The Korean Christmas spirit pt. 2. no Happy Holidays

You know the Koreans do something around Christmas time that Canadians would find totally unacceptable these days. Offensive, rude and outdated. You know what it is? They wish each other a.... I'm ashamed even to write it...... a Merry Christmas. That's right. No Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas. It's on cards, TV shows and Christmas apparel. Apparently someone forgot to tell them that wishing someone well in a non-denominational way is actually offensive. I certainly know that when they give me lunar new years presents or Chuseok cakes I want to punch them in the nose.

In case you haven't picked it up I'm being sarcastic.

When I worked retail we were told, specifically, to use Happy Holidays (I tried not to anyway, for which some people actually thanked me) because you could actually offend someone. Yes, offend them. I never met this person who was actually offended by it, but apparently they exist, otherwise why the change?

Though to be fair, the Koreans do get offended at this time of year. They've been really offended by north Korea shelling their citizens and killing two marines last month for reasons that have nothing to do with anything except internal politics up north. They are offended by the planned visit by the Japanese Prime Minister to the Yasukuni shine (the shrine that honours Japanese war dead but also houses several military leaders of Japan from the 1930's and 1940's who were responsible for colonial policy and WWII) and the continued refusal to return cultural relics plundered during the colonial era (it comes up every new years with the planned visit).

Being bombed by communists? Colonial era pillaging and raping of their country being celebrated by the purpetrators? This is what they find offensive? Not wishing someone a Merry Christmas? What a backwards country!

But wait. Is it just possible that we've forgotten what offensive actually means? That we have so little to be offended about that we find denominational greetings offensive? You would think that, at a minimum we'd find stuff like: War in Afghanistan, 3rd world conditions of many Indian reserves, skyrocketing cost of living or inadequate and highly overpriced healthcare (it's called taxation) offensive... but I guess not. So while Koreans are offended by the likes of bombings and colonialism Canadians have found the real evil in this world: denominational greetings (unless it's a religion not associated with Christianity, then it's okay). Well done.... schmo's.

So, at the risk of having hordes of the PC gestapo send me off to the PC re-education centre (I think it's at the Centre for the Arts at the University of Toronto) I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas.