Regular readers and followers in social media will know that I am never afraid to go out on a limb, take a different view or follow a road less travelled by(apologies to Robert Frost). I am often called contrarian, sometimes judged to be eccentric and frequently described as politically incorrect. All compliments that I am very happy to accept, it’s part of who I am and the sum of the experiences that have made my life so interesting. It probably also has something to do with having been brought up as a Rhodesian, knowing right from wrong and standing up for principles.
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.
Even though I am comfortable being true to myself and not following the latest flavour of the day, it is still re-assuring to be proven correct and to know that in some important areas there is a majority of people with similar values.
Shortly after publishing my post about Tim Hortons banning Christmas from their stores, Sue found the results of a survey published in today’s Sentinel Revue that confirmed my assumptions.
The survey which was carried out by Abacus Data found that 76% of Canadians prefer to use “Merry Christmas” as a greeting compared to “Happy Holidays” which apart from being preferred by 38% in Quebec (Joyeuse Fetes) and 13% in Ontario scored under 10% in the rest of the country. The preference for Merry Christmas was 81% in Ontario and 86% in British Columbia.
So for the marketing experts at Tim Hortons and other brands that are tying to ban “Christmas” from Christmas, it is not just me that you are losing as a customer, you are in danger of alienating 76% of your consumers.
Risking the goodwill of 76% of consumers for political correctness? That does not sound like good business to me.
Wishing you success in all your endeavours and of course, Happy Christmas.
I agree
I really think this is quite silly. I have no idea why the “correct” way is correct…..everywhere is playing Christmas tunes and no one is banning them because they have wording that is politically incorrect. Where is the line drawn? This is meant to be a happy time of year and I shall be saying “Happy Christmas” or “Marry Christmas”, because I can. Whatever happened to free will!
Absolutely right, just leave people alone to enjoy Christmas how ever they want to. Since I wrote that post, I read about the Ontario school bus drivers being forced to remove all the Christmas decorations they had so kindly and carefully put in their buses for the children. Not from a safety angle, but in case some one felt offended! Even snowflakes and snowmen were deemed “inappropriate”. The mind boggles.