I think I need sensitivity training. I stopped by my friend's cube this a.m. to discuss a news story I saw on the web first thing this a.m. and apparently she had already seen the same story and blogged on it. Apparently Santa cannot say HO HO HO in Australia because officials there do not want to offend American women who might possibly construe the jolly old elf leader himself might be calling their child a Ho.

This brings to mind a whole marketing campaign I had to completely revamp last year because the okay hand gesture is offensive to people in brazil and china. We were trying to illustrate the idea that it is okay for you to ask your healthcare worker or anyone visiting you in the hospital to wash their hands before visiting with you in the hospital room. And so we cleverly or possibly cliche replaced the O in OK with the hand gesture. Hand Washing...a hand gesture. I thought it was cute. But apparently we need to be sensitive to the 1% of people who might be offended even though our intent was merely to be cute and represent the widely universal American expression A-OK.

I really wonder what this world will be like in 15 years if we aren't careful we might not be able to talk to each other about anything meaningful at all without wondering if we will offend.

I might be blowing this all out of proportion but when they start messing with childhood icons like santa who in his infinite jolliness needs to curb his Ho's to Ha's so as to not mistakenly call some child a HO...we've taken sensitivity to a whole new level. Those "officials" better watch out, better not cry...Santa Claus might be banned altogether and then wherever will the children of Australia get their toys at christmastime?