Djamila
Bosnjakinja
North American news agencies have been covering stories about political correctness during this Christmas season, as I'm sure you're all aware.
Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas, and all that.
One story on CNN Europe, though, I found especially interesting!
It was a summary of the coverage in Canada versus the United States. They made several interesting points, the main being that Canadian news agencies seem intent on portraying the problem as a backwards, American phenomenon that's making its way into Canada.
But that's silly - the main point was this.
Canadian stories often mention something American stories leave out. I don't even know if it's true in America, but they showed a clip from Canadian news that included this segment on the end of a story about a local business taking down it's "Merry Christmas!" sign:
The journalist/narrator added at the end, "What's unclear is exactly who such business owners are trying not to offend. No complaint has ever been received about "Merry Christmas" in Canada, and representatives from several religious groups told us it's a mute problem."
They interviewed the female head of Canada's Islamic organization who said, "It's a North American problem, really. We certainly have no problem with it. I really can't understand why this debate exists. If someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, I'll smile and wish them a Merry Christmas right back. I've never met anyone who feels any other way."
They went on to say that American media rarely interviews leaders of the country's non-Christian religious sects and seem to be sensationalizing a problem that doesn't exist. They interviewed experts saying it's part of a long-held Republican strategy to motivate Christian voters in favor of their party.
What do you think of it all?
Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas, and all that.
One story on CNN Europe, though, I found especially interesting!
It was a summary of the coverage in Canada versus the United States. They made several interesting points, the main being that Canadian news agencies seem intent on portraying the problem as a backwards, American phenomenon that's making its way into Canada.
But that's silly - the main point was this.
Canadian stories often mention something American stories leave out. I don't even know if it's true in America, but they showed a clip from Canadian news that included this segment on the end of a story about a local business taking down it's "Merry Christmas!" sign:
The journalist/narrator added at the end, "What's unclear is exactly who such business owners are trying not to offend. No complaint has ever been received about "Merry Christmas" in Canada, and representatives from several religious groups told us it's a mute problem."
They interviewed the female head of Canada's Islamic organization who said, "It's a North American problem, really. We certainly have no problem with it. I really can't understand why this debate exists. If someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, I'll smile and wish them a Merry Christmas right back. I've never met anyone who feels any other way."
They went on to say that American media rarely interviews leaders of the country's non-Christian religious sects and seem to be sensationalizing a problem that doesn't exist. They interviewed experts saying it's part of a long-held Republican strategy to motivate Christian voters in favor of their party.
What do you think of it all?