You might have heard about the somewhat unseasonal weather the Sydney region has been enduring, with widespread flooding affecting Sydney and the Hunter region.
Ronya has decided she is not a wet weather dog and has far from appreciated being made to go for walks in the rain. It appears that the puddles lose their appeal if they are a work in progress! This is not so surprising, short legs and deep water are far from the ideal combination. Less to be expected is that Ducky may be the only example of Anas Platyrhynchos who finds wet weather distasteful.
It will not surprise any of our readers, especially the parents and teachers among you, that being cooped up inside the house has resulted in a somewhat tense environment with Ducky and Ronya both being quite tetchy and resorting to some cutting remarks. We were content to let them sort matters out between themselves in the sure knowledge that once the sun shone again all would be well.
The board of this publication was therefore dismayed to receive a formal complaint about the editor from a reader whose privacy would be breached if we were to reveal her identity. Ducky has denied the allegation and has been asked to stand down pending an investigation into the complaint that involves an inappropriate text message sent using a smart phone provided by the publisher for exclusively journalistic purposes.
The allegation hinges on whether it is alright to refer to a female of the genus canis lupus familiaris using the ancient Saxon word or if in the twenty first century a new noun needs to be employed in order to avoid offending female dog's feelings.
The issue is rendered more complicated because this publication's editorial guidelines did not envisage this situation when it forbade the use of offensive language. We are mindful of The Andrew Bolt Racial Vilification Case and are conducting an informal survey among our readers.
Please comment below and provide your thoughts as to whether Ducky should be reinstated.
Does the legal advice we have received that section 18 (c) of the Racial Discrimination Act does not extend to the protection of the feelings of animals necessarily mean that other females will not be offended?
ReplyDeleteBring back the duck, the sun is out again and the dog is a happy little Vegemite and doesn't care less what she is called so long as its not late for dinner.
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