First is was some small-minded librarians having fits because an author of the latest Newbery Medal winner used the word scrotum and now, Dog Store Sign Angers Seattle Residents, because the store uses the proper term for a female dog.
A little advice, it isn’t the word, it’s the mind of those who object to the word. I know they didn’t watch the recent Westminster Dog Show, because they use the word frequently.
Next they’ll faint when someone says “male puppy”.
On-line Opinion Magazine featuring annoyed rumblings from the leading edge of the Baby Boom firmly tied to a reality-based world.
Established: 21 November 2004
The opinions expressed in Comments are those of the individuals making them. Truly absurd comments and opinions are subject to being cruelly mocked, but "flame wars" will take place on someone else's dime.
Your first comment, all comments with extensive links, and random comments that the software decides it doesn't like for no discernible reason will be held for moderation.
[Be aware that for unknown reasons the software rejects comments shorter than 15 characters, so if you want to leave a short comment fill the gap with periods ........]
4 comments
Back when Tony Blair was mockingly referred to as “Bush’s poodle,” I named that apparently organized slur “The Blair Bitch Project.” Most people, including even the estimable Missouri Mule, were amused; Stella was not. That word stirs ill feelings in all kinds of people and in a variety of contexts… even when it is applied to a female dog. Go figure.
“Scrotum” is the term I was taught… listen carefully, shrinking violets out there… in high school biology class. In those days, at least, that was the official polite scientific term for it. I would say some people need to get over their Victorian sensitivities, but I think that might be an insult to Victorians.
I for one am horribly offended that you would even LINK to such a terrible story….I feel quite faint…. I am clutching my pearls as I speak…
Among my family you had house terms and barn terms. These are house terms, you don’t want to now about the barn terms.
Ell, the world would be a better place if more pearls were added to the strings, because I think the current versions are cutting off blood flow to the brain.
Okay, I admit the fact that we had a female German Shepherd with both German and American Kennel Club registrations, affects my attitude on “bitch”. Frankly, I never saw the slander. Consider the effect of standing up in a public meeting and calling someone a “muddy male puppy”, which is, in fact what a “dirty son of a bitch” is.
A couple years ago, over in Columbia, they had some bar that wanted to change it’s name to “The Big Ass Bar”. You wouldn’t believe the bru-ha-ha that went on because of it. The bar changed the name to “The Biggest Bar & Grill”, and went out of business… or at least changed names to something else.