h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Large numbers of people believe in extraterrestrials. If you are an atheist, you must surely bemoan the large numbers who believe in deities. "Facts" are debatable.

Danish professor Thea Kølsen Fischer (who participated in the WHO's attempt to find the source of Covid-19 in Wuhan, China) says that it may have originated somewhere other. The wet market Chatuchak in Thailand is mentioned as an obvious possibility because exotic animals from many countries - even Africa - are sitting in small cages on top of each other, which provides perfect opportunities for transmitting diseases whoi can then mutate along the way.
The Thai authorities do not believe the infection comes from Thailand, but at the same time acknowledge that it is possible.

I think bats have been mentioned.

Beware the bat that flies by day.

Probably its SARS headache makes it difficult to sleep.

Haven't seen a bat in years. Except onscreen in "Batman" movies.

AMERICAN NEWSPAPER PROHIBITES EXPRESSION
The New York Times, which recently fired an otherwise reputable journalist for using the n-word in a conversation with an intern, is now taking a step further.
"We have banned our employees from using the term 'n-word' because it automatically brings associations to the word that one must not say," explains one of the magazine's editors.
"When you say 'n-word', you come to think of 'n' in your head, and that's hugely offensive to those people."
The editor says that the term ‘n-word’ must therefore in future be replaced by the ‘aa-word’, which stands for
Afro-American.
- - -
Please note the above is from the satire column in one of our biggest newspapers.
But it begs the question if political correctness has gone too far. How are we going to teach our children not to use the n-word if we can't tell them what it stands for and why it is a derogatory term?

You can demean a group of people without using the n-word. You can use micro-aggression, which can be hard to detect at first. If a word doesn't appear in print for long enough, and isn't used at all in many groups of people, how will the young in those groups know that it is a bad word.

I got in trouble in 5th grade for using a word I heard other kids using. I had never heard it at home, or on television. I didn't know hat it meant. ow was I to know it was a bad word?

Xactly, paulh. When my daughter was little she once said what can best be translated as "sh*t, Mum!" An expression of surprise she had probably heard on the tv - or maybe somewhere else. What do I know?

I shortly after took her aside and told her what it actually meant - literally - and she was almost in tears but I told her it was okay since we knew she never meant it in a bad way and now that she knew I was sure she would be careful when to use it in future.

She has never disappointed me. Nor has her two brothers by the way

The "n-word" is apparently used within the group it refers to, and as long as it's in that context they don't worry about it. But the rest of us should not use it.

Some comedian made that point about "the n-word", saying he hated the term "the N-word" because when someone says "the N-word" the word pops into his head. Maybe it was Jim Jefferies.

I have to agree. I rarely say "the N-word". I never use the actual word unless I'm discussing the word itself and when I do, I will use the actual word. I do feel that excising the word and using substitutions (that still put the actual word in the heads of listeners) does give it more power.

I probably don't have to tell you that there actually are two n-words, but I'm doing it anyway

I've sent you an answer via Messenger/Facebook, Baron

Poe's raven had a third one.

Yes, but then it only knew that one.

And it wouldn't get them fired from the NYT.

I thought that was a satire.

It was. Everything except "The New York Times, which recently fired an otherwise reputable journalist for using the n-word in a conversation with an intern". That's a fact

You may want to read this which covers the case fine, I believe:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/02/12/donald-mcneil-new-york-times-fallout/

I'm not sure I want to wade into this. McNeil made his mark as a respected journalist, especially with his columns on Covid-19. He has gone out on a very high plane as a journalist. His prickliness was held in check while he gathered his stuff prior to retiring. He repeated one word that a student asked him a question about. It was a private conversation, not a public one, though many students were apparently rattled about his judgment. If a crime was committed, the punishment has not been draconian. he gets to enjoy fishing and other aspects of retirement He can write a book on Covid if he wishes. Once retired, his choices about what to say should not reflect on his employer, as he will no longer have one.

You can't be fired from retirement.

That last sentence is consoling at least. For me anyway.