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Monkey Wrenching: Speciest IM vocabulary

Danny | 01.05.2009 14:23 | Analysis | Indymedia

I am posting this partly to draw fire from the comment section on the main 'Norwegian Whaling Ship Scuttled' article, and so we can discuss if speciest words are worth discussing here, and if so, when.

I haven't heard yet how the reason 'Monkey Wrench' is somehow offensive but I can understand the concept of speciest vocabulary. For instance, the insult 'pig thick' does carry the false implication that pigs are unintelligent animals, when they are clearly sentient. Use of such language clearly is implicit in desensitising humans from the pain of pigs, and such language should be avoided. It is one of those phrases that only truly demans the person who uses it.

But 'monkey wrench'? Frankly that sounds like you are taking the piss. I sometimes use the phrase 'dog-tired', is that speciest and I would rather discuss this on your blog if you have one, but I hope this thread will be allowed to stand here in leiu of that, simply so that the 'Norwegian Whaling Ship Scuttled' article can be cleared of irrelevant comments

Danny

Comments

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Agreed

01.05.2009 14:33

I'd be happy for the comments to be moved here, or removed... despite my ire at the word, it's not worth fucking up the posting with something essentially accidentally irrelevant.

And I've said all I want to anyway.

Shoeshiney Tony

Apart from that...

01.05.2009 14:46

The Monkey in the wrench is just a corruption of the inventor's name. So it's a proprietary noun really like Hoover.

Apart from that "speciest"??? With the greatest respect, and greatest disrespect for the Daily Mail's take on PC language: get a fucking life!

You show me a monkey you can demonstrate feels demeaned by the word 'monkey wrench', I'll take up a personal crusade to have the OED change the entry to the more technically correct 'primate wrench'

Shoeshiney Tony

it's speciesist not speciest

01.05.2009 15:48

If you are going to bother to write about something as irrelevant as the term "monkey wrench" and "pig thick" then you might as well get the spelling of the discrimination right!

Despite the arguments for or against speciesism, pigs are not as clever as the majority of human beings, so what is the problem? The phrase is an insult, it's meant to offend.

I don't think insults in English really are the biggest problems that pigs or monkeys have.

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