Australian zoo relabels "fairy penguins" in an excess of PC

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:57 AM -0400 4/19/06, Wilson Gray wrote:
>My guess is that it'll be "ferry" in those dialects that don't distinguish
>between "ferry" and "fairy," as in St. Louis BE, in which "fairy" and
>"ferry" both rhyme with "Larry." ;-)
>
>-Wilson

As opposed to these parts, where nobody would confuse the Staten
Island fairy with the non-eponymous harbor-crossing vessel.

--Larry (not to be confused with Lairy or Lerry)

>
>
>
>On 4/16/06, Brenda Lester <alphatwin2002 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       Brenda Lester <alphatwin2002 at YAHOO.COM>
>>  Subject:      Re: Australian zoo relabels "fairy penguins" in an excess of
>>  PC
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  Tinkerbell
>>    Tooth Fairy
>>    Faerie Queene
>>
>>    What next?
>>
>>
>>  "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU> wrote:  Penguins lose 'fairy'
>>  tag
>>  From: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
>>  By Hannah Davies
>>
>>  April 16, 2006
>>
>>
>>  THEME park bosses have re-named their colony of fairy penguins amid fears
>>  they could upset the gay community.
>>
>>  Managers at Sea World, on the Gold Coast, are now calling the species
>>  "little penguins" in case associations with the word "fairy" offend
>>  visitors
>>  to the park.
>>
>>  "We didn't have any complaints about the name of the penguins, but someone
>>  thought they could be seen as offensive so we decided to change it to
>>  little
>>  penguin instead," a Sea World spokeswoman said. "We just didn't want to
>>  upset the gay community. The new name is more politically correct."
>>
>>  However, Queensland's gay community and other zoos which keep fairy
>>  penguins
>>  described the name change as ridiculous and unnecessary.
>>
>>          --------------------
>>
>>  full story: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18823845-1248,00.html
>>
>>
>>  -- Mark A. Mandel
>>
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>
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