Ed Do you like your cheese?

Belz... said:
Would a brand name "Dick's rice" be sexual in nature because the word is used to refer to a penis, even though the founder of the company was called Richard?



You are modifying the parameters of my question. I specifically said that the name would not change, but that a picture of a racoon was included.
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Why would they do that? It wouldn't make any sense at all.
 
Shall I throw in the following:
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Belz... said:
Obviously in that example it wouldn't be named after a guy but after the animal.

It was a very simple question, but I feel like several posters are deliberately complexifying it.
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Okay, well honestly, I think it would come across as even more likely to be deliberately racist for the reasons I mentioned. The abbreviation for raccoon that you mentioned is not really that common outside of North America as far as I know, and highly likely to be misunderstood.

In fact, in the thread that dealt with the title of this thread I even mentioned a movie I saw (it turns out to be Fletch Lives starring Chevy Chase) which features a joke in which there is a deliberate misunderstanding of the abbreviation of raccoon. The characters and the audience apparently are led to believe the meaning is the racial slur, but then the pull back and reveal turns out to be a raccoon.
 
Lothian said:
I like pickle but I see it as something to use when you have crap cheese. The flavour of a good cheese doesn't need masking (just a little help to get it to the right temperature)
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Don't get me wrong.

Nothing wrong with cheeses and crackers. But you need to go the whole ploughmans man. Or life is frankly not worth it
 
angrysoba said:
Okay, well honestly, I think it would come across as even more likely to be deliberately racist for the reasons I mentioned. The abbreviation for raccoon that you mentioned is not really that common outside of North America as far as I know, and highly likely to be misunderstood.
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And how does it make it more deliberately racist? It's even more clearly NOT refering to black people here.

Do you think the nickname "Dick" is sexual?
 
Belz... said:
And how does it make it more deliberately racist? It's even more clearly NOT refering to black people here.
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I said it might "come across" that way. Why? Because it would be unusual, and when you deal with unusual forms, the word becomes, what is known in linguistics as "marked", or suggestive of having some other meaning.

For example, I am pretty sure that if in the UK, I said "coon" pointing at a raccoon, people would wonder why I didn't say raccoon. Then they may draw conclusions about me saying that.

Belz... said:
Do you think the nickname "Dick" is sexual?
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It could be. Guess what? Comedy often trades on such double meanings. You would have to immensely naiive if you were a supply teacher in an English school and declared that the students should call you Dick.

Or, if you said your name was Richard (and it happened to be true that your friends call you Dick) and some student said, "Can we call you Dick?" you would have to be massively naiive to think they are not taking the piss.

Honestly, I think this whole "Coon is but a name. Dick is but a nickname. Cock Cheese could only refer to the founder if that be his name." insistence is weird.

Let me point out, unless you don't understand my position.

I am not saying it is and can only be racist.
I am not saying people buying the cheese must be racist.
I expect that the name is purely an innocent meaning.

BUT... I'm also saying that the racial slur is so well known now that it should not confuse anyone that people might see it as racist, and be uncomfortable around it.
 
angrysoba said:
Why? Because it would be unusual, and when you deal with unusual forms, the word becomes, what is known in linguistics as "marked", or suggestive of having some other meaning.
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I really don't get that. It's unusual ergo you're more likely to make the connection? That doesn't make any sense to me.

For example, I am pretty sure that if in the UK, I said "coon" pointing at a raccoon, people would wonder why I didn't say raccoon. Then they may draw conclusions about me saying that.
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What conclusions? "Oh, he's shortening the word"?

It could be. Guess what? Comedy often trades on such double meanings. You would have to immensely naiive if you were a supply teacher in an English school and declared that the students should call you Dick.
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But you're not answering my question. Would a product called "Dick's rice" be considered a sexual brand?

Honestly, I think this whole "Coon is but a name. Dick is but a nickname. Cock Cheese could only refer to the founder if that be his name." insistence is weird.
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Why is it weird? It's taking examples based on similarity and trying to establish some sort of logic to the conclusion that 'coon' has racist undertones in this specific case.
 
angrysoba said:
I said it might "come across" that way. Why? Because it would be unusual, and when you deal with unusual forms, the word becomes, what is known in linguistics as "marked", or suggestive of having some other meaning.



For example, I am pretty sure that if in the UK, I said "coon" pointing at a raccoon, people would wonder why I didn't say raccoon. Then they may draw conclusions about me saying that.







It could be. Guess what? Comedy often trades on such double meanings. You would have to immensely naiive if you were a supply teacher in an English school and declared that the students should call you Dick.



Or, if you said your name was Richard (and it happened to be true that your friends call you Dick) and some student said, "Can we call you Dick?" you would have to be massively naiive to think they are not taking the piss.



Honestly, I think this whole "Coon is but a name. Dick is but a nickname. Cock Cheese could only refer to the founder if that be his name." insistence is weird.



Let me point out, unless you don't understand my position.



I am not saying it is and can only be racist.

I am not saying people buying the cheese must be racist.

I expect that the name is purely an innocent meaning.



BUT... I'm also saying that the racial slur is so well known now that it should not confuse anyone that people might see it as racist, and be uncomfortable around it.
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So should people with this last name change it?

Or is it just keep it but you can't use it in a business name?
 
Belz... said:
But you're not answering my question.[/I]
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I think I summarized the whole point here...

angrysoba said:
Let me point out, unless you don't understand my position.

I am not saying it is and can only be racist.
I am not saying people buying the cheese must be racist.
I expect that the name is purely an innocent meaning.

BUT... I'm also saying that the racial slur is so well known now that it should not confuse anyone that people might see it as racist, and be uncomfortable around it.
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Belz... said:
Would a product called "Dick's rice" be considered a sexual brand name or not?
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I don't know. The example would hardly prove anything either way would it?

Do you think people would be more likely or less likely to get the wrong impression if it was called Dick Cheese?
 
I think if a company called "Dick's Rice" decided to change their name just because they didn't want to the chance they would be seen as overly sexual that would be their right and I can't imagine why anyone would get up in arms about it.
 
JoeMorgue said:
I think if a company called "Dick's Rice" decided to change their name just because they didn't want to the chance they would be seen as overly sexual that would be their right and I can't imagine why anyone would get up in arms about it.
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No, and I'm not up in arms, either. I think it's their brand name and they can change it if they want.

What I disagree with is the claim that the name is offensive because one of several intepretations of the word is linked to racism.
 
Belz... said:
Look at it this way: if the name of the brand was unchanged but there was a picture of a racoon on the box, would it still be racist? If so, why? If not, why is it racist when it's someone's name?
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I again asked my spouse how she would feel if there were a raccoon picture with or around the 'coon.'

She pretty much immediately said "that wouldn't be a problem." We discussed further. It comes down to that making the association visually connected to a raccoon there would be little room to think it was the racial slur.

We discussed still further. I asked "What if they put a picture of a random white guy connected to the 'coon'" No problem, as it would also be associating the word purposely with a white person thus not racist.

If it were a picture of a random black person, get out the pitchforks.

Then I brought up 'Uncle Bens' and 'Aunt Jamima', and these to her are not racist because they were fixtures in her childhood home. Her child reasoning was that her mom used them so didn't think they were racist. *OR* they were inexpensive. Either way, since she grew up with them with positive associations in childhood, not racist.

My wife is an enigma.
 
The Greater Fool said:
I again asked my spouse how she would feel if there were a raccoon picture with or around the 'coon.'

She pretty much immediately said "that wouldn't be a problem." We discussed further. It comes down to that making the association visually connected to a raccoon there would be little room to think it was the racial slur.

We discussed still further. I asked "What if they put a picture of a random white guy connected to the 'coon'" No problem, as it would also be associating the word purposely with a white person thus not racist.

If it were a picture of a random black person, get out the pitchforks.
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That's basically where I stand as well. Maybe we only disagree about the brand name when no other indicator is present.

Welcome back from your (and my) exile, by the way.
 
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