[thelist] Re: The "Woggz.com" Controversy

[Paul Peterson]

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
> From: "aardvark" <roselli at earthlink.net>
> 
> don't forget that you didn't know, and you don't mean anything by
> it... if anything, you're preventing some hate group from grabbing
> it... you're also disconnecting that word from it's offensive
> meaning...
>
> if you do keep it, don't even acknowledge the other meaning... don't
> give someone the satisfaction, or be someone who perpetuates
> derogatory words even by trying to explain you didn't mean it...
> 
> i understand all the political correctness concerns, but dumping it
> only perpetuates the hateful interpretation of the word... keeping it
> allows you to assign a new meaning (and value) to it...
> 
> besides, does your site have an audience that is generally familiar
> with that term?  i've seen foreign sites use words americans would
> find inappropriate... i don't get offended because i'm smart enough
> to know that slang is different from one street to the next, let alone
> country to country...
> 
> keep it...
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Thanks for your support, aardvark! I like your thinking about making a
"silent statement" by not sacrificing the name just because some skinheads
use it a certain way on a different continent. Truth is, I really DON'T (and
probably won't) have an audience in the UK, except when I enlist aid from my
fine fellow Listlings or another group. I'm not so blind as to realize that
anybody in the world could access it and possibly be offended, but I also
agree that there are only so many precautions one can take without going
overboard.


><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
> From: Madhu Menon <webguru at vsnl.net>
> 
> Hmmm... if you really don't want to change the domain, you might consider
> putting a prominent hyperlink like "Woggz? What does that mean?" or
> something a little more humourous on the home page. The good thing is that
> your domain name has two "g"s in it ;)
> 
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Good idea, Madhu. I'm thinking maybe a link on the sidebar like that, since
I've got plenty of space there to work with. Tends to be the first question
I get from people anyways (who AREN'T familiar with the Euro usage).


><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
> From: Hassan Schroeder <hassan at webtuitive.com>
> 
> Seriously, I agree that cross-cultural awareness is good, especially
> for a commercial site, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere.
> 
> I mean, the color white represents death in some cultures, so I'm not
> going to use white backgrounds on my pages??
> 
> Nahhhh ....
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Reiterates my point above about limits. Of course, that's an extreme example
but a good one nonetheless.

I guess when it boils down to it, I would rather keep something that's
already personal and won't negatively affect my intended viewers, than
change everything just because someone might happen to come across my site,
misunderstand, and become offended. I'll risk a few angry letters and hope
to maybe even alter the meaning in some people's minds for good!

[Sidebar: Some friends from my church recently went on a missions trip to
Honduras, and discovered that the use of the word "nuts" was equivalent to
saying the F-word there. Since a common phrase in use by my friends is "Go
nuts", they found this to be a bit difficult to control. Well, you can
imagine the scene when a team of people *trying to share a spiritual
message* let a severe expletive slip every now and then. But did it hurt
their ministry, or turn people away in offense? They didn't think so. More
often it was simply humorous. Just goes to show you that a little
understanding can go a long way to bridge cultural divides.]

Paul (AKA "Woggz")