In the world we’re in now, everyone goes up in arms when a company or group tries to be politically correct, or what people consider to be that way, when they change a policy or procedures.
The newest member of that group being both applauded and criticized is Air Canada. The airline is altering their boarding announcements from referring to passengers as “ladies and gentlemen,” to more inclusive terms such as “everybody.”
Robynne Henry The Henry Hype
While I don’t see this as a significant change, some people on social media were outraged any alterations were being made. Instead of looking at it as a way of ensuring they’re inclusive to all gender identities, some users have said they’ll boycott Air Canada over the decision. Others claim those who identify as male and female are being ignored.
Why people reacted this way is beyond my scope of understanding. Just like when they changed a word or two in the Canadian anthem, it just doesn’t seem like a big deal to me.
I don’t fly a lot, but I’m assuming when you have you tend to tune out the message because it says the same thing each time. They go over the safety procedures and what should be done in the event of an emergency. If you’re focused on the greeting at the beginning, I really think you’re missing the point of the presentation.
This conversation focuses mainly on companies trying to be politically correct, and the ways people react to these situations. When the discussion surrounds this topic, like saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, people come out of the woodwork claiming they’re being inconvenienced in order to make someone else feel welcome.
At the base of this Henry Hype is my opinion that the ones screaming the loudest that things shouldn’t change aren’t looking at the situation from someone else’s point of view.
Everyone wants to belong, and these small changes are trying to help people who may not have felt that way before.
You may celebrate Christmas and see commercials for it everywhere, but some people don’t have that luxury. While you may have identified as male you’re whole life, others struggled to find their identity. It would have been easy for you to find representations of yourself in the media, but that may have been nonexistent for others.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to create a more inclusive world, especially if it only means changing a word or two here and there. If you have a problem with it, I think that says more about you than society.
