Name "Maine Coon" needs to be changed because of 'woke' culture

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It is unlikely to happen but there would seem to be a reasonable argument to change the name of this very popular cat breed; the Maine Coon. The problem is this: the second word is a highly derogatory and insulting word describing people of colour. It is a word that you can never use as an insult or almost all other contexts and rightly so. And, in the woke era, where there is a much greater sensitivity towards the inappropriate use of language and attitudes, the word "Coon" has, arguably, become out of place in present society.



This argument is supported by TikTok. The administrators of that massive website think that "Maine Coon" is a term or phrase which describes inappropriate human behaviour. It's true. Go to the TikTok website and search for "Maine Coon". Their custom search engine does not find anything. They put up a warning instead to say that the search is inappropriate. See the screenshot above. A sign of the times.

RELATED: Maine Coon Cat History.

I don't think we know where this part of the name comes from in any case. There was a certain Captain Coon who was a ship's captain plying his trade down the east coast of America at the time when there was lots of immigration from Europe. He is said to have had ships' cats. The cats went ashore and procreated, possibly contributing to the foundation cats of the Maine Coon cat breed. That is one proposition as to why the word "Coon" is part of this name. It seems fanciful to me. It does not ring true and is probably fabricated.

Early Maine Coon. Completely different to the modern version. Photo in public domain.
Early Maine Coon (1900). Completely different to the
modern version. Photo in public domain.

The name looks strange when you stand back and think about it. We are used to it. We don't question it. However, if you look at it objectively, it is a very odd name for a cat breed.

There is no problem, of course, with the first part of the name because this is the US state where many settlers arrived from Europe and where ships' cats came ashore and became, on the face of it, the first domestic cat on the American continent.

RELATED: Maine Coon Early History: Eight Theories.

Some people in the early days thought that raccoons mated with domestic cats to create the "Maine cat". That used to be the name for Maine Coons before they became a purebred cat. Perhaps we should go back to that name? 

Of course, if people believed that raccoons mated with domestic cats, it is the origin of the word "Coon". It's not certain that that is the case but it looks as though it might have come from that bizarre story. Back in those days people had less knowledge about science including biology. As mentioned, some did actually believe that it was possible.

If that is the origin of the name then, arguably, it's another good reason why the word "Coon" should be removed. It's an anomaly. It is inaccurate and it is out of place in the modern world and in conflict with the all-pervasive woke movement.

Location: Maine, USA

Comments

  1. John Roberts27 April 2023 at 08:30

    Sorry, but I can't believe you used a social media website who is run by Chinese nationals as justification for your argument. Just ask the Tibetans and Uyghurs and how well they've been treated by China (millions killed) and you'll get a very different story.

    Anyway, here is the origin of your cat's name: trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71266146?searchTerm=%22coon%20cat%22.

    Perhaps you will be starting a campaign to call raccoons 'racs' next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Broad LLB, ARPS29 April 2023 at 07:02

      I hate the way the Chinese treat Tibetans and Uyghurs as much as you do (I have actually protested outside number 10 Downing Street about the way the Chinese treat the Tibetans) but I have temporarily put that problem to one side in my argument because it is irrelevant to the argument. You are introducing something else which has no impact upon my reasoning. That's the point I wish to make.

      Delete
    2. Michael Broad LLB, ARPS6 May 2023 at 14:12

      A second point: I don't need a source of information concerning the origins of this cat breeds name. Thanks but no thanks.

      Delete

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