Use of Language

Merab

Merab

Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 27, 2017
Messages
59,436
Reaction score
83,965
Points
3,465
Location
East Riding of Yorksire
To all Forum Members
As the term ‘slave’ is becoming increasingly uncomfortable due to modern slavery issues we, the staff, suggest that we start using another term.
It will be your choice what to use that feels comfortable and still implies that we serve our piggies.
Please give the matter some consideration.
Any member who has slave in their username is welcome to change it - just ask @BossHogg
Thanks everyone
 
Mrs Tiggy Winkle said:
Another term in Germany is Two-Leg, so here terms more descriptive.

I used to refer to myself as seen thru guinea eyes as The Great Food Goddess, who e.g. allowed food to rain down from the Heavens.
Click to expand...
The Great Food Goddess is brilliant.

I've always just been Hooman or Mum to my pets regardless of species.
 
DavRz said:
PoopyPickerUppers
Click to expand...
In what must have been the 1980's in Alberta (Canada), there were instructions floating around on how to make a Pooper-Scooper for collecting your dog's poo and disposing of it, so when I see your suggestion, I think of dogs not piggies. That might just be personal though. I think the pooper-scooper was made out of something like a hard plastic detergent bottle with the bottom cut off. Wouldn't be helpful for piggy droppings.
 
The guinea dads could call themselves Jeeves I suppose. Particularly apt if the guinea is called Bertie or Bertram.
A general word: servant? Doesn't have the problematic connotation of slave, I don't think.

It's strange, I used to refer to my guineas as 'my babies' but I didn't refer to myself as their mum.
 
Mrs Tiggy Winkle said:
The guinea dads could call themselves Jeeves I suppose. Particularly apt if the guinea is called Bertie or Bertram.
A general word: servant? Doesn't have the problematic connotation of slave, I don't think.

It's strange, I used to refer to my guineas as 'my babies' but I didn't refer to myself as their mum.
Click to expand...

A lot of modern slavery happens in private homes as housemaids etc., so personally I would prefer steer clear of any expressions that denote menial roles like servant, skivvy (which doesn't have the same meaning everywhere) etc. altogether.

Staff is likely the most neutral modern use word.

The problem we are facing is that the word 'slave' can also express the voluntary total devotion to a deity, person/being or ideology, which is usually the sense this word is generally used by humans looking after guinea pigs.
None of the other expressions of service covers this aspect of voluntary devotion quite in the same way. Depending on what you value more, you would have to go into the direction of love or care (like mummy/momma/dad) rather than of service if you want to use another word but there is no other expression that combines the aspect of service as devotion quite as much.
Servant does come closest - servus Dei: God's slave is now usually translated as servant of God.
 
Lorcan said:
When I'm relaying messages for the Quartet, I'm always "the Human" (although I'm sure they're not so polite when I'm out of earshot).
Click to expand...
Same here, we are “The Humans/Hoomans”.

One of my friends laughs at the way I refer to various activities or items.
We have Human washing and pigs washing.
Pigs/boys tea vs human/our tea.

At one point we got human boys & piggie boys totally mixed up in a conversation. She was talking about human boys & I was talking about guinea pig boys. 😂
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Piggy wheeks can probably be loosely translated as "Oi! You!". As for terms to refer to ourselves ... minion is good. Or how about grunt (military origin), drudge, factotum? Maybe housemaid or housekeeper?
Click to expand...

I like minion or gofer best for being the piggies' dogsbody.
Or would that rather be Pigsbody? :D

I've also got to hutkeeper or hutchkeeper (instead of housekeeper), lawnlady/lord, fridge/veg shuttle, puplican or pooplican, cavy carer...
 
Genuine question here as I honestly can not understand this, and no disrespect to anyone, but why use terms like 'drudge', 'minion', 'servant/***keeper' etc etc
We have our pets, regardless of species because we want them, love them and take care of them because we want to so why use terms that make it sound like something your forced into / that it's a chore?

As I said before the original term of 'slave' has never sat well with me, I won't go into a rant about it because this thread is about stopping use of that term, which I am so pleased about, but personally, I feel that terms like servant and drudge are no better.

I don't know how to explain why these terms leave me feeling so uncomfortable without getting on my high horse/ranting, but in short I guess it feels disrespectful.

However hopefully I'm missing something here.

(It might be worth mentioning that I am autistic)
 
SpiritoftheForest said:
Genuine question here as I honestly can not understand this, and no disrespect to anyone, but why use terms like 'drudge', 'minion', 'servant/***keeper' etc etc
We have our pets, regardless of species because we want them, love them and take care of them because we want to so why use terms that make it sound like something your forced into / that it's a chore?
Click to expand...
I think it's individual. Personally I'm very sarcastic, I believe I refer to myself as a "servant" in my bio as well.
 
SpiritoftheForest said:
Genuine question here as I honestly can not understand this, and no disrespect to anyone, but why use terms like 'drudge', 'minion', 'servant/***keeper' etc etc
We have our pets, regardless of species because we want them, love them and take care of them because we want to so why use terms that make it sound like something your forced into / that it's a chore?

As I said before the original term of 'slave' has never sat well with me, I won't go into a rant about it because this thread is about stopping use of that term, which I am so pleased about, but personally, I feel that terms like servant and drudge are no better.

I don't know how to explain why these terms leave me feeling so uncomfortable without getting on my high horse/ranting, but in short I guess it feels disrespectful.

However hopefully I'm missing something here.

(It might be worth mentioning that I am autistic)
Click to expand...

I generally feel like you.

My piggies are my Tribe (or rather Tribes these days) and I don't use a specific word for myself in relation to them when I am at home. For me, they are basically individual personalities from a species in their own right who I enjoy looking after and who I try to interact with in a kind of trade language at eye height.
And who I have the occasional tussle with as to who says when what is being fed after they found out that they could nicely train hub with their pester power while I was so badly ill.

Admittedly, I have very occasionally used 'serf' in the odd humorous comments from my piggies about me on here and very rarely piggy mummy for myself but that comes more under masking than how I actually see myself in relationship to my piggies.

I have the odd cuddle piggy who doesn't mind me but I get my real enjoyment from watching them interact with each other and being themselves or interacting with me on their own terms. I find it much more interesting trying to work out what makes them tick like they do with their individual variations and the resulting different dynamics and relationships - and the interplay between the different groups. I still love them all, each differently.
But there isn't actually a word in English or German that really covers that. Furry house mates?

Like you, I am autistic and I am aware that I tend to tick somewhat differently to the big bulk in that area.

However, I also enjoy being creative with language and words. I do love puns, including groaners. That is part of why I enjoy this thread. It makes me smile when I really need a smile. So please bear with me in that respect. :)

But I have no problem whatsoever with anybody who is not comfortable and who doesn't share this. I certainly respect you for expressing your own feelings on this subject because not everybody wouldn't have the courage to stand up for their own corner. But this is how it should be on this forum.

I also love this thread for reflecting the whole human range of different accesses and relationships we have as owners with our piggies, which have all their own equal right and value even if some names leave each of us uncomfortable, baffled or just simply cold in turn - as long as they all result in good, loving care for our pigs. And it makes all of us stop and think.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top