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

[Joel S. Berson]

Wasn't "Night Life of the Gods" read by all horny
NYC male teenagers?  (My copy is inaccessible in
some box, since my "library room" is being repainted.)

Joel

At 4/24/2006 10:46 AM, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail
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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: Australian zoo relabels "fairy penguins" in an excess of PC
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>There is an exchange in a Thorne Smith novel, published in the 1920s
>or early 30s, arising from a near collision between a large boat and a
>small one in fog in NYC harbor.  Someone on the large boat calls out
>something to the effect of get out of the way, this is a ferry boat;
>the drunks on the small boat take this as "fairy" boat and respond
>accordingly.
>
>Thorne Smith was the author of the two "Topper" books, and 8 or 10
>others.  This scene might be from Night Life of the Gods, but I read
>his oeuvre nearly 50 years ago.
>
>GAT
>
>George A. Thompson
>Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
>Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 9:47 am
>Subject: Re: Australian zoo relabels "fairy penguins" in an excess of
>PC
>
> > 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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