If you rec'd this xmas card from us would you think we were weirdos? - Page 2

[BeanSprout Mama]

The picture is just perfect, and so precious!

I do think the card is funny but TBH I wouldn't want to receive it. I completely understand and respect not celebrating Christmas, but if you don't celebrate Christmas then why are you sending a card? I do celebrate Christmas and it's my favorite holiday, so to get a card chock-full of sarcasm about my favorite holiday would not make me feel very good. It doesn't make sense to me to send a Christmas card with a very sweet and Christmasy baby picture on it, that's sarcastic and in honor of a holiday you don't celebrate. It would rub me the wrong way to get that in the mail and I would be kind of offended. It's the sort of thing I expect to get in a silly email forward, not as a real Christmas card.

If you want to do a card, I'd stick with a simple Season's Greetings - much less likely to hurt feelings or ruffle feathers.

[octobermoon]

it's hard for me to say since i don't know you...i think that people who do know you will get more of what you mean by it. that said under my interpretation it's funny.

[2boyzmama]

I re-read, surprised at some of the comments, but I still think it's funny! I think it's a light-hearted joke about how worked up people can get! PC has gone way too far, which is why this is funny.

If you do celebrate Christmas, you could put a simple Merry Christmas at the bottom to further point out that it's just a joke.

I like it, a lot, and I suspect most of your friends will too...after all they're friends with you, I assume they know your sense of humor!

[Ammaarah]

I'm not in your DDC but anytime I see "weirdos" in a thread title, I have to check. As a person who doesn't celebrate Christmas, I'd totally enjoy this card. The joke may not be that fresh but it would crack me up anyway.

[octobermoon]

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

If you do celebrate Christmas, you could put a simple Merry Christmas at the bottom to further point out that it's just a joke.

this is what i was thinking. i'd put that.

[mama2mygirl]

It made me laugh! I live in the Bay Area where PC can get out of hand so I especially liked this.

[lach]

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

PC has gone way too far, which is why this is funny.

Just wondering why you think that? How far should it go, and what is too far?

[Baby_Cakes]

DDC crashing - dude, that is hilarious!

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by lach

Just wondering why you think that? How far should it go, and what is too far?

the whole paragraph illustrates it.

you can't even say merry christmas to a stranger without risking offending someone.

in our town we don't trick or treat on halloween night, it's some other day, because of the connotations associated with halloween (never mind that it--and christmas--are so commercialized it's not about the real history anymore anyway!)

my son's school recently changed its named from "mental retardation/developmental disabled services" to only DDS, even though there IS a medical differentiation between the terms MR and DD.

soon enough it'll change to "differently abled" because disabled isn't pc enough anymore!

is someone short, or "height challenged"?

do we say black, negro, or african american now? what about for other ethnic groups, what's the current pc term?

i even got talked to at work for hanging up a sign that said "breastfeeding mom, please knock", i was asked to say "nursing mom" because saying "breast" might be offensive.

is a person fat, overweight, chubby, fluffy, or husky?


of course politeness and civility should rein, but no need to get all worked up over being politically correct. imo. that's why the card is funny!! if you don't celebrate christmas, just accept the heartfelt well wishes from others that do, don't get offended, just smile and go about your business. i am thankful for the thoughts when i get hannukah cards, and if someone sent me a festivus (you know, from seinfeld) card i'd laugh and be thankful for the sentiment.

[lach]

T 2boyzmama, I guess I don't see how most of those things aren't just being polite. IMO it's rude to assume that a random stranger celebrates Christmas. Many people do, many people don't. And I don't even really want to know what you were getting at in the bit about what to call people of different races. If you'd like to know the difference between black and African American, I'd be happy to explain it to you, but since you seem to think that black people should also be satisfied being referred to as Negros in 2009... well, finishing this sentence would probably go against the TOS.

The Halloween thing is weird, but since it's meant to appease the same people who also get up in arms that non-Christians don't like to be wished a Merry Christmas then I guess that's just a little bit of amusing irony. I know that many communities assign a Saturday night to trick or treat for safety issues, but in some places that was going on even when I was a kid.

Language use changes, and it's no longer acceptable to call people retarded. I'm okay with that. It's a word that's achieved a whole lot of baggage, and though I agree that it has a real medical meaning, that meaning has been so warped in the popular consciousness that I can certainly see why many people would like it to fall out of use. Other similar words have been phased out of medical usage: dumb and idiot, for example.

Other things you mention are kind of verging on the hysterical, though. People don't actually say "height challenged," nor do I actually see it ever happening. By talking about that and your weight example, you undermine your arguments, because no one is actually saying that you have to call short people "height challenged." I assume you got it as a line from something else, but it's just yet another exaggerated cultural anecdote meant to undermine situations where sensitivity to language used actually IS appropriate. For example, kids who don't want to have to say that they go to a school for "retarded" kids. Because like it or not, that word does carry connotations and baggage that are not in the term "developmental disability."

IMO, Except for your breastfeeding example, which is just plain odd, everything you mention is just plain politeness.

[Tjej]

Another DDC crasher (came up in new posts).

I think the card is cute and I get the humor (and I celebrate Christmas). I wouldn't be offended, although I think it would be funnier if you shortened it. IMO, it's a bit like a Jay Leno joke right now - it just keeps beating the last laugh out, instead of just being funny and then moving on.

Tjej

[PotreroHill]

Originally Posted by HarperCait

:P

We have a sense of humour, and *think* most of our friends and family do too. We want to send this out as our xmas card this year, and think it's funny, but we're wondering: do you think people will 'get' it or just think we're weirdos?

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...t/XMASCARD.jpg

That card is so funny

Your baby is beautiful

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by lach

T 2boyzmama, I guess I don't see how most of those things aren't just being polite. IMO it's rude to assume that a random stranger celebrates Christmas. I don't think it's assuming they celebrate Christmas, I see it as a heartfelt way to share the sentiment of the holiday. Say Happy Hannukah if you prefer. Or Season's Greetings. Or Happy New Year, or even Happy Winter! But the point is that the person saying it isn't intending to be rude at all! The person receiving it is interpreting it as rude, and I don't see the rudeness. Just smile and be thankful that someone cared enough to share joy with you. Respond in whatever way you want, they say Merry Christmas, you can respond with Happy December! if you want. Many people do, many people don't. And I don't even really want to know what you were getting at in the bit about what to call people of different races. If you'd like to know the difference between black and African American, I'd be happy to explain it to you, but since you seem to think that black people should also be satisfied being referred to as Negros in 2009... well, finishing this sentence would probably go against the TOS. I don't, but I know people that do. I do understand the difference, it was an illustration of how terms change so much.

The Halloween thing is weird, but since it's meant to appease the same people who also get up in arms that non-Christians don't like to be wished a Merry Christmas then I guess that's just a little bit of amusing irony.I also see the irony, and I don't like it. My first reaction was 'everyone puts up with Christmas and Easter, Christians can put up with Halloween' and all of those holidays are just over-commercialized anyway. If you don't want to take part in the commercialized version, don't! I know that many communities assign a Saturday night to trick or treat for safety issues, but in some places that was going on even when I was a kid. I thought that was the reason here, but it's been on a weeknight a few times, so that's not it.

Language use changes, and it's no longer acceptable to call people retarded. I'm okay with that. It's a word that's achieved a whole lot of baggage, and though I agree that it has a real medical meaning, that meaning has been so warped in the popular consciousness that I can certainly see why many people would like it to fall out of use. Other similar words have been phased out of medical usage: dumb and idiot, for example. But it's the precedent being set...connotations wouldn't exist if people weren't stupid and rude. If retarded falls out of favor, what's next? Some other word will just take its place. "Special" is going that way...people say in a hushed voice "he's...'special'" Hence my laughable example about being short. I did hear someone say 'I'm not short, I'm growth challenged'. They were joking, but the joke was pointing out PC-ness, just like this card is.

Other things you mention are kind of verging on the hysterical, though. People don't actually say "height challenged," nor do I actually see it ever happening. By talking about that and your weight example, you undermine your arguments, because no one is actually saying that you have to call short people "height challenged." But the point is where does it stop? Where is the line between humor and rudeness? It changes generation to generation. I assume you got it as a line from something else, but it's just yet another exaggerated cultural anecdote meant to undermine situations where sensitivity to language used actually IS appropriate. For example, kids who don't want to have to say that they go to a school for "retarded" kids. Because like it or not, that word does carry connotations and baggage that are not in the term "developmental disability." Now even that term is becoming awkward, because I'm being told I should not look at my child as DISabled, rather as DIFFERENTLY abled. I understand the sentiment there, and we certainly do not treat him specially because of his missing chromosome, we make adaptations. But does the whole language need to change? I don't think so.

IMO, Except for your breastfeeding example, which is just plain odd, But see, it's not just odd, it illustrates how a term--breast--can go from a medical/anatomical term to a crude term almost. Someone was offended I said breast? Only because breasts are commercialized to the point that people are uncomfortable with their real purpose. So now I have to be PC and say "nurse". everything you mention is just plain politeness.

Like I said, politeness and civility should rule. Someone can call me a blonde and either be just descriptive, or be very rude, and it's up to me to interpret their intentions. I don't think that "blonde" should become some dirty word though. Nor do I take offense if someone says "your children have such beautiful blonde hair!"

So yes, in many ways I think "PC" has gone too far. I think in general people should be more polite, and less quick to take offense. Then we wouldn't need PC.

[octobermoon]

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

if someone sent me a festivus (you know, from seinfeld) card i'd laugh and be thankful for the sentiment.

HA HA i love that episode "a festivus for the rest of us" so funny.

[acemama]

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

Like I said, politeness and civility should rule.

So yes, in many ways I think "PC" has gone too far. I think in general people should be more polite, and less quick to take offense. Then we wouldn't need PC.

This. I consider myself to be a polite person but there are times where I am not sure what to say because of all the PC jargon! I worry that I'm not using the PC terms and may unintentionally offend anyone. It's not fun to tip toe around with your words and hope that everyone in the room is OK with the language you used. Why can't we all just relax a little...

I had the same thing happen up here with the word "breastfeeding". We had a "breastfeeding support group" up here in my town. When we tried to hang signs several places wouldn't allow it because it had the word "breast" on the sign You, know someone out there may be offended. So, the name of the group was changed to "mother's milk and more." Now, some places will allow a sign since it's more "PC" and less likely to offend someone
Yes, I think many times "PC" has gone too far.

Oh, by the way I loved the card!

[Tashakittie]

Most people think I'm a total weirdo... but I think that card is the best, most clever ever, and would be tickled pink if I got an xmas card that amusing... most of my family would roll their eyes, laugh, and be grateful I even sent out holiday cards. Good work!