There is a foggy dream of a memory I have one when I just a wee lad, probably around 2 or 3. My Mom was pulling out of the driveway and I was sitting in the back seat. As we pulled out I noticed a rather large man standing on the sidewalk, and said, "That's a fat man." My Mom then said I shouldn't call him fat because it wasn't nice. And I remember being very confused. After all he was fat and I didn't understand how saying what he was could be not nice. I guess at that point in my life I didn't know yet that sometimes the truth can hurt, even if it is said in the most innocent setting possible. At that time I just filed it away as something I was supposed to do, and only later came to realize why.
The other day I received an e-mail from work with a bunch of company news articles. One of the articles, about web technology, had the expression 'OMG' in the title. I am not a fan of this phrase, because of what it represents. Now some people will say it can mean 'oh my gosh' but that was not the original intent of the abbreviation, and I do not think this alternative meaning has become so prevalent that 'OMG' can now be equated with it. In general it is a pet peeve of mine when I hear anyone who thinks highly of the 10 commandments using this expression. In addition to being offensive to God, I find it shows a strong lack of self-control and a simple minded attitude that the person saying it couldn't think of something more creative or humourous (I know that first 'u' doesn't belong but I like it). For example, if I must have a loud outburst of frustration, I am very fond of 'shucks' and 'rats'.
I wasn't offended by the abbreviation because I am sure the author simply did not realize what he was doing, but after some thought I decided to send him an e-mail. I do not like the phrase, and strongly oppose websites that use it to link to current popular events like celebrity news. We live in a desensitized enough world as it is.
My e-mail basically said, that while I understood the context of the abbreviation and it's current use in popular culture, many Christians and people from other religious affiliations could find it offensive. Much like my Mom essentially I said, don't say that because it could be rather offensive. Shortly later I received an e-mail back from the author thanking me for the e-mail. He understood my point, and promptly removed the abbreviation from the title of the article. This was all before 8:00 that morning. And that was that. By the time my supervisor came in the entire e-mail and story had been changed and he never even knew about it until I told him what I had done.
Today we got another e-mail from the company with news articles. At the bottom of the e-mail there was a statement saying that several employees were offended by the abbreviation and found it was inappropriate for a business environment. The editors of the newsletter agreed, apologized for not realizing this sooner, and said it wouldn't happen again. I find it interesting that even though the e-mail was changed very early in the day several people had already seen the original and posted complaints. So I guess I wasn't alone.
The other day I received an e-mail from work with a bunch of company news articles. One of the articles, about web technology, had the expression 'OMG' in the title. I am not a fan of this phrase, because of what it represents. Now some people will say it can mean 'oh my gosh' but that was not the original intent of the abbreviation, and I do not think this alternative meaning has become so prevalent that 'OMG' can now be equated with it. In general it is a pet peeve of mine when I hear anyone who thinks highly of the 10 commandments using this expression. In addition to being offensive to God, I find it shows a strong lack of self-control and a simple minded attitude that the person saying it couldn't think of something more creative or humourous (I know that first 'u' doesn't belong but I like it). For example, if I must have a loud outburst of frustration, I am very fond of 'shucks' and 'rats'.
I wasn't offended by the abbreviation because I am sure the author simply did not realize what he was doing, but after some thought I decided to send him an e-mail. I do not like the phrase, and strongly oppose websites that use it to link to current popular events like celebrity news. We live in a desensitized enough world as it is.
My e-mail basically said, that while I understood the context of the abbreviation and it's current use in popular culture, many Christians and people from other religious affiliations could find it offensive. Much like my Mom essentially I said, don't say that because it could be rather offensive. Shortly later I received an e-mail back from the author thanking me for the e-mail. He understood my point, and promptly removed the abbreviation from the title of the article. This was all before 8:00 that morning. And that was that. By the time my supervisor came in the entire e-mail and story had been changed and he never even knew about it until I told him what I had done.
Today we got another e-mail from the company with news articles. At the bottom of the e-mail there was a statement saying that several employees were offended by the abbreviation and found it was inappropriate for a business environment. The editors of the newsletter agreed, apologized for not realizing this sooner, and said it wouldn't happen again. I find it interesting that even though the e-mail was changed very early in the day several people had already seen the original and posted complaints. So I guess I wasn't alone.
0 comments:
Post a Comment