"When kids hear Santa Claus bellow, “Ho, ho, ho,” is their first thought prostitution?
That concern has prompted an attempt to gag the traditional greeting, and many Santas are now fighting back.
According to the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Santas across Australia are rebelling against attempts to change their saying to a more politically correct, “ha, ha, ha.”
It all started when the recruitment firm Westaff – which has offices both in the United States and Australia – told its Christmas trainees that the “ho, ho, ho” phrase could frighten children and possibly be derogatory to women.
“Westaff has been a provider of quality caring Santas for over 40 years,” Westaff’s national Santa coordinator Sari Hegarty wrote to stores via e-mail.
“Part of our advice to our Santas is that they should be mindful of children having their first Santa experience. 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. We wish you and your family a very merry Christmas.”
The directions have prompted some Santa trainees to quit the program.
One told the Daily Telegraph he was taught not to use “ho, ho, ho” because it was too close to the American slang for prostitute."Guess they won't be featuring any stories from I-Da-Ho, no matter how otherwise newsworthy.
Thanks to Stop The ACLU.
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