back to article NASA to stop using names like 'Eskimo Nebula' and 're-examine' what it calls cosmic objects

NASA has decided to "re-examine" how it refers to cosmic objects. Last week the agency pointed out that it currently uses nicknames such as "Eskimo Nebula" or "Siamese Twins Galaxy", but thinks the time has come to change. "As the scientific community works to identify and address systemic discrimination and inequality in all …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Human Nature

    You can keep on changing names and words in galaxies and scripting/coding, people won't change their habits. Of prejudice, bias and general arsehole-ness.

    So I am pro-change, but anti-human, lol.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Human Nature

      your attitude of prejudice against bias and general arseholeness is terrible! For the sake of diversity and inclusiveness of all views, you MUST change yours and embrace this change with open mind. Or else.

    2. jake Silver badge

      Re: Human Nature

      The prejudice and bias is purely in the minds of people who assign those values to certain words, especially where no prejudice or bias is intended on the part of the users of those words. Why these people want to assume the worst in others is most likely nothing more than projection.

      1. Trigun

        Re: Human Nature

        Correct. This mindset of seeing racially or sexually based issues in every single thing is a disease in the minds of the people who are wanting the change. That or just that everyone is scared silly of a very small vocal minority who like to control others through fear of being labelled as a racist of a 'phobe.

        1. AndrueC Silver badge
          Joke

          Re: Human Nature

          ...in every single thing...

          Oy! That's discriminatory against those of us not currently in a relationship with another entity.

        2. Hubert Cumberdale
          Trollface

          Re: Human Nature

          See also the recent (and, in my opinion, frankly irrational) resignation of a presenter from my and your favourite urban hip-hop/RNB station, Radio 1Xtra, for the BBC reporting the use of an offensive racial slur in context, preceded by a warning, and with the approval of the family involved. Some people seem to just be looking for ways to be offended. He said he could not work with the BBC allowing “the N-word being said on national television by a white person”. So, there are some words that people with certain heritage are allowed to say, but people of other heritage are not? He seems to be implying that it would have been fine if the reporter were black. Sounds a bit racist to me... I'm frankly offended and will be resigning.

          1. TeeCee Gold badge

            Re: Human Nature

            Some people seem to just be looking for ways to be offended.,

            Bingo. It's called Tw@ter.

            Best recent example I can think of was Alistair Stewart. He replied to an ignorant troll with the beautifully worded Shakespearian quote that means "You are an ignorant troll".

            Ignorant troll then parses said quote word by word, finds the one it's looking for and promptly waves it on Tw@ter as obvious evidence of a deliberate racist insult, gaining kudos and troll points for doing so.

            Mr Stewart resigns from public life rather than attempting to explain Shakespeare to the baying hordes of the terminally stupid.

        3. The Cowboy Online

          Re: Human Nature

          "minority who like to control others" -- this is what it's about and all it has ever been about.

      2. Julz

        Re: Human Nature

        If only I could up vote more than once.

        However as Trigun says there is more going on and I think it is far more dangerous than people merely projecting their own fears onto other peoples behavior. It is a sort of race to the moral high ground while at the same time castigation those that are not pious enough. I think it is a form of mass hysteria (hum, can we continue using that sexist term? :) amplified via the always on, connected and uncritical population at large. A race to find ever more things that might offend and ever more righteous ways of signaling your superiority to the majority by your awareness of these so call offenses. No matter there might not be any actual offense, that is of no consequence. It is the act of signalling to the uninitiated, the ignorant but most importantly to your fellow acolytes, that matters. Quite literally, that act of being holier than thou. This is the object of the exercise. Quite sickening.

        As ever, a name has been coined for this, the purity spiral, and the chattering classes are all a chattering about it. How long I wonder before that term becomes persona non gratis. There is an ok'ish BCC radio shown exploring the phenomenon.

        https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d70h

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d70h

          "You now need to sign in. It's quick & easy"

          Well, bbc can fuck off and die. Alternatively, that open-source iplayer should do it. Is it worth it though? I can see the phenomenon daily anyway...

          1. BenDwire Silver badge

            Re: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d70h

            youtube-dl https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d70h

            You're welcome.

        2. EagleZ28

          Re: Human Nature

          It isn't a matter of them projecting FEARS...

          Do you remember the old saw/aphorism, back when you were a kid... that "the first to smell the fart (and point the finger), was probably the one who farted?"

          Did you ever wonder why the first people to cry out "Sexism!" are the extreme feminists, aka feminazis?

          What do you want to bet that most of the people complaining about how this or that is racist... are, themselves, quite racist?

        3. DropBear

          Re: Human Nature

          It's simply a witch hunt. And there are always people who recognize that there is power to be had by spearheading any movement the zeitgeist happens to be favouring; if you say the things people want to hear you get to manipulate them. The power other people lend you when they rally behind you can always be focused and used to get done the things you want done, and do in the people you want done in...

    3. John Robson Silver badge

      Re: Human Nature

      But you can raise the next generation without having them surrounded by casual reminders of past racism.

      In terms of black hole and white dwarf - I don't see an issue with either, they are literally describing the colour of the objects in question (although white dwarves will eventually cool to become black dwarves).

      In the same way that a red giant isn't a slur on those with red hair.

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

        1. John Robson Silver badge

          Re: Human Nature

          At least I was consistently wrong...

    4. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Human Nature

      If you don't think there is a link between language and culture, you're not well-informed. One informs the other.

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: Human Nature

        As just one current, real-world example, a language which is strongly gender-based resists the idea of non-binary identity. The language literally holds back acceptance of non-gendered pronouns because it seems clumsy to use them, compared to a language which is less focused on the gender of the person.

        Language informs behaviour and culture. It's pretty widely known.

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: Human Nature

          "Language informs behaviour and culture. It's pretty widely known."

          Is it? By whom? In what context? I just hit DDG with the string "Language informs behavior and culture." and also "Language informs behavior and culture." and received the reply "No results found" for both.

          So where, exactly, is this supposedly pretty widely known? The only place I have ever seen anyone string those words together is here on ElReg, in this particular batch of comments. By yourself.

          1. EagleZ28

            Re: Human Nature

            In my opinion (and experience), "JDX" put the cart before the horse.

            Language does not "inform" behavior and culture... but REFLECT it... both.

            The language and culture adapt... change... grow... and then language changes to reflect those things.

          2. Jon 37

            Re: Human Nature

            Go read the fiction book "1984". The book includes an explanation of how the (fictional) totalitarian government is trying to make it impossible to think "wrong" thoughts, by changing the language so that it cannot express "wrong" things. Because it becomes harder to think "wrong" thoughts, that helps eradicate "wrong" behaviour. Their warped and simplified language is called "newspeak" and is doubleplusungood.

            (For those of you who haven't read the book: "doubleplusungood" is a perfectly valid newspeak word, meaning "very very bad". And go read the book, it's short and definitely worthwhile).

            It is a classic book, and there's been plenty of discussion of the issues it raises - which include "newspeak", pervasive surveillance, and totalitarian governments.

  2. Version 1.0 Silver badge

    What's next?

    Should be ban the name Android? Android as a name is seriously discriminatory, calling your phone a robot? Calling people robot users, not robot abusers?

    This is dumb, every name out there in the world can be thought to be discriminatory in one way or another - lets move to abandoning these human invented names and name everything with a GUID, at least a GUID is not going to have racist or sexist accusations.

    Signed, {144BA728-FC67-404D-8DA5-44132EB8810A}

    1. Neil Barnes Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: What's next?

      I say! Are you related to the Hertfordshire 44132EB8810As? Old friends of the family, dontcha know?

      The one in hunting pink, obv. --->

      1. Jamie Jones Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: What's next?

        I know your sort.... All us 44132EB8810As look the same, right?

    2. Wellyboot Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: What's next?

      Perhaps...

      The morality crew will jump straight onto prominent D1C5 B00B135 or BAD6E

      1. KittenHuffer Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: What's next?

        BAD6Es! We don't need no stinkin' BAD6Es!

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: What's next?

          Speaking of which, how long before Blazing Saddles gets the chop? (I see YouTube finally pulled the "Germans" episode of Fawlty Towers. Fucking gootard assholes.)

          1. Wellyboot Silver badge

            Re: What's next?

            All is not lost

            https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53032895

            Would pulling Blazing Saddles from the list be considered anti-semitic in any way?

            1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

              Re: What's next?

              In the words of Mel "you couldn't make blazing saddles now? Hell you couldn't make it then!"

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What's next?

      Android also comes from Greek andros which means 'man' (as in androgynous), thereby is not an inclusive term.

      We should not use 'robot' either. It comes from a word that means 'slave'.

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: What's next?

        Albedo means whiteness. And clearly Solstice is a heathen term.

      2. Frank Zuiderduin

        Re: What's next?

        Really? I thought it was derived from the russian word for 'worker'.

        I despise all these so called 'woke' purity nuts.

        1. LazLong

          Re: What's next?

          >Really? I thought it was derived from the russian word for 'worker'.

          While the Russian word for 'worker,' rabotnik (работник), does include a Slavic root related to 'labor,' the word 'robot' was coined by the brother of Czech science fiction author Karel Čapek, Josef Čapek.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: What's next?

          But it was used in ways meaning "forced labor" - like corvées and serfdom, hence the idea of using it in the novel. And after all, the term "slave" itself came from "slavic"...

        3. Marcelo Rodrigues

          Re: What's next?

          "Really? I thought it was derived from the russian word for 'worker'."

          It is derived from the Czech word "robota" - meaning something like "forced laborer" or "slave".

          1. LazLong

            Re: What's next?

            > . It is derived from the Czech word "robota" - meaning something like "forced laborer" or "slave".

            Sorry. Not even close. The Czech word for 'slave' is 'otrok,' and the word for 'work' is 'práce.'

            Check this out, maybe it'll help you:

            https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot

        4. logicalextreme

          Re: What's next?

          Pls create a bar snack called "Woke Purity Nuts". I will help with initial capital and promotion.

        5. JDX Gold badge

          Re: What's next?

          If you "despise" someone because they're different from you, that's not going to improve the world.

      3. DuncanLarge Silver badge

        Re: What's next?

        > We should not use 'robot' either. It comes from a word that means 'slave'

        The word "service" too.

      4. This post has been deleted by its author

        1. tekHedd

          Re: What's next?

          "Androgynous derives from both andr - man and gyno - woman."

          So... you're suggesting we should be calling them angydroids?

    4. Jonathan Richards 1
      WTF?

      Re: What's next?

      The International Astronomical Union is reviewing the naming the largest planet of the Solar System after a serial rapist, it is being reported [1]

      [1] i.e. reported here, but thoroughly inaccurately [2]

      [2] I hope to some inoffensive god that I'm right about the inaccuracy.

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: What's next?

        Washington State needs to be renamed because Washington was a slave owner.

        Washington DC needs to be renamed because Washington was a slave owner and Columbus was worse.

        Here's a mind-boggling fact: There are school districts here in California actively working to change the names of all schools named after any US President or other historical figure who ever did anything even remotely non-modern-era-PC. Really.

        There is also a movement here in California to rename everything named after Sir Francis Drake, because he was a slave trader. (If you don't know the history, look up "Drake's Bay" and then Drake himself on the usually suspect Wiki.)

        These idiots are truly trying to re-write history to make it politically correct.

        1. hoola Silver badge

          Re: What's next?

          Currently it is deemed politically correct to denounce anything that happened in the past particularly if it affects trends on social media with all the focus on BAME and BLM. One cannot erase history and I believe that to do so actually increases the risks of similar actions being repeated. Just because the Slave Trade was acceptable and is now unacceptable does not mean it should be forgotten.

          There also appears to be huge amounts of focus on particular sections of the population based on racial origin. There are equal, if not worse atrocities that have taken place based on ethnic or religious origin that have never had this focus.

          What has happened that is now history is just that and we should be seeing those actions for what they are but in a modern context.

          Trying to change or erase history also feeds those are in denial that these things even happened in the first place.

          Should we also erase everything that took place under Hitler? That there are people who still deny the Holocaust took place is frightening.

          The Ethnic cleansing that took place in Balkans has all but disappeared.

          Would it be right to bury the use of the two bombs on Japan at the end of WW2?

          What about the purging of indigenous Indians in America?

          In this age of Social Media & instant fashion it appears to be far too easy to create & jump on a bandwagon or popular outcry that politicians, academics and businesses have no option but to align themselves with for fear of becoming a target. That in itself risks becoming just as bad as the very thing that is causing the protest in the first place.

        2. JDX Gold badge

          Re: These idiots are truly trying to re-write history to make it politically correct.

          Um, no. They are not trying to rewrite history, they simply think any perceived glorification of people now deemed bad should be erased.

          They want this stuff taught more in schools, not less - children need to be educated that everyone born before about 1990 was an irredeemable bigot.

          There is a valid point that celebrating someone we no longer think should be celebrated is a bit odd. It could be handled far less clumsily but to suggest anyone who holds a view you disagree with is "an idiot" is hardly putting you on the side of light and truth. If people want to rename a building, that's hardly an affront to history.

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: These idiots are truly trying to re-write history to make it politically correct.

            "They want this stuff taught more in schools, not less"

            Actually, no. They don't. I've seen several "experts" on childhood learning[0] on DearOldTelly recently stating outright that we must completely erase our history (or at least hide it from the children and other non-researchers), because teaching kids what their Great Grandparents were up to is actively promoting institutional racism, and thus a form of child abuse.

            [0] Most with letters after their names, and promoted by one school of higher learning or another.

          2. jake Silver badge

            Re: These idiots are truly trying to re-write history to make it politically correct.

            "There is a valid point that celebrating someone we no longer think should be celebrated is a bit odd."

            Who is celebrating anyone in these cases? They are a point of history, good or bad. If they were good, teach why. If they were bad, similarly teach why. Whitewashing over the bad dishono(u)rs the good, some of whom were working against almost unimaginable odds ...

            The statues, place names, etc. already exist. Use them as tools. Instead of pouring millions of dollars into eradicating all traces of them, put half that money into schools to teach the kids why, exactly, we don't act like that today, in the modern so-called "civilized" world.

            Ive been called "racist" for suggesting the above. The mind boggles.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Horsehead Nebula is OK

    Isn't that going to offend Sarah Jessica Parker?

    1. Julz

      Re: Horsehead Nebula is OK

      or the mafia...

    2. KittenHuffer Silver badge

      Re: Horsehead Nebula is OK

      Neigh!

      1. BrownishMonstr

        Re: Horsehead Nebula is OK

        Isn't that supposed to be:

        'The horse says..."No"'.

    3. iainr

      Re: Horsehead Nebula is OK

      dunno but Jack Woltz shits himself every time it's mentioned

  4. alain williams Silver badge

    Ban all Homonyms!

    The only way of stopping this madness is to ban all uses of the same word to mean more than one thing. If everything is described by a different word then nobody will get into trouble for accidentally making someone feel uncomfortable.

    I wish that it were only this simple.

    1. Khaptain Silver badge

      Re: Ban all Homonyms!

      With this new Woke crowd the words change their meaning on a daily basis. Everything has become a means of entrapment..

      That will continue until the people get absolutely sick of it all and then the push back will begin.

      If the SJWs/Woke Crowd don't like society then they are certainly free to create their own...

      Go Woke, go broke..

      .

    2. jake Silver badge

      Re: Ban all Homonyms!

      Student: "You wont find a single word in my paper that one couldn't say on Radio 4!"

      Master: "Yeah, but not in that particular order ..."

      Context is key. All else is madness.

      1. MOH

        Re: Ban all Homonyms!

        Careful now. Master? You're clearly a monster

        1. logicalextreme

          Re: Ban all Homonyms!

          Monster? Down with this sort of thing. It's "differently gened".

    3. Phones Sheridan Silver badge

      Re: Ban all Homonyms!

      I don't know how true it is, but a Jewish friend once told me that in ancient Hebrew, there were no words that had dual meanings, so maybe if true, that is the solution. Lets resurrect a dead language!

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: Ban all Homonyms!

        Absolutely untrue. Look at all the arguments over which translation of the Five Books of Moses is the correct one.

        1. Eclectic Man Silver badge

          Re: Ban all Homonyms!

          Ancient Hebrew was written without vowels, so I am told (philologists please advise), which led to some interesting confusions. For example I understand that the words for "camel" and "rope" have the same consonants, and the statement that 'it is as easy for a rich man to enter the gates of Heaven as it is for a camel to pass through he eye of a needle' should actually refer to rope. All those contortions of language explaining that the 'eye of a needle' referred to a very small gate in a city wall disappear.

          An Aside:

          In a passage in the Old Testament about King Solomon causing a pool to be built for the priests to wash in, the pool is described as being 10 cubits across and 30 cubits round. However, in the Hebrew text the two uses of the word "cubit" are spelled differently. As, in Hebrew letters are numbers, if you then do the maths on these two spellings, with the ratio of the circumference fo a circle to the diameter, you get Pi correct to 7 decimal places.

          1. Julian Bradfield

            Re: Ban all Homonyms!

            The new testament was not written in Hebrew. The confusion, if it is a confusion, may have arisen in Aramaic or Greek; Google will tell you far more than you wanted to know about what people think of this.

          2. jake Silver badge

            Re: Ban all Homonyms!

            The "eye of a needle" passage (Luke 18:25) was written in Koine Greek, not Hebrew, although parts of the other Gospels might have originally been set down in Hebrew ... "Luke" (whoever that was) probably wrote a few other Acts of the play, as well.

            There is absolutely no historical evidence whatsoever that Hebrew letters were assigned numerical values during the time period that 1 Kings 7:23 was written. Anybody suggesting otherwise is a charlatan, probably looking to separate fools from their money.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Ban all Homonyms!

          Surely the original text is the correct one, and the translations are approximations into the fashionable language of the time, now being approximated into to the currently fashionable languages of today.

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: Ban all Homonyms!

            ::shhh:: You'll spoil the fun.

    4. Tigra 07
      Facepalm

      Re: Ban all Homonyms!

      Nebula 1,2,3,4,5,etc. Galaxy 1,2,3,4,5,etc. Object 1,2,3,4,5,etc.

      The future is boring, sterile, and apparently had to be this way because everything is offensive to these woke tards. If offence was a form of energy we'd have a limitless supply.

      1. tonique

        Re: Ban all Homonyms!

        That's what astronomical catalogue numbers are for. Sometimes you can even choose which one to use! M13 and NGC 6205 both refer to the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules.

        Incidentally, "Perseus" should be changed because "perse" is a vulgar word for 'rear end' in Finnish.

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: Ban all Homonyms!

          "Incidentally, "Perseus" should be changed because "perse" is a vulgar word for 'rear end' in Finnish."

          By Hercules' Great Globular Clusters! I'm shocked to hear that. Shocked, I say. We must immediately ban Finnish, it's for the greater good of us all! Will no one think of the children?

          1. TDog

            Re: Ban all Homonyms!

            (Deity or non deity of your choice) it's much worse than that! Have you looked at Pi or any other irrational numbers - they go on for ever, don't stop and have lots of sequences in them.... So converting them to ASCII or similar code will lead to all sorts of unacceptable statements - not just "Brown Bears Bugger Badgers" (it is late at night so forgive me) but who knows what!!!!!!!!!!!!

            We need an immediate government funded committee to immediately produce an initial report of the potential danger sequences in Pi and other irrational numbers. Then we must remove this outrageous sexist (oh bugger it I can't be arsed to cover all the irrational descriptions here) bits. If this causes minor inconveniences then the human race (is that racist?) or merely specist, must reprogram all of our systems to cope with it.

            Owning a slide rule or a book of log tables with this in must now become a capital offence, subsequent convictions must become a severe repeat offence and treated appropriately (did Jesus own a slide rule?).

            Anything is better than the inherent injustice in irrational numbers.

            Delete and rejoice.

    5. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Ban all Homonyms!

      " If everything is described by a different word then nobody will get into trouble for accidentally making someone feel uncomfortable."

      It's going to be a big job disentangling 'set'.

    6. EagleZ28

      Re: Ban all Homonyms!

      At least some of them, of the "Race Studies" variety, have redefined the word "privilege".

      According to them, it now means "an ABSENCE of IMPEDIMENT"... instead of the ADDITION of something special.

      Of course, it's just a mere coincidence that the change of definition yields the result of making far more White people "privileged"... and yes, he was referring to White privilege initially, but paused and changed it to "all privilege really...".

      Likewise, they defined the word "microaggression" so that ONLY the dominant cultural group COULD commit a microaggression, thus giving all other groups a "free pass"..

      They are also trying to redefine "racist"/"racism"/"prejudice" so that minorities are somehow unable, by definition, to be "racists" or "prejudiced".

      1. Tigra 07
        Thumb Down

        Re: Ban all Homonyms!

        "They are also trying to redefine "racist"/"racism"/"prejudice" so that minorities are somehow unable, by definition, to be "racists" or "prejudiced"."

        Yeah, that one has been going on for a while. Racism now includes a "power" element, so only white people can be racist, even when the most powerful man in the world was previously a black man... MLK must be spinning in his grave at the modern black person, fighting for segregation and special privileges.

        1. EagleZ28

          Re: Ban all Homonyms!

          I can give most of these people the benefit of the doubt... believe that they just have good intentions.

          (Innocent until proven guilty, as SOME have already confessed to being racists.)

          At the same time, these people are a good example of why we have that old saying...

          "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

          No matter what their INTENT might be, SOME of the RESULTS of this crap are going to be...

          Very Bad Indeed.

        2. jake Silver badge

          Re: Ban all Homonyms!

          MLK's RPM is increasing daily ... Last time I read it, his most famous speech didn't contain the line "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will judge white people by the color of their skin, instead of the content of their character."

          Sadly, however, that is exactly what is happening / has happened. I am a racist merely because of the color of my skin, regardless of anything I may have said or done (or not said or done).

          The truly daft thing is that even though my skin is white, I am not a Caucasian ... and in fact, I am more of a minority than all the so-called minorities calling me a racist. Such is the logic of the uneducated, ignorant world we live in.

          1. Tigra 07
            Coffee/keyboard

            Re: Ban all Homonyms!

            I've started to hear the phrase "irredeemably racist" to describe white people, with some now claiming we have to be taught how not to be racist. Reecently a city in the US even sent all it's politicians to a bootcamp to teach them how to "renounce their whiteness".

            What fresh racism is this when an entire group is treated as inferior by people based on skin colour, and that's somehow not racist? Madness.

            1. EagleZ28

              Re: Ban all Homonyms!

              Is it just me, or does that "boo tcamp" sound a lot like a "re-eduction camp"?

              An effort at "policing thoughts", as well as language...

        3. EagleZ28

          Re: Ban all Homonyms!

          "Racism now includes a "power" element..."

          Only if we the people LET them change it.

          We can refuse to accept that new one, and keep using the word in its older meaning, and thereby refute the new one.

    7. EagleZ28

      Re: Ban all Homonyms!

      No! Then we wouldn't be able to have pun!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    There are real actual problems of discrimination in the world.

    Scientific nomenclature is not one of them.

    Has any group of people actually suffered as a result of this nomenclature?

    In some parts of the world people are imprisoned, beaten, murdered because of their race or religious beliefs.

    Solve that actual problem instead.

    1. Naich

      The people at NASA can't solve that problem and I'm pretty sure they aren't suggesting that their policy will solve that problem.

      A problem they CAN solve is that they feel some names are inappropriate. You might disagree, but what they name things is up to them, surely? You aren't getting harmed in any way, so why not just let them use names they are more comfortable with rather than going all gammon about PC gone mad?

      1. jake Silver badge

        And by "solving" a non-problem ...

        ... how many problems are they going to create? For example, are YOU volunteering to pay for the reprinting and distribution of all the textbooks containing the words that must be sanitized/purified by this hyper politically correct insanity?

      2. James 47

        'gammon'... I've seen this a few times. I assume it's supposed to be some sort of derogatory term for a particular type of white person. Why did you use this term?

        1. jake Silver badge

          Supposedly ...

          ... "gammon" used in this context means one's face looks like a ham.

          Name calling, in other words. One wonders if Naich understands what the term "hypocrite" means.

        2. BenDwire Silver badge
          Facepalm

          The origin of "Gammon" comes from a BBC political discussion programme called "Question Time". A newspaper columnist observed that enraged audience members would become angry and red-faced, stating that they looked like gammons. Whilst I can see the funny side of that, the woke playground bullies that latched onto it have taken the joke a tad too far.

          I'll write "OK Boomer" so nobody else has to bother.

          1. jake Silver badge

            Every time someone says "OK boomer" to me, I respond "No need to cry, little one." Seems to shut them up in a hurry.

        3. Tigra 07
          Coat

          RE: James

          It's strange that some people lefties see it acceptable to use the term "gammon" as an insult, and a way to discredit what people say, merely by insulting their skin colour. Especially since it's blatantly racist. If "Uncle Tom" and "Coconut" are racist, then stop calling middle aged white people Gammon.

      3. parlei Bronze badge

        Agreed. Would we persist is referring to a co-worker by a derogatory nickname that that person had asked us to stop using? For most I hope the answer would be "no". Would stopping solve the problem of workplace harassment? No, of course not. But every bit helps. If I, for pretty much no cost or effort, could be less of an asshole to someone, why should I chose *not* to?

        And I doubt anyone is expected to reprint textbooks (as suggested below), but the next edition is easily fixed, and so is the website.

        1. BrownishMonstr

          Six people disagree with you. I suppose you should choose to be a dickhead, unless it's for your benefit; but even then, maybe not.

        2. jake Silver badge

          "Would we persist is referring to a co-worker by a derogatory nickname that that person had asked us to stop using?"

          Of course not. But that's misdirection, and you know it. We are talking about technical terminology, and the way we have named inanimate objects. This is a completely different subject. Thread hijack attempt noted and ignored.

          If "the next addition" is easily fixed (as is the Web site), are you volunteering your services to do that job until that job is complete? Willing to put your time and labo(u)r where your mouth is?

      4. ericsmith881

        Who's offended?

        The question is, who was beating down NASA's door saying their life was being ruined by the racism/sexism/whatever-ism inherent in the names of *astronomical objects*???

        The answer is: nobody. Or at least nobody that isn't a serial offendee of everything, everywhere, all the time. This is virtue signalling, nothing more. And it's just as pointless and stupid as all virtue signalling. It's NASA's stab at "hey, we're woke! Come look at how woke we are!"

        What's next? Brown dwarfs may offend height-challenged people *and* people of color! Blue giant is offensive to plus-sized people and those suffering from argyria! Oh the humanity! Won't someone please think of these tortured souls whose lives have been ruined but such vicious, evil slurs??? I'm sure if you try hard enough, someone somewhere will be offended by "globular cluster" or some other innocuous term *if they really want to be offended*.

        These people should not be celebrated for claiming to be victims of things that are clearly not offensive. We should not change the definition of "offensive" to mean "anything that anyone, anywhere says is offensive." It's idiotic and it needs to stop.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "Solve that actual problem instead."

      Whilst your post is undoubtably true, it also suffers a bit from 'whataboutism' (Google is your friend). There will *always* be a more serious issue to contend with, in any walk of life, by any reasonably sensible measure. What should you do? What should everyone do? What should society do?

      In this case, what should NASA do? Should send all their employees to work as rescue teams to far flung corners or volunteers in food kitchens and stop sending stuff out of the atmosphere? At what point do you say 'no, you go do that, but different you go and do a a different that'? If NASA are tasked with being NASA and watching the stars and occasionally throwing big fireworks around, maybe we should just let them crack on with their naming issues and just appreciate that they are at least thinking about it?

      A/C too.

      1. jake Silver badge

        "In this case, what should NASA do?"

        In the world of bureaucrats, they must do something. This is demonstrably something, so it must be done.

        In the world of sane people, sometimes doing nothing is the better option.

    3. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      "Solve that actual problem instead."

      Too hard. Solve the easier ones instead. This is a two Dilbert issue.

      https://dilbert.com/strip/1999-02-17

      https://dilbert.com/strip/1998-10-13

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      re. In some parts of the world people are imprisoned, beaten, murdered

      ah, but this minor issue has been around for a few millennia, kinda hard to crack, this one. WHEREAS decreeing certain words discriminatory, etc. - quick and easy. Done! Instant success! Eat shit - thousands of fb "likes" cannot be wrong!

  6. IGotOut Silver badge

    Intresting...

    banning siamese twins. Is this because it's degrading to "siamese", to conjoined twins, or because the ones this term was named after, were slave owners who saw black people as sub humans?

    Discuss.

    1. Hollerithevo

      Re: Intresting...

      Because 'Siamese' is an historical accident (the first conjoined twins who became famous were paraded around the USA as attractions) and simply lazy to use. And as anything Asiatic was deemed weird and lesser, it could never be nice. We don't use the word 'Mongoloid' for Down's Syndrome people any more. That turned out to be a very easy shift, so why people are getting their knickers in a twist over a phrase that nobody much uses any more is a mystery to me. Hell, even cities change their names (e.g. Thunder Bay in Canada) and yes, it took a while for text books, maps, etc. to catch up, but someone we managed. Are all the huffers and puffers really going to man the barricades over words that are now, at best, quaint?

      1. RobThBay

        Re: Intresting...

        And Kitchener, ontario (also Canada) used to be called Berlin. There's even a place called Swastika in Ontario.

        1. Wellyboot Silver badge

          Re: Intresting...

          Changing your own (town, country, personal) name is fine carry on. A little over a hundred years ago a chap named George decided that he'd rather be called Windsor that Saxe Coberg Gotha.

          The article is about changing the currently descriptively accurate name for every object of that type in existence.

          Are we eventually going to remove the word 'Black' from dictionaries altogether? It won't change the physics of light interacting with a surface.

  7. Michael Hoffmann Silver badge
    Boffin

    Arabic star names

    Out of curiosity, I just checked whether https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arabic_star_names might offend modern sensibilities.

    Amazingly, it looks like they ancient Arabs had the foresight to choose names that wouldn't offend anybody past, present or future.

    Probably.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: Arabic star names

      Is the virgin a swallower or does (s)he prefer a string of pearls?

      1. Hollerithevo

        Re: Arabic star names

        Wow, what a charmer you are, Jake.

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: Arabic star names

          So the Arabic star names ARE offensive to you, Hollerithevo? Shall we change them all immediately, lest your virgin ears accidentally hear them again someday?

          Or are the words only offensive in certain contexts, none of which have anything to do with astronomy, thus making changing the names utterly pointless?

  8. XPeterX
    WTF?

    How about 'Rocketry?'

    Obviously, the 'rocket scientists' at NASA have far too much time on their hands.

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: How about 'Rocketry?'

      Or too many managers on their backs.

  9. Potemkine! Silver badge

    Utter BS

    The best way to fight fever is now to break the thermometer.

  10. DuncanLarge Silver badge

    Goodnews

    "Goodnews! The new dictionary is out!"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=105&v=R7Pkcg3DdOY&feature=emb_logo

    It wont end with the "correction" of nicknames etc. Once that is cleared up the void it creates will force those who wish to correct everything will start looking for new words.

    This is just like a language based version of what I saw growing up in the 90's and early 2000's. Where Nativity plays in schools were banned "because it would offend minority groups". Interview after interview, debate after debate. All majority groups, attacking themselves live on TV and radio as they tried to capitulate to the minority groups who were demanding the censoring of the "dominant" culture of the country. Occasionally one of the minorities managed to sneak into the discussion and with a bewildered look on their faces ask where the fuck this censoring crap all came from?

    When looked at, this NASA thing, the cancelling of cultural expression to save the minorities who literally have no idea what we are talking about, the editing of the dictionary to delete words that certain people (profiled by their racial attributes no less) can not use, they just seem insignificant by themselves. ANy argument against them is an overreaction etc.

    Some people can stand back and see all of it at once and its very very dangerous. Especially if you consider that there are two types of people seeing all of it at once, those who wish to resist it and those who wish to enable it. The enablers are winning right now, if they gain enough ground there will be a Newspeak of sorts. The children of the future will use it and Oldspeak may even get you in trouble. Bit by bit, inch by inch moving slowly towards the new dictionary that is different depending in what colour you are, religion you follow if any, perhaps even what genitals you posessed at birth. Go slowly enough and only the old luddite fogies will remember a time when everything was equal and debatable and applicable to various situations that actually need it to describe history or even a concept, from both sides of history.

    When you watch that video, actually understand it, it is alluring isnt it. By defining language and controlling it, we can begin to control thought.

    How long till we start on Shakespeare? Why shouldn't we? I bet there is plenty there to correct.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: Goodnews

      If you tried to turn Shakespeare politically correct, there wouldn't be anything left!

      Here's a short list of examples.

      1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

        Re: Goodnews

        When I was in school, we did Shakespeare in English classes and drama classes, independently, but roughly at the same time.

        Whilst the English classes were stuffy, our drama teacher always highlighted and explained all the rude jokes, and double entendres, which made the class much more interesting.

  11. Manolo
    Trollface

    So the new name...

    So the Eskimo Nebula has now been renamed to the Snownigger Nebula.

    On a more serious note: apparently some Inuit do prefer the term Eskimo.

    1. HorseflySteve

      Re: So the new name...

      There are some northern native american people who object to being called Inuits because they are not of the Inuit tribes. Eskimo is less offensive to them as it is at least a generic term. I've also heard that some native americans prefer to be called indians so it seems to me that you can't avoid offending somebody no matter what you do. Perhaps we should just call them all people from wherever they chose to live.

  12. Nick Ryan Silver badge
    Coat

    Languages

    We should also ban all languages that routinely assign genders to objects. Just endemic and mass produced discrimination of the worst kind. Not very common in English, or even American, but there are a few blatant and utterly disgusting uses of this. Dor example, referring to a ship as "she" or "her"? Just disgusting and wretched and incredibly, deeply sexist and discriminatory... I haven't been so disgusted and appallled for at least two days.

    1. IGotOut Silver badge

      Re: Languages

      Yup, that's the French screwed.

    2. jake Silver badge

      Re: Languages

      Exactly! We should immediately ban the use of any language that mandates grammatical gender.

      That'll show the sexist bastards!

      1. Neil Barnes Silver badge
        Headmaster

        Re: Languages

        It'll certainly make German easier (for a non-native) to learn: all those words going around having sex and agreeing with each other all the time.

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: Languages

          German is OK, it has male/female and neither. It merely has to add another dozen versions of neuter and it is compliant

          1. imdatsolak
            Facepalm

            Re: Languages

            (Native German here)

            Door = "Die Tür" -> Female

            Gate = "Das Tor" -> Neither

            House = "Das Haus" -> Neither

            Chair = "Der Stuhl" -> Male

            Couch = "Die Couch" -> Female

            Sofa = "Das Sofa" -> Neither

            German is really, really weird. When a wagon ("Wagen" also used as a generic term for anything that drives) is used as a synonym for "car", it is "Der Wagen"; if you use "car" it is "Das Auto"; but then a brake is female (die Bremse).

            Even worse is if you belittle something, regardless of whether it was male, female or neither - it automatically becomes neither: "Der Junge" (the boy) -> "Das Jungchen"

            Did I mention that German is really weird?

            But the language police is woke here, too. And in German it is a really large battle as we have, e.g., for all job-titles a male and a female variant. But there is also the "neutral male noun".

            If you are talking about "doctors" (plural), you would use the neutral noun 'Ärzte" - but since this is derived from the male form (Arzt) and the female form is "Ärztin" (singluar), the war starts about whether we should use "ÄrztInnen" (uppercase I), "Ärzt_innen", "Ärzt*innen" or, within a single body of text, keep changing from female to male and back when using nouns.

            Welcome to "... we really don't have any other problems over here in Germany ..."

            1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

              Re: Languages

              >Das Auto

              Aren't foreign derived words automatically neuter?

            2. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

              Re: Languages

              Das Kapital

              Phew! Marx can continue to rest in peace.

              1. jake Silver badge

                Re: Languages

                Marx was resting peacefully with the advent of TehIntraWebTubes.

                And then Capitalism discovered it.

                Now he's spinning fast enough to keep kremvax powered up ...

            3. EagleZ28

              Re: Languages

              You left out an interesting one...

              "Das Maedchen"...

              Das is neuter... but "Maedchen" means "girl".

              If "we're" going to get rid of every gendered language... that's pretty much all of the European languages except for English.

              1. tonique
                Boffin

                Re: Languages

                Depends on your definition of "pretty much all" and "European" and whether you count number of languages or speakers. You need to look away from Indo-European languages: Basque (as far as I can determine), Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, Karelian, Veps, Ingrian, Ludic, the nine Saami languages with speakers left, Nenets; Turkish, Azerbaijani, Gagauz, Tatar, Chuvash; Maltese; Kalmyk; Chechen, Ingush, and several I can't recall.

                Then again, re number of languages, linguists deem there are more languages in eg. the Romance group than commonly thought. Don't forget eg. Mirandese, Extremaduran, Aragonese, Sardinian, Friulian...

                1. This post has been deleted by its author

                2. EagleZ28

                  Re: Languages

                  Added...

                  I was thinking mostly of the...

                  Romance - French, Spanish, Italian, Rumanian... (Portuguese?)

                  Germanic - German, Dutch, Scandinavian, (but not, of course, English)

                  Slavic - Russian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian (?), etc...

                  Finnish... well... I know almost nothing about Finnish, including even which group it might belong to, other than (probably) Indo-European... other than that it has so many damned CASES that it seems rather improbable that they could possibly have overlooked the added complication of genders. <grin>

                  And I overlooked Celtic, Gaelic, and Welsh...

          2. EagleZ28

            Re: Languages

            No! Not "neuter"! It's "neither", darn it, as in "nonbinary"... and I think the count is up to something like fifty versions of nonbinary? (This week. It'll be more next week!)

  13. avakum.zahov
    Facepalm

    ... and how about the black holes?

    When is NASA going to rename the black holes? Isn't that more offensive to somebody than black lists?

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: ... and how about the black holes?

      Well the thing about black holes is that they're black. You should rename people

      1. Wellyboot Silver badge

        Re: ... and how about the black holes?

        Things do drop into them as well, just like other holes.

    2. Wellyboot Silver badge

      Re: ... and how about the black holes?

      Indeed, let's stop using perfectly rational and short descriptive names that contain any word that has been used pejoratively anywhere in recorded history.

      1. ericsmith881

        Re: ... and how about the black holes?

        ...and even if it hasn't been perjoratively used but someone, somewhere *thinks* it may have been - or might someday be -- used perjoratively against anyone, anywhere, regardless of whether they do exist, have existed, or may ever exist.

        This is just ludicrous idiocy.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: ... and how about the black holes?

      When is NASA going to rename the black holes?

      The NASA Committee For Assiduously Assinine Assignments has decreed that henceforth, bl*ck holes may only be referred to as "luminositically challenged orifices"...

    4. DropBear
      Trollface

      Re: ... and how about the black holes?

      Current scientific trends agree here with current social ones - clearly, they should actually be called DARK holes...

  14. Eclectic Man Silver badge

    Naming astronomical objects

    I thought naming astronomical objects was the job of the International Astronomical Union.

    I appreciate that most, probably all, of the people reading this thread would say they are not racist, but I'd be interested if any Inuit have been consulted about the naming of the nebula in question. If an astronomical object were named with a highly derogatory name for your ethnic group, how happy would you be about it? Might it put you off astronomy as a career or hobby?

    1. Manolo

      Re: Naming astronomical objects

      And according to Wikipedia, it isn't derogatory (just political correctness gone wild):

      Etymologically speaking, there exists a scientific consensus that the word Eskimo comes from the Innu-aimun (Montagnais) word ayas̆kimew meaning "a person who laces a snowshoe" and is related to "husky" (a breed of dog), and it does not have a pejorative meaning in origin.[22][23][24][25][2]

      In Canada and Greenland, the term "Eskimo" is predominantly seen as offensive or "non-preferred", and has been widely replaced by the term "Inuit" or terms specific to a particular group or community.[26][27][28] This has resulted in a trend whereby some Canadians and Americans believe that they should not use the word "Eskimo", and use the classifier and typical Canadian word "Inuit" instead, even for Yupik (non-Inuit) people.[29]

      1. Wellyboot Silver badge

        Re: Naming astronomical objects

        >>>use the classifier and typical Canadian word "Inuit" instead, even for Yupik (non-Inuit) people.<<<

        Does that have the same effect as foreigners calling a Scottish person 'English'?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Naming astronomical objects

          Ahh but all Eskimos look the same.

          You know with a Scot, they're pasty and have red hair--so eww.

        2. Scroticus Canis
          Windows

          Re: "Does that have the same effect as foreigners calling a Scottish person 'English'?"

          No. Most Yupik and Aleut people "would na put the heed on ye" and follow it up with a boot to the sporran for using the term Inuit whereas calling a Scot English probably would.

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: "Does that have the same effect as foreigners calling a Scottish person 'English'?"

            No, not at all.

            Yupik and Aleut people are armed and well trained in the use of rifles, but sit quietly and smile slightly at the idiot furriners trying to figure out how to address them.

            Scots are not armed at all, and get extremely violent at the mere thought of being compared to the English.

          2. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Manolo
      Coat

      Re: Naming astronomical objects

      The IAU is also going to rename Uranus, for obvious reasons.

      The new name will be Urectum.

      I'll get me coat. Mine's the one with the small planet in the pocket.

      1. Nick Ryan Silver badge

        Re: Naming astronomical objects

        I think you'll find that's a planetoid. Definitely not an extra-solar body.

      2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: Naming astronomical objects

        The original "George"was disallowed.

    3. Intractable Potsherd

      Re: Naming astronomical objects

      @Eclectic Man: Let me reframe your question. If a number of people of the relevant groups were asked about the name of a galaxy, and they all said "It doesn't matter" or "I don't care", or "That's really nice!", do you think the do-gooders would think twice about this project? I don't.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Also waiting for NASA to remove the name "Columbia"....

    .... from the Apollo 11 command module and the first Space Shuttle... as they come from the now disgraced Columbus...

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Also waiting for NASA to remove the name "Columbia"....

      They are going to rename it Von Braun

      1. Manolo
        Thumb Up

        Re: Also waiting for NASA to remove the name "Columbia"....

        Obligatory Tom Lehrer reference:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9HrZq7Ro

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    TLDR

    I guess "Black hole" is likely to be ok since it is factually accurate. It is a gravity well which emits no light. The term is not used in a negative sense as I would understand it. However I accept as a white person (Scottish to technically blue according to Billy Connolly) I do not have the ideal personal perspective on this.

    White dwarf, again the colour is a factual term similar to Red Giant, blue stars etc etc. The Dwarf bit might cause some problems but again to my understanding the acceptable term for people with a genetic condition which results in medically abnormally lack of height changes rather regularly. So "Dwarf" has been ok, has also not been ok, might be ok right now and may or may not be ok in the future.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The do-gooders still managed to change "blackboard", which was a name solely based on the (original) colour.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Really? Pretty sure everyone still calls them blackboards whatever the "official" name might be.

        1. jake Silver badge

          Back in the '70s, my O-level History teacher in Yorkshire called them slates. His counterpart here in the States called them chalkboards.

          1. Wellyboot Silver badge

            Slate1 was the original writing surface of choice in many Welsh & northern UK schools (& pubs), depending on its size 2 or 4 slates gave a decent area to use chalk on.

            The name stuck as a temporary writing surface well after 'black (painted) boards' arrived and that new fangled paper stuff was being used by pupils2. Everyone knew what 'A Slate' was by then, why change it.

            1 A thin smooth stone roofing slab to keep the rain out, this IS the UK after all.

            2 Small offcuts from roofing slate were basically free and provided pupils with a reuseable writing surface.

          2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

            I wondered whether he was teaching history from personal recollection but Wellyboot's post set me right. He was just spending too much time in the pub.

            1. jake Silver badge

              It probably was from personal recollection. He was in his mid eighties when he was my teacher in the early '70s.

              1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

                I think my Latin teacher was teaching from personal recollection in the '50s.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          You have to call them "chalkboards" now.

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

  17. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

    Virgin Galactic

    Are they going to rename/ask Scaled Composites to rename the White Knight 2 craft?

    White Knight

    Black Night

    Grey Knight

    1. Wellyboot Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: Virgin Galactic

      Green Knight

      Nothing ironic there :^)

  18. Long John Silver
    Pirate

    A 'Nell' by any other name?

    'The Ballad of Inuit Nell' lacks a certain Je ne sais pas.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: A 'Nell' by any other name?

      Especially if she wasn't inuit, not all Eskimos are.

    2. Social Ambulator

      Re: A 'Nell' by any other name?

      Je ne sais quoi.

  19. JulieM Silver badge

    Fine Words Butter No Parsnips

    Speaking as someone who at least has some eyesight even although it could never be described by the spivviest of salesmen in the worst-fitting polyester suit as HD, I would rather a hundred people forgot to say "stopped hole", than one person left something on the pavement and created a tripping hazard.

    Words aren't the real problem. If people think it's OK to use certain words, that is invariably because they are in an environment where people's actions suggest that words are the least of anyone's problems.

  20. Social Ambulator

    Death Nell

    Now did I spell that right?

  21. Jamie Jones Silver badge

    Spitting image foresaw this!

    https://youtu.be/pHp9Cakv2Fg

  22. Jamie Jones Silver badge

    Stop calling me Welsh!

    "Welsh" means either:

    1) Not honouring a debt.

    2) A foreigner.

    Now, unless you are Welsh yourself, stop using such an offensive word to describe us, or I'll come over to your country, and never pay back the money I borrowed!

    1. Nick Ryan Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: Stop calling me Welsh!

      :) Coming into my country, borrowing our money and not returning it!?! Why don't you just go back to your own country? Damn forriners.

      Oh... you are... and with our money? This isn't working so usefully for us... :)

      1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

        Re: Stop calling me Welsh!

        Yeah! That'll teach ya!

  23. JDX Gold badge

    #BlackHolesMatter

    Hmm, let's not popularise that one.

  24. Sean o' bhaile na gleann

    Whatever happened to "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me"?

    It's a saying that I learned very early on in life (had to!) and I've no intention of giving up living by it at the latter end.

    Or am I just thick-skinned?

    1. ericsmith881

      You're normal-skinned. Everyone at NASA who thought this was a great idea was either (a) irretrievably thin-skinned or (b) hyper-concerned about appearing woke enough.

      1. EagleZ28

        Or choice...

        c) Scared of losing funding from hyper-woke S4B Congresspersons.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Woke Science!!!

    I'm really hoping that these two words don't start becoming mutually exclusive.

    1. Nick Ryan Silver badge

      Re: Woke Science!!!

      Like the words politician and truth? I mean un-truths, definitely not lies. No, not lies at all, just un-truths. Which for almost everyone else would involve copious jail time or fines. And being rightly called a liar.

      We already have experts and policy that seem to be horrifyingly mutually exclusive - at least until the correct "experts" are found, preferably those with no shame or just with no expertise really.

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: Woke Science!!!

        FAKE TRVTH!

        ::ZOT!!!!!::

        Would that that worked on RealLife[tm] politicians ... of every political stripe.

  26. cd
    Linux

    Please think of the Australians

    What will they chuck their ice into now?

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: Please think of the Australians

      The box their beer is in, of course, same as us. Silly question.

  27. RobThBay

    Don't forget Red Dwarf

    The tv show.

  28. Paul Hovnanian Silver badge

    White dwarf

    I guess we'll just have to toss that one.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: White dwarf

      Hand me the pliers.

    2. EagleZ28

      Re: White dwarf

      No... they'll allow the "white dwarfs"... so that they can get them to pay reparations for all their guilt and privilege.

  29. Ted's Toy

    The correct consept or incorrect concept

    I thought that there is only one human race so if the other tribal members of the human race claim racial discrimination are they not admitting that they are from another race or species other than the human race?. This reminds one of the Organic food lobby who will not eat or are unable to work out all plant food is organic?

    Are the racial correctors unschooled in the genetics or unable to understand that English is an evolving which has purloined works from other languages and tribal groups? It is the same as people who glibly talk about 200% ask them to explain how there can be more than 100 part per hundred?

  30. harmjschoonhoven

    Planet

    is the first word to go. It means wandering star, but we now know that they follow very exact orbits.

  31. EBG

    maybe there is hope

    Gratifying to see this kind of cr@p being called out for what it is BTL. Question is, how do we get the "leaders" is our society back in the sanity fold ?

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: maybe there is hope

      There's a school of thought that says no sane person would want to get into politics. With the advent of Social Media I'm sure that must have become incontestable.

      1. EBG

        Re: maybe there is hope

        Fair enough. But can we get them at least to pretend to be sane ?

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: maybe there is hope

          First you have to get them to pretend to be human ...

  32. richdin

    Alternatively

    Anything remotely provocative should be renamed "Karen"

  33. aj69

    Tired: white dwarfs.

    Wired: black holes

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