Scientists are renaming the 'gypsy moth' as part of broader push to root out offensive monikers

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Science

Scientists are renaming the ‘gypsy moth’ as part of broader push to root out offensive monikers

By Caroline Anders
July 11, 2021 | Updated yesterday at 8:28 p.m. EDT

CORRECTION
A previous version of this article incorrectly reported that Chris Stelzig is Entomological Society of America's executive editor. He is the organization’s executive director.

The fluttering bug known as the “gypsy moth” is in the market for a new name after the world’s largest organization of insect experts announced it would stop using the moniker because it contains an ethnic slur.

The Entomological Society of America’s recent announcement is part of a broader discussion within the scientific community about equity in naming. Ornithologists are grappling with whether to change the names of birds that commemorate enslavers and supremacists. Schools and buildings named after eugenicists are searching for new innovators to claim.

The decision to rename both the “gypsy moth” and the “gypsy ant” coincides with the launch of the organization’s Better Common Names Project. Though the change is specific to the society and its publications, it’s anticipated to ripple outward.

“We know that entomology is not going to change the world from an equity standpoint, but this is one thing we can do,” Chris Stelzig, ESA’s executive director, said in an interview Sunday.

{snip}

By Caroline Anders
Caroline Anders is a reporting intern on the General Assignments desk. Twitter https://twitter.com/caroIineanders

[Fullduplexxx]

1. Gypsy is an ethnic slur?

[Shellback Squid]

2. news to me too

[Fullduplexxx]

3. From google

“It’s an ethnic slur to begin with that’s been rejected by the Romani people a long time ago,’’ said society president Michelle S. Smith. “Second, nobody wants to be associated with a harmful invasive pest.”

[madaboutharry]

8. The term evolved from the word gyp.

Gyp meaning to cheat or swindle someone. It was used to label the Romani people as con artist.

This term used to refer to an entire group of people is as bad a slur as you can get.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Other way around. And originally the term came from the idea that the people came from Egypt.

[obamanut2012]

11. Yes, and has been considered one for a long time

The actress Fairuza Balk is part Roma, and has done a load of work on Roma rights.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Depends on the country

In the UK, they're still happy to use it about themselves: https://travellermovement.org.uk/about/gypsy-roma-traveller-history-and-culture

[WhiskeyGrinder]

16. *About themselves* being key.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. Yes, but that means it's not a slur in the UK

I have no idea if they have an opinion on its use for a moth.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

18. They say it can be, though.

Gill Brown, of the London Gypsy and Traveller Unit, told the Mail: "Romany Gypsies are an ethnic group so it depends on the way you are using it. If you use it in the correct context it is not racist."

[Vinca]

4. That's stupid. Isn't this taking "wokeness" too far? When I hear the word "gypsy,"

I think of nomads traveling around - a lifestyle, not a person. Leave the damn bugs alone.

[Eugene]

5. I've seen cases where a reference to the moth is followed by a slur against Roma people.

Like the n-word or "redskin," regular usage is better without it.

[Vinca]

25. I would wager a guess that if you quizzed 1,000 random people and asked them about

the word "gypsy," it would be surprising if any of them connected it to an ethnicity. This sort of thing can go on and on and on. In England they're known as "travelers" so Traveler's Insurance better rethink their name. My husband is a native Nova Scotian and he's decided to be offended because a boat that takes people from Maine to Nova Scotia is called the "Bluenose." Garden hoses . . . that's another thing since "hoser" is a slur against some Canadians. Someone will always be offended by something. Once again. Leave the damn bugs alone. CNN is currently running a series about sitcoms on Sunday nights and I can't help thinking how far Archie Bunker would get given today's mindset. Can't make fun of the atrocious things in society after all.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. It's not stupid. The word is a slur.

[obamanut2012]

12. No, it's the opposite of stupid

Stop.

[Vinca]

26. Has it occurred to you that the Obamas may be offended by your user name?

[NurseJackie]

15. Cher even had a song about it... it was a slur in 1971

"Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" is a song by American singer and actress Cher for her seventh solo studio album Chér (eventually reissued under the title Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves) (1971). It was released on September 1, 1971, by Kapp Records as the album's lead single. The song was written by Bob Stone,[1] and produced by Snuff Garrett. Since Sonny Bono's first attempts at reviving Cher's recording career had been unsuccessful, Kapp Records recruited Garrett as her producer and he chose Stone to write a song specifically for Cher, in order to cater more to an adult audience.

Lyrically, the song describes the life of a girl who was "born in the wagon of a traveling show", and it contains themes of racism, teenage pregnancy and prostitution. Critically, "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" has been met with appreciation ever since its release. It earned Cher her first Grammy Award nomination in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category. Commercially, it became her first solo number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Canadian Singles Chart, while reaching the top five in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It was the first single by a solo artist to rank number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart at the same time as on the Canadian Singles Chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of one million copies across the United States. At the time of its release, "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" was the biggest-selling single in the history of MCA Records.

[Treefrog]

19. Well, I'm waging a vicious war on Japanese beetles in my yard right now.

Shame on me?

What about the June bug? The Ladybug? We could get started with birds too - the titmouse comes to mind.

[csziggy]

20. Titmouse? How about blue tits! OOOoooh!

Clutching my pearls here!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. Oh this is fantastic. I live in an area where these moths are a problem and will confess that while

I don't use the word anymore to describe people, it never crossed my mind that the name of the moth had the same word. Amazing how language works, what your brain hears and what it doesn't.

[FSogol]

10. Will the new name for the destructive pests be "Republican Moth"?

It fits.

[Kid Berwyn]

13. I never liked "Spanish Fly."

Some ideas lead to bad actions.

[iemanja]

21. There is always Pikey moth

[msfiddlestix]

22. I guarantee you what ever new names are derived, will be considered offensive a few decades from now

it's just part of the ever evolving social norms.

On second thought, there's a good chance humanity will be wiped off the face of the earth in the near future, and none of this will matter one iota.

Due to climate change, famine, extreme drought, disease, or war.

Not necessarily in that order. and more than one disaster is likely to converge in culminating the "end times"..

I'm not at all religious, and never will be. But I think this concept is what some might characterize as "biblical".

I'd say it's just basic laws of cause and effect.. Extreme Greed, Self Absorption, and State Sponsored Ignorance.

among other things.

I don't know why we're wasting precious time, bandwith and money diddling with biological Identities of gender or moths.

[Wingus Dingus]

23. Fleetwood Mac is going to have to rewrite their song.

"You see you're a...lady who likes to travel!" This is getting dumb.

[SWMO_8541]

24. I'll bet that Tyson Fury "The Gypsy King"

doesn’t care!