A train company in the UK has apologised for a conductor who welcomed his passengers with the phrase, “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.”

The apology came in response to a complaint from South Western Railway train guard Laurence Coles who said the greeting was not inclusive of non-binary people.

“‘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,” Coles, who is also a rail union LGBT representative, tweeted.

The company soon after replied to Coles’ tweet, apologizing for the Train Managers language and promising to ensure the company would strive to be more inclusive in the future.

“I’m really sorry to see this, Laurence,” the company replied. “Our Train Managers should not be using language like this, and I thank you for bringing it to my attention, Please could you let me know which service you are on and I will ensure they remain as inclusive as we strive to be at LNER.”

This is why Cancel Culture exists, folks. The perpetually offended and forever-outraged are only as potent as we are apologetic for their feigned grievances.

We hand them the stick with which they beat us into submission every time we apologise for entirely normal, everyday things.

Whether it’s children’s books, cartoon characters, or perfectly innocent greetings, the moment we cave to their mock outrage, is the moment we admit they control our lives – what we read, what our children watch, and how we speak.

This trend didn’t emerge in a vacuum. It’s the product of a prior cultural obsession with political correctness fuelled by general cowardice and misplaced commitment to never ruffling any feathers. And perhaps it’s time we start calling it out for what it is.

Ultimately, Cancel Culture was birthed by Coward Culture, and it’s continually fuelled by cowardice to this day. The only remedy, as Stephen Chavura has powerfully argued, is Courage Culture. “Courage is the only way forward.”