Neill Neill, Ph.D.
A judge in the Province of Ontario recently ruled that it could be offensive to some minorities to place a [tag-tec]Christmas[/tag-tec] tree in the courthouse, and so ended a long tradition. I call this “bizarre.” So I got to thinking about other erosions of traditional celebration in the name of political correctness.
I realized something else had been bothering me. I would start to wish someone a Merry Christmas. Then I would find myself qualifying my well-wishing with “I know it’s not politically correct to say this, but…”
What I found interesting was that without exception everyone I said this to expressed similar frustration with the pressure to be politically correct. The universal refrain was “Why can’t I just wish someone well in my own tradition?”
As an accident of birth I was raised in the Christian tradition where the Christmas celebration arose.
If I had been born Jewish I would be celebrating Hanukkah at this time of year. If my origins were African I might be celebrating Kwanzaa. If I were from India I might be celebrating Diwali. If my origins were Islamic, I would be readying myself for Ramadan and the celebration of Eid al-fitr at the end of the month of fasting.
The [tag-ice]political correctness[/tag-ice] movement arose when we in the dominant culture became more aware of how insensitive our language could be towards minority cultural and religious groups. We no longer wanted to be seen as forcing our values on others, so making changes to avoid offending minority groups was and is the right thing to do.
But the world has changed. With the advent of the Internet the world has become a lot smaller. The seemingly-distant religious minorities that we might have offended are now our neighbours.
As Canadians we encourage immigrant minorities to maintain their cultural practices. They in turn invite us to celebrate with them. And yet somehow it is wrong for Canada’s second immigrants, British and French, to invite the newer minorities to celebrate Christmas with us.
There is something wrong with this picture. What irks me is the assumption that by expressing Christian culture we are making someone else wrong. Yes, Christianity does have history of making others wrong, as have other religious groupings to varying extents. But surely as we enter 2007 we are in a transition towards much greater world inclusiveness.
When I say “Merry Christmas” to someone, I say it as an expression from my heart of my best wishes for someone else, regardless of their religious or cultural persuasion. I am honored when Jewish friends wish me happy Hanukkah, because I know it comes from their hearts.
Perhaps if we in the dominant culture would encourage people from other cultures to include us in their celebrations in whatever language appropriately expresses their best wishes towards us, we would not be seen as a dominant culture forcing its values on others.
Perhaps the political correctness movement is just a phase all dominant cultures need to go through to help us all learn to be more sensitive and inclusive. This is the picture I am holding in my mind for 2007 and beyond. Please join me.
I would like to wish you a fulfilling 2007. You know the drill: if you want something to be different in 2007, hold the new picture in your mind, rather than the old one. Lace your new vision with the positive emotions of anticipation and thankfulness. Then simply expect results and get on with living your life. Merry Christmas!
Psychologist Dr. Neill Neill maintains an active practice on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. He focuses on healthy relationships and life after addictions. He is the author of Living with a Functioning Alcoholic – A Woman’s Survival Guide.
www.neillneill.com
www.ConquerAlcoholism.com
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