It seems to me the liberals are the anti-whatever amongst us. To wit:
Nativity story retold PC style -- minus Joseph
United Press International - December 17, 2000 08:16
LONDON, Dec. 17 (UPI) - Manufacturers eager to be politically correct are retelling the story of Nativity to attract single-parent customers, published surveys of shops decked out for Christmas showed Sunday.
Gone are Joseph and dark-skinned kings from some Nativity sets, while in other examples Joseph appears as a rose-complexioned female.
The traditional Nativity set, used at homes throughout the world as part of Christmas festivities, depicts a baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph, her carpenter fiancie in biblical accounts. The Times newspaper said one London store it questioned about the absence of Joseph from many Nativity sets told its reporter: "Joseph has done a runner!"
A spokesman said, "We have a variety of Nativity sets so people can choose what they like best."
Some other sets on sale presented Joseph as a figure with rosy cheeks and curly hair, donning a headscarf and cloak and carrying a crook -- almost resembling but not quite like the shepherds that have featured in the scene through many years.
The shop surveys showed that modified Nativity sets were designed to appeal to single parents or those with "Sapphic (lesbian) inclinations."
The manufacturers also responded to customer needs and given buyers the option to choose the colour of the three wise men, traditionally identified as kings from Arabia, Persia and India and usually one with darker skin than the two others. Some sets on sale showed all three as pale-skinned.
George Austin, the former archdeacon of York in northern England, commented on the absence of Joseph from Nativity sets in one London store. He told The Times, "At least John Lewis clearly believes in the virgin birth."
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