Not everyone is Irish, or Roman Catholic, or has a particular dislike of snakes. Should St Patrick’s Day therefore be renamed Green Day? Oh, wait, that’s already taken.

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The banality of the cancel movement in all its forms can be summed up as the vain pursuit of making everyone feel special so that eventually no one does. A watery, bland, beige society where no one is celebrated in case any single person feels left out and – heaven forbid – someone needs to feel a negative emotion and work through it, perhaps enlightening themselves in the process.

Under the guise of “inclusivity”, the cancel movement is hurting real people. In the case of Hunter Valley Grammar School, it is mothers who have dedicated their lives to their children.

Of course not everyone has a mum, is a mum or even wants to be a mum. This in no way devalues mothers’ relevance, nor their value as individuals, nor their potential to contribute to society.

In fact, until the cancel brigade started its march on the institution of motherhood, I’d wager there were very few people to whom Mother’s Day was not really relevant who gave two hoots about the rest of the community taking one day out of the year to make their mum feel special.

If our academics and teachers really want to foster inclusivity among our children, they should strive to excel at providing fundamental education to all kids, so all kids have a chance to build a future.

Engaging in thought-bubble, cancel-culture activities is a sure way to confuse our kids and make thousands of our loved ones feel forgotten.

Brad Emery is a freelance writer and former staffer in the Howard government.