Do I Offend?

I just came across an account of why K Mart has stopped calling those green things Christmas trees. They will now call them holiday trees. They have told the press that this is because they don’t want to offend any of their employees or customers. I’ve been hearing this kind of thing for years but I still continue to be bothered every time I hear such things.

It seems strange to me that a company will make a change based on ungrounded claims that people are offended. And I think the fact that there was no intention to offend anyone is left out. Or did K Mart management decide to call them Christmas trees with the express purpose of offending customers and employees and then at the last minute decide to not be intentionally offensive?

I know they don’t sell a lot of books and magazines at K Mart. But they do sell some. I wonder if they look through every page of every one of them looking for the words ‘Christmas tree.’ Do they make sure that none of these books or magazines mentions that there are people who are Christians? And if they don’t do this is it with the intention of offending?

Where is all of this foolishness leading? Someday will someone from K Mart come to my door and tell me that I must quit breathing because they suspect one of their cashiers in Peoria is offended by me drawing breath. K Mart did it to Winston Smith so I guess they could do it to me.