Re: Help Find A Better Word

Burt [no longer around] said Sep 4, 2006, 1:17 PM:
 

Great idea, Sean! I’d be in favor of a term that shows how humanity is interconnected with other species as opposed to standing at the apex of a pyramid.

Seeing how touchy some societies are about using loan words, perhaps an entirely new term could be coined. Years back Standard Oil decided to consolidate its various brand names under one umbrella title, sometimes for strategic reasons. For instance, its operation in Italy was called Nova, but in Italian, “nova” means “it doesn’t move or go.” Similarly, its Japanese division, Enco, meant “lemon.” So the company came up with the neologism Exxon, which did not appear in any language on Earth and thus was born with neither positive nor negative associations attached to it. The fact that for many it now stands for oil-soaked malfeasance is the fault of its corporate executives, not the name itself. Our moniker, if we’re worthy of it, would presumably meet with a far happier fate.