Saturday, November 17, 2007

Guess who stirred a controversy?

Yeah, me.
Why? What about?
I took a photo of the city crews putting up wreaths on the light poles downtown.
Simple enough right?
I said, in the cutline, "holiday wreaths".
Man, oh man. There is a bitter woman who will NOT stop calling the office to complain. "They are CHRISTMAS wreaths! Not HOLIDAY wreaths!" she spews.
She's called the mayor. She's called the publisher, at home.
I can't wait until she sees tomorrow's paper where we announce the "Community Tree Lighting." The children will be singing holiday songs.
And one of the story tellers in town will read "Twas the Night Before Christmas."
I bet you not even that makes her happy.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't say that I blame her, except for how far she took it. I'm a little tired of the over-pc-ing of everything myself.

SBB said...

You know, I don't know since I haven't seen the story, but it might have been that holiday fit the available space better than Christmas (a longer word). I used to write cutlines and headlines back in my newspaper days, and we'd use the words that fit.

Really that lady needs some real problems. Or why not simply write a letter to the paper? She could have her say and not just vent without results.

Sarabeth said...

Oh, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

You rile them up, Trixie! Rile them up.

SBB said...

So give an update! Did the lady (and I use the term loosely) calm down?

Trixie said...

I haven't heard anything else. She has not called me and I haven't heard if she called anyone else after talking to the publisher.

We've had some other work drama -- one of my co-workers, a 71-year-old man, went home for lunch and apparently had a heart attack. Last I heard was at mid-afternoon, he was in the hospital but had no feeling in either arm. Not sure what his treatment will be or how he is doing right now. I'd appreciate any prayers out there for him. Thanks.

Erudite Redneck said...

Hey, use "Xmas" in a story and see what happens! Bwa-ha-ha!

Trixie said...

Well, strike a blow for prior restraint and toll the bell for freedom of speech. This woman complained enough that the publisher rolled over and came out today with a decree that we must say "Christmas" and we may not use the word "holiday" on any future stories about Dec. 25 or activities related to it.
That's right. We no longer have the freedom to choose a word or use one that doesn't meet the approval of someone out there with a very limited choice of words that suit her.
How ironic that the prime definition of "holiday" is HOLY DAY.
The word is not profane. It is not obscene. It is not a second-class word. But because one person has taken offense to it, I can no longer use the word.
Political correctness? Hooey. This is much more dangerous than P.C. When someone can holler loud enough that I've offended her Christian sensibilities to such a degree that there's this kind of backlash, then there is something seriously WRONG.
In effect, she has said that "we" are not Christian "enough" if we don't say things exactly the way she wants to hear them. She's imposing her beliefs on us.
And worse, the publisher rolled over and let her do it.

Erudite Redneck said...

Dudette, you have been too long away from small-town, and small-town newspaper, sensibilities. Myself, I am not surprised a bit. Not one bit. Nor by the lack of comment on the publishers part over the superfund site. Bad news is bad for business!

Trixie said...

I think you're giving him too much credit. I'm thinking he didn't bother to read it.