Rant warning

Rant warning.

A new year custom among Singaporeans of Chinese ethnicity, is the Lo Hei dish or tossed raw fish salad (substitute sliced cooked abalone if you're squeamish).  Auspicious phrases are uttered during the preparation of the dish, done at the dining table, and also during the communal tossing by diners.  Most of these phrases are celebratory in nature, such as (translated): "Happy New Year", " Have A Prosperous Year", "Good Health", "May All Go Well", you get the drift.

This morning, I received a message with a list of Christian phrases to replace the traditional ones.  Now, I really have nothing against the content of that message, but it was the intent that I am somewhat annoyed with.  One simply does not assume one has the impunity nor cultural licence to impose in a chavaunistic manner, one's religious perspectives on a cultural event.  This is exactly the kind of behaviour which offends those who are not of a similar religious background, or from a socio-cultural environment that is unfamiliar with one's religious tenets.  It's insensitive, and perpetuates the distaste with which contemporary proselytising Christians are met.

Please. Go away and reflect on a better approach.  Come up with a better alternative that fits in with a modern, plural, globally-linked community. Be aware of just how very connected this world has become, and how fast an insensitive attitude can propagate throughout the networked world.  When an equally rapid backlash occurs, don't say I didn't warn you.