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NASA idiots

wookie1965

By wookie1965
in The Astro Lounge

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JamesF

JamesF

Posted
Posted

Calling something "The Siamese Twins Galaxy" is a bit lacking in sensitivity I'd suggest (I'd not heard of it before), but is the Eskimo Nebula really that offensive?  If so, perhaps we can call it the Kenny McCormick Nebula instead.

Then again, this is an article in the Daily Fail, so it may well be entirely made up.

James

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Gfamily

Gfamily

Posted
Posted

It's a genuine change of approach by NASA. If NGC 2392 was being named now, they wouldn't use the colonialist term 'Eskimo', so it's good that NASA are being sensitive about the origins of the nickname.

 

 

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JamesF

JamesF

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

It's a genuine change of approach by NASA. If NGC 2392 was being named now, they wouldn't use the colonialist term 'Eskimo', so it's good that NASA are being sensitive about the origins of the nickname.

I did wonder about the origin of the word.  It's a bit of a strange one assuming that Wikipedia is accurate.  The most widely accepted etymology is claimed to be that it was a Native American word that was already in use, suggesting that it isn't really a "colonialist" term at all (and to be fair I had assumed it would have some such colonial origin).  Apparently it is still in use to describe some Alaskan people and considered acceptable there, but considered unacceptable in Canada thanks to a dubious belief that it refers to people who eat raw meat (though why that should be offensive anyhow, I'm not sure).

Wikipedia actually says:

Quote

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.

and doesn't really seem to be able to identify definitively who actually does find it offensive nor why.

James

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johninderby

johninderby

Posted
Posted

Why you shouldn’t say Eskimo.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/04/24/475129558/why-you-probably-shouldnt-say-eskimo?t=1597098512084

“But now there's a new theory. According to the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, linguists believe the word Eskimo actually came from the French word esquimaux, meaning one who nets snowshoes.”

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JamesF

JamesF

Posted
Posted

Best I can find (though without any references) is that "eskimo" has some history of being used in a racist manner and as a result there are people (perhaps restricted to some groups of Inuit) who object to the word as a result, whilst others (including other Inuit groups) don't have a problem with it and even continue using it.  And I've learned loads that will possibly only ever be useful to me in a pub quiz.

So can we call it the Inuit Nebula or the Yupik Nebula instead?

James

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Gfamily

Gfamily

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, JamesF said:

Best I can find (though without any references) is that "eskimo" has some history of being used in a racist manner and as a result there are people (perhaps restricted to some groups of Inuit) who object to the word as a result, whilst others (including other Inuit groups) don't have a problem with it and even continue using it.  And I've learned loads that will possibly only ever be useful to me in a pub quiz.

So can we call it the Inuit Nebula or the Yupik Nebula instead?

James

Why the insistence on naming it after them anyway? 

 

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omo

omo

Posted
Posted

indeed madness lets hope it does not continue:

New name needed for the dwarf stars, cant upset the white's, more Indigenous people of America, or those who have dwarfism

Similarly black holes

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Gfamily

Gfamily

Posted
Posted

There's an interesting discussion to be had on sensitivity to language and how it may impact on different communities - including the dominant community and how it feels when things like this happen. 

But probably not here. :)

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Helen

Helen

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

There's an interesting discussion to be had on sensitivity to language and how it may impact on different communities - including the dominant community and how it feels when things like this happen. 

But probably not here. :)

Indeed 🙂 

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  • 1 month later...
robanddebrob

robanddebrob

Posted
Posted

It is surely annoying for twins from Thailand. When I was there none of the cats looked like Siamese cats, though they obviously were.

The problem is either misnaming or words used as insults by some,  this shows astronomy is becoming more popular in more places and it's all about not turning people off getting into it.

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wulfrun

wulfrun

Posted
Posted (edited)

Assuming it is quoting NASA, what's this bit about:

"The agency said that weeding out the nicknames was a first step in its 'commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion'."

What's equity got to do with it, or is it the new name for equality? I always thought equity was to do with money. I think they'll have to rename quite a few things if we're going to go all-PC.

Edited by wulfrun
typo
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Marvin Jenkins

Marvin Jenkins

Posted
Posted

I am all for any group, company, organisation, governmental or otherwise being open to minority views about how the minority are perceived and portrayed in some cases by the group, company, organisation, governmental or otherwise.

Proud of your identity is every persons right. The idea that to be incorrectly portrayed as a colour or race from another persons standpoint, that is not correct.

Tiny steps like this can seem a little obscure, to the point of being silly. But the smallest steps are the easiest to take and I am sure that NASA don’t want to have a foot in the past as they strive for the future. 
 

Marv

 

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