NASA bowing to 'woke culture'

[Hans Tucker (Hans)]

NASA announced this week that it is revaluating nicknames for cosmic objects.
'It has become clear that certain cosmic nicknames are not only insensitive, but can be actively harmful,' the agency said in a statement.
A planetary nebula discovered more than 300 years ago will no longer be called the 'Eskimo Nebula' because of the moniker's 'colonial' implications.
A pair of orbiting galaxies will no longer be referred to as the 'Siamese Twins Galaxy' because that name was also deemed offensive.
Many critics decried the decision to scrap the nicknames, accusing NASA of bowing to 'woke culture' Daily Mail

[LewisM]

It'll come to a point where anything will offend someone. Where the bloody hell do we draw the line?!


PC was bad enough, now "woke"?. When will the world REALLY wake up and grow a thicker skin? When will Karen/Wayne shove her/his/its head in? When will all the morons realise we didn't need a damned vote to allow people to love who they want to.


I really feel like escaping "human civilisation" altogether...beam me up

[AndyG (Andy)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

It'll come to a point where anything will offend someone. ...

PC was bad enough, now "woke"?. When will the world REALLY wake up and grow a thicker skin? When will Karen/Wayne shove her/his/its head in?

I really feel like escaping "human civilisation" altogether...beam me up

2nd'd on all accounts, bar one Lewis.
If you bail out (via beamage or otherwise) you forsake the glorious opportunity to tell someone to "shove his/her/attack helicopter's" head in.

[Tropo-Bob (Bob)]

I would need to hear it from a much more credible source than a tabloid before I believe any on this story.

[LewisM]

Where are we REALLY going to draw the line... consider some scientific and astronomical terms.


There will be those offended or upset by the fact that the planets are named after Roman or Greek gods. Christians or Muslims for example, as the Roman and Greek gods are considered Pagan.


Many stars have Arabic names. Will these offend the religious stalwarts? (especially in the USA). Heaven forbid, Muslim names in the sky...


I've even heard offence at the naming of Cyclones/Hurricanes due to their female or male naming depending on hemisphere etc.


You can never appease the unreasonable unappeasable, as they will consider it their right to be forever the vocal minority.

[xa-coupe (Jeff)]

Originally Posted by Tropo-Bob

I would need to hear it from a much more credible source than a tabloid before I believe any on this story.

Sadly it is true .. from the horse's mouth .. or equines mouth .. or whatever:


https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-to...cosmic-objects

[Tropo-Bob (Bob)]

Originally Posted by xa-coupe

Sadly it is true .. from the horse's mouth .. or equines mouth .. or whatever:


https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-to...cosmic-objects

Thanks Jeff,

Lets see what happens. I do not think us amateurs will be renaming anything.

[Hans Tucker (Hans)]

Originally Posted by Tropo-Bob

I would need to hear it from a much more credible source than a tabloid before I believe any on this story.

If they're good enough for the Men In Black ..

https://youtu.be/qTFfthVy_pA

[Tropo-Bob (Bob)]

Originally Posted by Hans Tucker

If they're good enough for the Men In Black ..

https://youtu.be/qTFfthVy_pA

Yeah, that's good.

[Stonius (Markus)]

I take offense at other people taking offense!

[sn1987a (Barry)]

So is The Antennae still "The Scrotum"?

[Stonius (Markus)]

Originally Posted by sn1987a

So is The Antennae still "The Scrotum"?

Bwahahaha, I han't heard that one!

[LewisM]

A mate and I were looking at M17 through his Mewlon 300. We couldn't help but call it The Cock and Balls Nebula

[Stonius (Markus)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

A mate and I were looking at M17 through his Mewlon 300. We couldn't help but call it The Cock and Balls Nebula

Try NGC 1974 too!

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by Hans Tucker

NASA announced this week that it is revaluating nicknames for cosmic objects.
'It has become clear that certain cosmic nicknames are not only insensitive, but can be actively harmful,' the agency said in a statement.
A planetary nebula discovered more than 300 years ago will no longer be called the 'Eskimo Nebula' because of the moniker's 'colonial' implications.
A pair of orbiting galaxies will no longer be referred to as the 'Siamese Twins Galaxy' because that name was also deemed offensive.
Many critics decried the decision to scrap the nicknames, accusing NASA of bowing to 'woke culture' Daily Mail

So I assume this concerns mostly English names right? What's going to happen when words from other languages come into the mix but with a different meaning. What happens to people who actually have names that are "offending". What happens to some branding using words borrowed from another language because marketing thinks it sounds good (thinking of driving a Mitsubishi Pajero in any south American country for instance). Years ago they had the Holden Caprice. Always wondered why someone would want Tantrum as a car brand. It's going to be so convoluted and difficult trying to legislate all this so no snowflake is harmed in the process.

[jahnpahwa (JP)]

This is starting to sound like the cheese thread.



I wont be using those terms.

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Before you get too upset about the supposed "wokeness" of no longer using culturally offensive names, ask yourself how you would feel if you were an indigenous Australian living near one of our many Black Gin Creeks, or Nigger Creek, or Nigger's Bounce? (Yes, these are - or were - all real place names. I'll let you guess the origin of the name Nigger's Bounce - it's not really something to be celebrated!) Or if you're from a European heritage, how would you feel about living in Swastika (Ontario), or Castrillo Matajudíos ("Jew-killer Camp") in Spain?

I doubt that anybody is going to be arrested for daring to refer to the "Eskimo Nebula", but is it REALLY something to be offended about if NASA does not?

[Stonius (Markus)]

Maybe it was named 'in honour of' the eskimo people? Yup'ik is their national dress. Should Einstien's cross be renamed to 'Relativity Cross? or the Gabriela Mistral Nebula?


Now that it's not being referred to as the Eskimo Nebula anymore, they can now claim 'not to be represented' in the naming of nebulae anymore.


Seems to me like it's not taking the Mickey out of the Eskimo people. It's usage is kind of neutral in this context, unlike those other names you mentioned.


In the end, none of these nebula names are official. I call the Statue of liberty nebula the 'Loki nebula' because the 'SoL nebula' ignores its most prominent features - the enormous loops of gas, which look like Loki's helmet to me.


Markus

[AstralTraveller (David)]

I also thought that 'Eskimo' is a neutral term but if those to whom it applies think otherwise, who am I to argue. Someone will come up with a new moniker for the nebula and life will go on.

[DavidU (Dave)]

Inuit nebula then.