This is what America has been reduced to at Christmas: political correctness to the nth degree.
Olympic figure skater Sasha Cohen, 22, had just finished a skating performance at an outdoor skating rink in Riverside, California, and was politely signing autographs for her fans. Nearby, a high school chorus was singing Christmas carols and was just starting "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".
Then they were ordered to stop by a city employee and a police officer.
It seems that city employee employee and special-events worker Michelle Baldwin requested that police force the chorus to stop because Sasha Cohen is half Jewish and she didn't want the chorus to offend their celebrity guest.
Unbelievable, right?
Apparently, Sasha herself was never consulted and didn't even know why the chorus had stopped until she read about the incident in the paper! Seems Miss Baldwin didn't even bother to check with anyone before opening her mouth.
From AOL News:
The employee, special-events worker Michelle Baldwin, could not be reached for comment. City Development Director Belinda J. Graham confirmed the incident.
"This request was simply made by a staff member who was attempting to be sensitive to the celebrity guest, without considering the wider implications ... or consulting with her supervisor for guidance," Graham said in an e-mail to the newspaper.Cohen, who is half Christian and "celebrates everything" during the holidays, learned only through news reports that the choir had been cut off on her account, the 22-year-old skater's mother and manager said.
"Sasha was stunned. We both thought the voices were just lovely, they were doing such a wonderful job," Galina Cohen said. "Christmas carols are part of celebrating the holiday season."
Way to go, Galina! Cohen said that her daughter was "stunned" when she learned of the incident. I love Miss Cohen's response to this unacceptable display of extreme political correctness.
As for Miss Baldwin, well, maybe special events just aren't your thing, dear.
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