Honest, I am trying not to get riled up, so I waited a bit with this one until I could laugh about it. this article in Slate (via Fafblog) describes the Dairy Queen dilemna of finding themselves being offensive in naming a new product MooLatte because it sounds too much like mullato, a term “not in much use nowadays, that describes a person whose father is white and mother is black or (less common in bygone days) the other way around.”
Sounds like? Honest folks, there’s an awful lot of words you could make up with our measley little 26-letter alphabet, but some things are just bound to sound alike. How many times have we gasped, clutched our chests and asked delicately, “I beg your pardon?” to clarify something.
I want to say to these protestors (who are they, by the way; is there a group of people sworn to reading and finding fault daily: “Ahah! This could be misconstrued and offend the two-year old boys in the Shanghai sector!”) “lighten up,” but wouldn’t that be the epitomy of offensive? As a matter of fact, that phrase is probably something that should go on that list. Try using it the next time the opportunity arises, to someone who is overweight, or of color. Can you do it now that I’ve pointed out it’s possible offensive nature?
Besides taking away our rights of free speech, (and turning the government into our “mommy” who should hold the responsibility [along with Dad] for teaching us what’s nice and what’s not nice to say) those nitpicking nerds of politically correct persuasion are starting to worry me in that I see a trend that perhaps should be seriously scientifically researched: What exactly is causing so many brains to turn into mush?
In my lifetime I have been called Polack, stumpy, shorty, sweetpea, four-eyes (that one has hurt many a newly bespectacled seven-year old), bitch, and worse. You know the only name that really bothers me though? Susie.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
Great. You be Susie and I be Knee-ha.
Well Susie, (there are some things you should just *never* tell 😉 ), I wasn’t aware of the Dairy Queen conflict, but I agree it sounds absurd. While I am sympathetic to concerns about sports teams being named The Redskins, or about the fans of teams doing things like the “tomahawk chop,” I just don’t see MooLatte in the same category. Of course, MooLatte is sort of stupid just as it is, vaguely redundant and probably not accurately descriptive.
Anyway, just wanted to chime in because this was such a well written essay, no matter how brief. I especially like your closing.
Thanks,
Owen
Both of you have seen or read me in many of my moods, depression, joy, grief or silly. But neither has experienced the roaring thunder I become in direct reaction to the calling of that name.
Thank you Owen, for your comments other than the opening line. Both Neha and yourself are much too quick for me, and friends enough, I think, to laugh and catch me in my own net. (Low growl.)