Should Lner Have Apologised?

[ladybirder]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9574901/LNER-slammed-apologising-staff-said-good-afternoon-ladies-gentlemen-boys-girls.html

[pixie374]

I thought that was years ago? Or is it a different one? No apologies needed, as he included everyone. Although "good afternoon, everyone", would seem more natural.

[ToraToraTora]

I don't see anything to apologise for.

[wolf63]

The world is getting crazier. They will be banning 'boy's toys' next. I have been known to call my male work colleagues 'ladies'. and I refer to the 'hunting, fishing and car' books that we have for sale as the 'boy's section'.

[237SJ]

No, it's ridiculous but everyone's scared of their own shadow these days.

[david small]

Rollocks to them all. Then they can row their boat away.

[Jackdaw33]

Mega LOL @ douglas @20.24

[Cloverjo]

If anyone was offended by ‘ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls’ then they need to get a grip. On something.

[Buenchico]

At least the train conductor was getting somewhere near to 'inclusivity' anyway. It always annoys me to hear announcements (or, say, a compere on a stage) saying simply "ladies and gentlemen" when there are children present too. So the conductor scored quite well in my book by adding "boys and girls".

However it still pays to be cautious these days. (When I was using the PA in late December at the rail station I worked at, I would never wish our customers "Merry Christmas". I would always refer to something along the lines of "I hope that all our customers will enjoy the forthcoming holiday period").

It's hardly a major step for a rail company to ask their conductors to refrain from using gender-specific terminology. Something along these lines would be better: "Good morning. My name is Sonya. I'm your senior conductor and I'd like to welcome all customers on this service to London King's Cross".

[Togo]

Another example of someone/thing finding life "difficult", and insisting on making everybody else's lives as miserable and directionless as theirs.

[New Judge]

//I would never wish our customers "Merry Christmas".//

Why on Earth not, ‘Chico? December 25th is Christmas Day. The public holidays over that period are known as the Christmas holidays. The fact that some people don’t celebrate Christmas does not alter that. It’s now Eid (which we hear about constantly despite it being celebrated by a very small minority of the population). If somebody wished me Happy Eid it would not trouble me at all. It means nothing to me.

The person who objected to “Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls” needs to get out more. Whether he or she likes it, one of those titles will be appropriate because he or she will have been born either male or female (unless unfortunate enough to be one of the extremely rare true hermaphrodites). To insist of the erasure of “Ladies and Gentlemen” from the vocabulary is extremely offensive to the overwhelming majority of people who prefer to be addressed that way. The more this abject nonsense is indulged the greater that offence becomes and companies like LNER should realise this. “Ladies, Gentlemen & Others” is about the most they should stretch to but even that is crass.

Of course individuals who believe announcements do not apply to them because they are not included in the address are perfectly free to ignore them. Hopefully none of them will explain that the train is on fire and they need to get out. But at least they'll die happy.

[Hopkirk]

Bloody ridiculous. LNER should have backed up their staff.

[jourdain2]

Of course not.

[dave50]

No they should not have apologised. They covered every normal person with ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls, there is nothing else. Being non-binary is a load of attention seeking rubbish, they should be ignored and they need to seek psychological help.

[Cloverjo]

How about Lords, Ladies, gentlemen, boys, girls and everyone in between?

[New Judge]

//The non-binary passenger, who goes by the Twitter name Laurence and uses the pronouns they and them, also states they represent the Rail, Maritime and Transport trade union.//

Laurence should know that “they” and “them” are plural pronouns. They would then realise that this sounds ridiculous:

//In their complaint, Laurence stated: '"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls..." so as a non binary person this announcement doesn't actually apply to me so I won't listen @LNER.'//

//London North Eastern Railway said in response to the complaint on Twitter that 'train managers should not be using language like this' before promising to take action.//

To think, they run a railway. They’d be better spending less time on Twitter and more time mending their duff Class 800 trains that have caused havoc over the last week.

[emmie]

what a load of botox.

[LadyCG]

What a truly bizarre world we live in.

There are some pillocks out there who need to grow the *** up and take a look at the world around them.

[Spicerack]

Thank whoever you do or don't believe in that ze didn't mention the Pullman Car.

[zebo]

The Germans have the right idea, er, sie, es, he, she, it, that seems to cover all the bases.