No mo' "ho ho ho"

[Wilson Gray]

An excellent, point, dInIs.

-Wilson

On 11/15/07, Dennis R. Preston <preston at msu.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: No mo' "ho ho ho"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Wilson,
>
> For some time we have know that there is correct political
> correctness and incorrect political correctness. But who are we
> willing to have as the decider in such matters.
>
> dInIs
>
> >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >-----------------------
> >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> >Subject:      Re: No mo' "ho ho ho"
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >Could it truly be the case that *anyone* could possible believe that
> >women or children hearing a man in a Santa Clause costume saying "Ho!
> >Ho! Ho!" would think that the man was using the BE term for
> >"Prostitute! Prostitute! Prostitute!"? Y'all must be done lost y'all's
> >minds.
> >
> >-Wilson
> >
> >On 11/15/07, Arnold M. Zwicky <zwicky at csli.stanford.edu> wrote:
> >>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>-----------------------
> >>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>  Poster:       "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU>
> >>  Subject:      Re: No mo' "ho ho ho"
> >>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>
> >>  On Nov 15, 2007, at 6:08 AM, Charlie Doyle wrote:
> >>
> >>  > From the AFP wire, posted at Yahoo! News:
> >>  >
> >>  > << Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use
> >>  > Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be
> >>  > offensive to women, it was reported Thursday. >>
> >>  >
> >>  > Santas in Sydney now say "Ha ha ha."
> >>
> >>  next development, reported in several places, is rebellion.  from
> >>     http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=323141
> >>  under the head "Sydney Santas rebel against ho-ho no-no":
> >>
> >>  Sydney Santas have reportedly defied a request from a recruitment firm
> >>  to replace "ho ho ho" with "ha ha ha".
> >>
> >>  Two Santa trainees from Westaff, which supplies hundreds of men in red
> >>  suits to Australian shopping centres, have quit over the politically
> >>  correct new greeting, the Daily Telegraph reports.
> >>
> >>  Trainees were told the traditional phrase could scare children and be
> >>  taken as derogatory to women.
> >>
> >>  "We ask our Santas to try techniques such as lowering their tone of
> >>  voice and using 'ha ha ha' to encourage the children to come forward
> >>  and meet Santa," Westaff's national Santa co-ordinator Sari Hegarty
> >>  told the paper.
> >>
> >>  But Santas at department stores David Jones, Myers and the Westfield
> >>  shopping centre chain will still use the customary greeting as part of
> >>  their customers Christmas experience.
> >>
> >>  "Senior management (at Westaff) have assured us that Santas provided
> >>  to David Jones have not been censored in any way," a David Jones
> >>  spokeswoman told the Telegraph.
> >>
> >>  Julie Gale from Kids Free to 2B Kids said Santa should be left alone.
> >>
> >>  "We are talking about little kids who do not understand that 'ho ho
> >>  ho' has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the paper.
> >>
> >>
> >>  ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >>
> >
> >
> >--
> >All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
> >come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> >-----
> >                                               -Sam'l Clemens
> >
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>
>
> --
> It should be the chief aim of a university professor to exhibit
> himself [sic] in his own true character - that is, as an ignorant man
> thinking, actively utilizing his small share of knowledge. Alfred
> North Whitehead
>
> Dennis R. Preston
> University Distinguished Professor
> Department of English
> Morrill Hall 15-C
> Michigan State University
> East Lansing, MI 48824-1036 USA
> Office: (517) 353-4736
> Fax: (517) 353-3755
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org