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Political Correctness gone too far?

Samadhi

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This has made me shake my head:

Whatever you do, don't call me fairy!

THEME park bosses have re-named their colony of fairy penguins amid fears they could upset the gay community.
Managers at Sea World, on the Gold Coast, are now calling the species "little penguins" in case associations with the word "fairy" offend visitors to the park.

"We didn't have any complaints about the name of the penguins, but someone thought they could be seen as offensive so we decided to change it to little penguin instead," a Sea World spokeswoman said. "We just didn't want to upset the gay community. The new name is more politically correct."

However, Queensland's gay community and other zoos which keep fairy penguins described the name change as ridiculous and unnecessary.

Kamahl Fox, chairman of gay support group the Gold Coast Breakers, said: "I wouldn't be upset by fairy penguins at all.

"I don't think our community is that sensitive about those things. If the penguins were called poofter penguins or something more direct then it might be a problem, but I don't see the name fairy penguin as a mickey-take at all."

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A spokesman for Brisbane's Gay Dads group said the name change took political correctness to the extreme.

"People have been going to see fairy penguins for years and that shouldn't have to change," he said. "The word fairy hasn't been offensive to gay people for about 30 years -- it's just not an issue."

Nerida Ackerman, spokeswoman for gay, lesbian and bisexual 12 to 18-year-olds at Brisbane's Open Door Youth Service, said: "The young people here have grown up knowing these birds as fairy penguins and they think it's silly and a bit of a shame that the name has been changed."

Other zoos said they had no plans to rename their penguins.

"I've never heard of anyone changing the name of a species because of gay reasons before," a spokeswoman for Sydney's Taronga Zoo said. "I don't understand why anyone would change the name fairy penguins because of that association."

Adelaide Zoo's penguin keeper Lauren Ellis said: "We've always called them fairy penguins and are not about to change that."

But Phillip Island Nature Park in Victoria also used to call the birds fairy penguins but now refers to them as little penguins. A spokesman said the name was changed as little penguin is thought to be "a more accurate translation of their scientific name, eudyptula minor."

Fairy penguins are only found in the southern hemisphere preferring the warmer waters along the shores of southern Australia and New Zealand.


I can't believe this, it's way over the top and i believe highlights just how ridiculous political correctness is becoming. Have you noticed anything way over the top, like this, recently?

Discuss.

(please) ;)
 
thats the stupidist thing I have ever read. Since when do homosexuals get called fairys?? i thought it was allways poof, gaybo, homo, fag and batty boy not fairy!!! People need to get a life.:o
 
LOL.... so many examples like this.

Dick and Fanny from Enid Blyton novels being changed to "Rick and Franny".

Cookie Monster... cookies are only "sometimes food" for the blue guy on Sesame street now, he's not allowed to chow down on them endlessly any more. "Cookies are sometimes food!" is his catch cry. I can see why this particular one has undergone the makeover, but oh dear. He aint really the Cookie Monster then, is he?
 
I think it's ridiculous, OTT etc etc etc

The name Fairy Penguin is far less offensive than the implication that the gay community are hyper-sensitive enough to take offense to a long-established animal name.

I do find it slightly ironic that you posted this Samadhi considering (what I considered at the time to be) your (overly sensitive) opinions in this thread ;)

But yeah - I think when every quote in that article from the gay community not only condones but encourages the use of 'fairy' then they are just being stupid about it. Better to be safe than sorry I guess though, a lot of organisations fear a backlash/loss of market share because of something being construed as offensive.
 
But arent they themselves being offensive by refering to Gay people as Fairies??
What about Fairy floss? Or Fairy Liquid? What will kid's parties be without Fairy Bread??? How about saying that you are "Airy Fairy" about something? [Ok I'll stop now.]

Damn you fly after me! You type faster!
 
Strawberry_lovemuffin said:
Cookie Monster... cookies are only "sometimes food" for the blue guy on Sesame street now, he's not allowed to chow down on them endlessly any more. "Cookies are sometimes food!" is his catch cry.
Dear God, are you serious?? I suppose "Cookie Monster NEVER Full!" is changed to "Cookie Monster is acceptably sated"?

I think it's getting beyond stupid when people actively go looking for things like this to change in case someone gets offended. Considering these little fellas have been called Fairy Penguins for a lot longer than the word fairy has been a derogatory term, and the two have nothing to do with each other.

I'm with FlyAfterMe, and others that have expressed the same sentiments. I find things like this more offensive because of the fact that they seem to take the attitude "Oh we can't say that, the poor <insert minority group here> might get upset!". If someone (or more to the point, a whole lot of someones, not just one or two nutjobs) takes offence then sure, consider changing it, but otherwise how about you just leave things along and not confuse people.

Besides which, now how are we supposed to know which penguins it is that wears the tiara's and leather chaps? ;) ;)
 
Mary Poppins said:
I think it's ridiculous, OTT etc etc etc

I do find it slightly ironic that you posted this Samadhi considering (what I considered at the time to be) your (overly sensitive) opinions in this thread ;)

hmmm... really? You don't see a difference? I certainly do. Changing something that "aint broke" like this (there has been no complaints, as you said, it's a long-established animal name, and email sprouting "If you don't like our country... LEAVE", to me, is a little different.

I don't see the similarities?
 
They're completely different circumstances obviously, but I thought of that thread immediately as I read your original post.

I said I found it slightly ironic, not that I found them identical situations - just that in this case you find it preposterous that someone could take offense to something so innocuous, when in the other thread, you took offense to something that many people found innocuous.

Not comparing, just finding parallels. :)
 
I just renamed my White Board because it is politically incorrect.
I've called it the 'Plastic board that I can write on with any coloured marker'.

How stupid.
 
Mary Poppins said:
They're completely different circumstances obviously, but I thought of that thread immediately as I read your original post.

I said I found it slightly ironic, not that I found them identical situations - just that in this case you find it preposterous that someone could take offense to something so innocuous, when in the other thread, you took offense to something that many people found innocuous.

Not comparing, just finding parallels. :)

Wow, it didn't even occur to me. I guess i don't see the irony (and i love irony ;)). I just can't see any parallel between an animal name and an email saying to people of ethnic origin "If you don't like it... F**K OFF".

But then, i have PMS and have a head filled with cotton-wool, so i may be missing something. ;)
 
they aren't even little penguins
they are vertically challenged monochrome temperature-hardened birds
 
Thats pretty silly... I guess not everyone paid attention to "sticks and stones" when they were in primary. :|
 
xcidium said:
I just renamed my White Board because it is politically incorrect.
I've called it the 'Plastic board that I can write on with any coloured marker'.

How stupid.

You racist bastard :X
 
Strawberry_lovemuffin said:
It's true sadly. I can only imagine how they've sanitised the relationship between Bert and Ernie.
Ernie is Berts bitch ... period. There will be no sanitising

Incidentally the cookie monster ate snow in one episode which along side the 'Number 12 pinball machine'* is some of Sesame streets finest hours.

* I had to sing it in my head to remember the Number. 1 2 3 4 5, 6 7 8 9 10, 11, 12!
 
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