Everything must be goody-goody and fair to everyone!" Uggh. They need to stop living in their fantasy land and come back to the real world. No matter what you do, someone's gonna get offended.

(Now that's a rant!)

How silly..

It is so sad how people put so much effort into erasing Christianity from today's society. But everything else is okay. Why do peolple not worry about offending us?

Not everything should be about Christianity in the world.
Not every thing is about "Me" or "us".
People do worry about offending you.
I wouldn't complain.

Aren't you the one who was unhappy with the whole Halloween focus on Neopets?
Because, really, this is sort of the equivalent.

Everything anybody ever does or says will offend somebody somewhere. The people with the power to affect change in this area will do so whenever and however it is in their own personal best interest. More often than not, this is an interest in remaining the people with the power to affect change.

Round and round and round we go.




A friend of mine who works in Education was recently asked to complete a course where he was informed that Black Boards must be referred to as "Wet Wipe Boards" and White Boards should be called "Dry Wipe Boards".

All hail the nanny state.

Well, as long as anyone of a non-christian religion isnt allowed to participate in any of their religious events publicly, because it might offend non-"other religion" people. And OOOH imagine the uproar if divali lights were banned, or whatever.

All this is doing is giving racism more ammunition against the apparant "ethic immigrant invasion" of the UK; I mean, who would really welcome an immigrant whose "ilk" has tried to ban santa? Its just giving racism ammo.