Taxonomic names to be revised, because racism

[Ulfreida]

@Babale

An group of professional biologists met to discuss their incredibly specialized field at a conference specifically dedicated to that topic, and this is where they made this decision.

Yes, the decision only affects a small number of people, many of whom were at this conference making this decision.

I don’t see why a bunch of lay people need to question their choice to do so.

Nomenclature does affect everyone who has a need to identify the species, which is a much larger population than just scientists interested in the subject. It’s just that most people are ignorant of just how much it affects them. As the Plecostomus anecdote illustrates.

[digs]

@susan

Where I grew up, they were Brazil nuts. Where I moved, they were sometimes called nigger toes. However, I have never seen that on a grocery store sign, for example, or heard anyone use it in decades. I’m sure some still do.

Like my mother (in her 90s and quick to point out that she is "of course not racist, BUT…").

She just HAS to giggle every time she even catches a glimpse of one in a bowl of mixed nuts, and proclaim loudly "You know… we used to call those nigger toes! Weren’t we naughty! Of course I’d never call them that now…

Uhh, mom, you just did, in front of everyone, and have sullied every thought I ever have about them.

[Stratocaster]

@Ulfreida

Thing is, the only people who use Latin nomenclature are specialists in those fields.

And Latin scholars like me. I had 3 years of Latin in high school—yep, you heard that right—and can remember several offensive Latin phrases.

[Ulfreida]

@Stratocaster

And Latin scholars like me. I had 3 years of Latin in high school—yep, you heard that right—and can remember several offensive Latin phrases.

My daughter-in-law is a Latin teacher, so now I know a whole passel of Latinists.

[susan]

As a gardener, birdwatcher, and reader, I tend to reference using the taxonomical names at times. Handy when traveling in other countries where the common and popular names differ. Readers of my writing often comment on how they like the ways I use the Latin names in poetry.

[Slow_Moving_Vehicle]

@Beckdawrek

It’s funny how people not from a region or race can be outraged by what that region or race does or says.

(As this whole tangent is a possible hijack from the OP discussion, I’ll not reply anymore)

Okay, another white Southerner weighing in: maybe that name is just an Arkansas thing, because I’ve never hear that flower called anything but a “black-eyed Susan”, even among the casual racists I’ve encountered in Georgia and North Carolina. I, and most of the people I know, would certainly call out anyone using that type of language. So please don’t lump all of us white Southerners in with the ignorant Arkansans who use a hateful word for a lovely flower.

[Mangetout]

Me too - I often look at wild flowers in my videos and although I do usually refer to them by one of their common names, I also put the formal name on the screen, because common names are often highly geographic and are sometimes reused for different plants elsewhere (for example ‘Black-eyed Susan/Susie’ refers to Thunbergia alata where I live.)

Thunbergia alata

Learning the Latin names (some of which are actually based on Greek) actually helped me quite a lot in understanding Romance languages and trying to make myself understood when travelling (I am not fluent in Spanish or French, but if I get stuck, choosing an English cognate of a Latin word increases the chance of being understood in those languages).

[puzzlegal]

Moderating:

@Slow_Moving_Vehicle

Okay, another white Southerner weighing in: maybe that name is just an Arkansas thing, because I’ve never hear that flower called anything but a “black-eyed Susan”,

As mentioned above,

@puzzlegal

Moderating:

Having beaten to death the topic of “there’s a grossly offensive nickname for ‘black eyed Susan’, that only one poster has ever heard”, let’s drop that topic going forward.

Please don’t continue this conversation. We’re done with it.

[susan]

Let me recommend this fun book:

Latin for Bird Lovers: Over 3,000 Bird Names Explored and Explained: Lederer,...

[Tamerlane]

@susan

Let me recommend this fun book:

I’ve got this one - might be a wee bit drier :
https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Scientific-Names-English-Latin/dp/1408125013/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1MOX96VO69KC8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.V-WD1e4DKNKhy4_6fSMYDo8Qoy_7tPspQA6HzjQh4L2xFoo1bGCBPT44r6LD47WkBANxI5x77Nbwbud4d2VYug.qGLQVoXvi0u2UxBcRTa9HRks9qZA9ye0KDLwOr_-krI&dib_tag=se&keywords=helm+dictionary+of+scientific&qid=1721693050&s=books&sprefix=helm+dicvtionary+of+scientific%2Cstripbooks%2C132&sr=1-1

[susan]

Yum, yum!

[Slow_Moving_Vehicle]

@puzzlegal

Moderating:

@Slow_Moving_Vehicle

Okay, another white Southerner weighing in: maybe that name is just an Arkansas thing, because I’ve never hear that flower called anything but a “black-eyed Susan”,

As mentioned above,

@puzzlegal

Moderating:

Having beaten to death the topic of “there’s a grossly offensive nickname for ‘black eyed Susan’, that only one poster has ever heard”, let’s drop that topic going forward

Please don’t continue this conversation. We’re done with it.

Sorry. Missed your post. Understood.

But hey! My first mod note!

[MrDibble]

Life scientists have it easy with their binomials. Minerals are uninomial. One of my favourite geochem lecturers had one named after her after she died.

@Mangetout

you’d end up with species names that meanthings like ‘slightly thinner than the other one’, which are useless out of context,

AKA Feegle Nomenclature.

[Mangetout]

Alexander the not-quite-so-great-but-better-than-Alexander-the-inadequate

[Kimstu]

And don’t forget No’-As-Big-As-Medium-Sized-Jock-But-Bigger-than-Wee-Jock Jock
[ETA: Oops, ninja’d by MrDibble.]

[RickJay]

@MrDibble

One of my favourite geochem lecturers had one named after her after she died.

Did the mineral lack a name, or did they change an existing name?

She must have been one hell of a scientist.

[MrDibble]

@RickJay

Did the mineral lack a name

It was newly discovered.

@RickJay

She must have been one hell of a scientist.

She very much was. Although I was wrong, it was named after her two years before she died.

Statement On The Passing Of Prof. Marian Tredoux, Associate Professor Dept....

[RickJay]

@MrDibble

It was newly discovered.

You learn something new every day; I am sort of amazed they’re still discovering new minerals.

[DrDeth]

@Ulfreida

Thing is, the only people who use Latin nomenclature are specialists in those fields.

Okay for everyone here-
Western lowland gorilla=Gorilla gorilla gorilla
The Mola (large weird fish aka Sunfish)= Mola Mola. (Many fish are called “sunfish”)
American Bison= Bison Bison.

Now you can sound like a specialist. - “By Gorilla, do you mean the Western lowland gorilla- Gorilla gorilla (pause) gorilla ?”

[Chronos]

And there are a few animals for which the only name is the scientific name, like Tyrannosaurus rex or Boa constrictor.