A professor for political science at the University of Central Florida recently wrote an opinion piece for UCFToday calling for students to begin wishing one another a “Happy Federal Holiday” salutation instead of others that may be too selective and inclusive.

Terri Susan Fine wrote in “A Holiday Greeting That Applies to Everyone” that, “In our efforts to be inclusive, we show cultural insensitivity both by equating one major holiday with a minor holiday and failing to recognize that diversity includes those who celebrate neither holiday.” She notes that the typical greetings of “Merry Christmas” “Happy Chanukah” and even “Happy Holidays” only “cover most of the bases”. Her solution?

I would suggest that we take a new approach that observes “the holidays” we all have on our calendars, no matter our religion. My friends and I wish each other a “Happy Federal Holiday.”

Fine argues that the distinction of wishing someone well during this time of year is not limiting if it’s done through the officially federal recognized point of view. She continues, “As long as we live in the United States, these federal and state holidays impact us equally so we might as well celebrate them equally, too.”

Fine ultimately says that we can use this opportunity to get to know one another through this change of holiday rhetoric — “about each other’s religious and cultural beliefs and practices because we will not treat people as if we already know what those beliefs and practices are,” she writes — so that we are not “culturally insensitive”. Another benefit of the proposed changed in language? According to Fine, we can use it all year long, and not just during the holidays end-of-year Federal holidays.

As for the existing model of social norm, the one where people don’t say “Happy Federal Holiday”, Fine simply writes, “[t]here is so much wrong with this picture.”

[h/t The College Fix]

[image via UCFToday]

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