If Not No-Kill than What

[Guest guest]

>For those interested in another discussion on using the name no kill or

>other names for the movement

 

 

This perennial and always unsuccessful attempt to reinvent

the language reminds me that about 10 minutes ago I ran across the

results of a 1937 American Humane Association survey of membership,

seeking an alternative to the term " dogcatcher. "

 

Not surprisingly, " dog warden " and " animal control officer "

were first and second in popularity. Both terms had already been in

common use for many years.

 

But very surprisingly, and presented without a trace of

recognition of irony or the possibility that someone might have been

joking, the term " assassin " placed seventh among 15 possibilities

nominated by respondents.

 

" Assassin " was the only one of the 15 therms that might have

been construed as having negative connotations, and the whole idea

of the survey was to find a term of more positive connotations than

" dogcatcher. "

 

Why, therefore, a substantial portion of the humane

community preferred to be known as " assassins " is something of a

mystery, especially since high-volume animal control killing had

only just begun to be practiced in most of the U.S., and was long

established only in some of the biggest cities.

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

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