“Do the right thing.”
–Spike Lee
There are times when difficult decisions need to be made on what should be printed.
The story and plea on page 3 should not have been one of them.
This is a simple usage of Observer paper, ink and readership in an attempt to contact a very deserving little boy.
Is it emotional? Definitely.
Is it personal? Of course.
But if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t have landed on our desks.
We’ve already taken the Christ out of Christmas and now we’re looking at removing the Santa from the holidays.
With this letter and the decision to print it, some cried privacy issues, sensationalism, and poor taste.
But it’s not about that. This is about being empathetic, caring, human beings. This is about having the opportunity to help and going for it, without letting the bureaucratic BS get in the way.
This is about the letter writer. He deserves our help.
Doing nothing was not an option.
Screw policies, protocols and fear mongering. We just want to get him his letter.
Could it be a hoax? Maybe. But what’s the biggest hoax of all? Hoofs on the rooftop?
Or could it be we’ve become so consumed by political correctness and our fear of offending someone, somewhere, somehow we’ve forgotten our true, authentic selves?
We’ve created a society where we’re so concerned about saying the right thing, we’ve forgotten how to do the right thing.
This is not sensationalism, this is not political, this about the true meaning of Christmas – helping, loving, believing.
Now let’s get this little man his letter.
–Autumn MacDonald, Observer
