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Do any of you find the names Lasius niger and neoniger insulting?

Started By AntsDakota , May 14 2020 7:24 AM

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12 replies to this topic

Poll: Do any of you find the names Lasius niger and neoniger insulting? (25 member(s) have cast votes)

Do any of you find the names Lasius niger or neoniger insulting?

  1. Yes (3 votes [12.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 12.00%

  2. No (22 votes [88.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 88.00%

Vote Guests cannot vote

#1 Offline AntsDakota - Posted May 14 2020 - 7:24 AM

AntsDakota

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On Imgur, people are always commenting on my posts about Lasius neoniger, claiming the names are racist. I can definitely see how they got to that conclusion, but I'm sure that's not what the taxonomists who named them meant at all.


  • Antennal_Scrobe and jushi like this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

#2 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 14 2020 - 7:28 AM

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Well, I'm pretty sure it means black or dark colored, as most ants with that name are dark in color. Nothing racist about it.


  • TennesseeAnts, Manitobant, AntsDakota and 1 other like this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#3 Offline TheMicroPlanet - Posted May 14 2020 - 7:31 AM

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How uninformed must someone be to assume those names are racist  :ugone2far:


  • AnthonyP163, TennesseeAnts, CheetoLord02 and 4 others like this

My ants

https://www.formicul... themicroplanet

#4 Offline AntsDakota - Posted May 14 2020 - 7:31 AM

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Well, I'm pretty sure it means black or dark colored, as most ants with that name are dark in color. Nothing racist about it.

I know. However, most people aren't smart enough to figure that out............  :facepalm:


  • TennesseeAnts and jushi like this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

#5 Offline ANTdrew - Posted May 14 2020 - 8:40 AM

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Ignorance of Latin, pure and simple. Sad.
  • AntsMaryland, TennesseeAnts, AntsDakota and 2 others like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#6 Offline FeedTheAnts - Posted May 14 2020 - 8:47 AM

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It's not racist to name something after it's color, so no.


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I accidentally froze all my ants 

#7 Offline ANTdrew - Posted May 14 2020 - 9:19 AM

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Neonigers aren’t black or even very dark, though. They remind me of rootbeer, actually.
  • TennesseeAnts and AntsDakota like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#8 Offline AntsDakota - Posted May 14 2020 - 9:22 AM

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Neonigers aren’t black or even very dark, though. They remind me of rootbeer, actually.

Then they should be renamed Lasius radixcervisia, which translates as 'root beer'.  :D


  • brian, ANTdrew, Ants_Dakota and 1 other like this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

#9 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted May 14 2020 - 9:27 AM

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I could see how someone could find it weird, if they didn't know it was pronounced with a "j" sound. It's named after the color, though, and simply has the same root as the slur.


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Currently keeping:

 

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis

#10 Offline AntsDakota - Posted May 14 2020 - 9:29 AM

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I could see how someone could find it weird, if they didn't know it was pronounced with a "j" sound. It's named after the color, though, and simply has the same root as the slur.

I like to think of it as they share the name with the countries Niger and Nigeria in Africa.


  • FeedTheAnts, AntsMaryland, TennesseeAnts and 3 others like this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

#11 Offline spartANTS - Posted May 14 2020 - 1:21 PM

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Bonjour 

Same thing for me I say niger or neoniger  with a "j" sound because of my french born language.

Tomorrow they will complain about the Herculeanus....

 

#ca va bien aller

#itwillbeokay 


SpartANTS

#12 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted May 14 2020 - 2:26 PM

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Latin is apparently racist... http://archives.nd.e...l?english=black.

 

Those darn Romans… (I take latin…)


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Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus

#13 Offline jushi - Posted May 14 2020 - 2:48 PM

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How ignorant do you have to be to immediately jump to the conclusion that the name is racist??  :facepalm:  :facepalm:  :facepalm:


KEEPER OF:
 
Tapinoma Sessile (founding) x3
Tapinoma Sessile x1
Camponotus Pennsyvanicus x2
Prenolepis Imparis (founding) x2
Myrmecina Americana (founding) x1
Myrmecina Americana x1
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