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UK - Train firm apologise for "ladies and gentlemen" announcement

Squeegee Beckenheim said:
I can't imagine how fragile you have to be in order to be offended by this turn of events, but I am reasonably certain that you have to actively be looking to be offended.
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Does this apply to 1) complaining about the announcement on the train or 2) complaining about the complaint about the announcement on the train or 3) complaining about the train operator's response to the complaint?
 
Squeegee Beckenheim said:
Seems like the real story here is that the company already had in place rules which stated that inclusive language should be used when making announcements. Company policy wasn't followed, a customer complained, the company apologised and asked for more information so they could ensure that company policy would be followed in the future.

I can't imagine how fragile you have to be in order to be offended by this turn of events, but I am reasonably certain that you have to actively be looking to be offended.
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Indeed. A number of companies that deal with transportation like this have already made a switch.

Japan Airlines, for example, did away with this last year:

If you're stepping on a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane anytime next month, chances are you won't hear the term "ladies and gentlemen" anymore.

Instead, from 1 October, gender-neutral phrases like "attention all passengers", or references to passengers as "everyone" will be used, reported local site the Mainichi.

JAL is one of a few global airlines to embrace gender-neutral greetings.

However, it will only apply to JAL's English announcements, AFP said.

That is because in Japanese, the expression generally used for such announcements is already gender-neutral, the agency added.
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Link

I think flights to New Zealand may be suspended right now though. What? Because of coronavirus?

No! They don't want to have to clean up all the mess made by exploding heads.

"gargle, blargle. in my day, such things would .... gargle, blargle...!"*BANG*
 
Francesca R said:
LNER has been owned by the Department for Transport for three years, so this is essentially Boris Johnson making the apology.

However, it still has a train on the Edinburgh-London route named "The Flying Scotsman", how non-inclusive is that FFS?
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No true Scotsman can fly!
 
Francesca R said:
LNER has been owned by the Department for Transport for three years, so this is essentially Boris Johnson making the apology.

However, it still has a train on the Edinburgh-London route named "The Flying Scotsman", how non-inclusive is that FFS?
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Breach of Covid regulations!
 
Francesca R said:
Does this apply to 1) complaining about the announcement on the train or 2) complaining about the complaint about the announcement on the train or 3) complaining about the train operator's response to the complaint?
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I think Squeege here is referring to cullennz's complaint, to take the immediate example.
 
I was thinking about airplanes, and although I haven't been on one lately, due to the pandemic, I believe that when either the pilot or the head flight attendant comes on the PA to make an announcement or welcome passengers aboard, they typically start by addressing the passengers as "ladies and gentlemen". For example, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot (or the captain) speaking. Welcome aboard flight such-and-such ..."

At least that's how I seem to remember it.

E.g., this video from 2019 seems to confirm it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDheaoF3Hto

Is it a problem? Personally I was just fine with the way things were, but I'm also not going to get terribly upset if they decide to make a change.
 
Francesca R said:
OK. Let's hope Squeegee Beckenheim wasn't offended by this.
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I'm pretty sure I've abbreviated Squeegee's name before without it being reported. I get called "arth" all the time and I don't mind. If Squeegee Beckenheim prefers me to use their full name of course I will apologise and do so.
 
Puppycow said:
I was thinking about airplanes, and although I haven't been on one lately, due to the pandemic, I believe that when either the pilot or the head flight attendant comes on the PA to make an announcement or welcome passengers aboard, they typically start by addressing the passengers as "ladies and gentlemen". For example, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot (or the captain) speaking. Welcome aboard flight such-and-such ..."

At least that's how I seem to remember it.

E.g., this video from 2019 seems to confirm it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDheaoF3Hto

Is it a problem? Personally I was just fine with the way things were, but I'm also not going to get terribly upset if they decide to make a change.
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Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger was at least on point with "This is the Captain. Brace for impact" just before ditching in the Hudson river
 
Francesca R said:
The trains have been pretty punctual since hardly anyone has been travelling on them.
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I remember when I was in the UK many years ago, they had a company called "Southwest Trains", which (obviously) served the the south west of england out to Teignmouth where I was staying at the time. They had a red & yellow livery, and their logo had the words SOUTH WEST TRAINS with a "swish" under it. At the railway station in Exeter we used to pass through, there was an SWT advertisement on one of the walls, someone had stencilled under the swish "Just get a ******* taxi!"
 
Delphic Oracle said:
In this post you:

Express lamemt over a perceived loss of status.
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False. Poster expressed annoyance with the bsery of such announcements.

Delphic Oracle said:
Minimize the experiences others have that you do not.
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BS. Everyone on the train has the same "experience". I matters not a whit that gosh there are a random selection of people on the train. Quelle surprise.

Delphic Oracle said:
Complained about something that probably causes you not one iota of harm (so we know you have nothing important in your life to worry about).
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Given that my eldest child (now an adult) has had my absolute support through his transition, and given that I volunteered on the support line and took the training and the post call support, I can state that you have nonsense opinions. What is most in mind for my trans son. His CV and job applications. Seems a normal interest to me.

I will grant that he was militant in the past, but he long ago found out that the wingnuts were not worth the waste of breath.

And he was right.
 
Is this yet another of those thread where a bunch of 'skeptics' rail against a thing that they demonstrate they don't even understand while simultaneously claiming that it's a stupid thing to get annoyed about and they don't care about the *insert whatever epithet applies to the particular group that has annoyed them today by asking to treated as if they matter* anyway?

Cos we need more of them.
 
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