In an effort to make our society more inclusive and to avoid excluding people from conversations, I am no longer saying happy new year to people.
Let me explain.
Satire:
the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
To begin not everybody celebrates December 31st and January 1st as the end and start of a new year. So if you were saying happy new year to them, it may not have any significance.
Many people celebrate the lunar new year as the end and beginning of a new year. So if you are saying happy new year on December 31st you are being rather presumptuous and ethnocentric in the sense that this is not a new year for them.
And what about people who own businesses? For them the new year may not fall on December 31 or on the lunar new year.
Year end in business is not a happy time. So for you to say happy new year to somebody who owns a business is hurtful and probably brings up a lot of anxiety. There is an incredible amount of accounting that must be done at the end of the year and the beginning of a new year in business.
And what about the people who don’t even use the same calendar as we do? Some people still do not use the Gregorian calendar. So for you to assume that this is a new year another opportunity to cause hurt and exclude people from the conversation.
So in an effort to be more inclusive from now on I will be saying happy December 31st.
Happy December 31st everyone!!
Comments
5 responses to “Why I’m No Longer Saying Happy New Year”
Your a idiot. Everybody has the new year the same.
Happy Festivus!!! And if you have a problem with that you can have a piece of me when we have the traditional family “Airing of the Grievances”
Grouch – you are beginning to sound like one. Most of the world uses the imperfect Gregorian solar calendar to simply standardize civil life because its convenient.
At the same time, many folks have various cultural or religious calendars based on lunar, solar or solilunar/lunisolar rhythms.
They don’t deny their calendars, so why do you feel you have to deny Canada’s current choice?
Relax and enjoy…
Oh by the way —-Happy New Year!
Ah… Your sarcasm and wit is so subtle and elusive. Well done. Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Well, I actually agree with you. I’m really tired of people wishing me a “Happy new year.”
As my husband just told me he wants a divorce, I’m figuring the next year will certainly not be a happy one.
Everybody who wishes me a happy new year I want to punch in the throat. Well said.
Happy December 31, for what it’s damn well worth.