PETA wants bee name change
Posted by Michael on Thursday August 29, 2002 @01:01AM
from the attack-of-the-overly-enthusiastic-bees dept.
Bender writes: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) today filed a petition with the Los Angeles Times demanding that the newspaper immediately stop using the derogatory term ‘Killer Bees’ in reference to Africanized honeybees, characterized by their aggressive defense of their hives. Read on for more…
“These bees cause far fewer deaths than people routinely inflict on each other, yet they are continually given this offensive and derogatory label,” said Los Angeles PETA chairman Sol Grundy, “And calling insects known for their hostility ‘Africanized’ is offensive to African-Americans, and does not address the need to teach our children that bees should not be teased or swatted. Therefore, we are suggesting that the Times refer to these insects as ‘Mean Bees’ in future stories. We’re preparing a similar petition about Orcas, but I won’t have money for photocopies until I get paid Thursday.”
Editors at the Los Angeles Times refused to comment.