NASA bowing to 'woke culture'

[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

[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 :abduct:

[AndyG]

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]

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]

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


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

[Tropo-Bob]

Thanks Jeff,

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

[Hans Tucker]

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

https://youtu.be/qTFfthVy_pA

[Tropo-Bob]

Yeah, that's good. :rofl:

[Stonius]

I take offense at other people taking offense!


:lol::rofl::lol:

[sn1987a]

So is The Antennae still "The Scrotum"? :P

[Stonius]

Bwahahaha, I han't heard that one! :lol:

[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 :rofl:

[Stonius]

Try NGC 1974 too!

[multiweb]

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. :lol: It's going to be so convoluted and difficult trying to legislate all this so no snowflake is harmed in the process. :P

[jahnpahwa]

This is starting to sound like the cheese thread.



I wont be using those terms.

[julianh72]

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]

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]

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]

Inuit nebula then.

[Stonius]

Actually that makes more sense.:lol:

[xelasnave]

Well Jupiter has to go...and Mars ...mmm my list will be a long one...make them all numbers but only even numbers as I don't like odd numbers...

Now if I can offer some advice..don't let any of it worry you..folk who come up with these ideas for change are very proud of their input, and so they should be, as weird as it may seem to many of us one should perhaps realise that they have never had a real idea before and of course will want to stand behind it with that rather new feeling to them we call pride in accomplishment.

Let the baby have it's bottle.

I bet if no one took notice most of this would go away but certainly leave just the militant advocates who can be dealt with when they gather to protest.

Moreover...letting these sort of things have one burr up is clear evidence that one is really getting old and grumpy...

Alex

[AstralTraveller]

Very good idea. Unless, of course, someone thinks it looks like a cock and balls.

[sn1987a]

Chocolate Starfish nebula?

[LewisM]

Call it the "Formerly Known As Male Genitalia Nebula"


Or C&B for short.

[multiweb]

Does this mean we can't say eski either or is that different?