An academic friend who is interested in this field of research (gender/equality/bias) asked me to list as many sexist/racist route names as I could. I could only think of Wogs @ Chudleigh and Black Bastard @ Llanymynych. I know I've spelt that wrong.
I'm not interested in the rights and wrongs of the names, but it'd be awfully good of you people to help me out with this little project. I suspect that if I do a good job I will get a treat.
Homophobic route names might also be good to chuck in the mix.
Thanks in advance etc.
Homophobia - there is more than one Turd Burglar (E6 6b) .
have a look at Creag Dubh (Newtonmore)
Strapadictomy at Froggatt?
If "ladies' lingerie" can get you in bother with the easily offended then girdle traverses must be a bit iffy
This is the first that springs to my mind, a very popular route at a very popular crag. In the liberal and all inclusive holy-land that is Scandinavia of all places. Ingenmannsland / i negerens vold (n7-)
Translation in the link.
Edit: there's this as well that your friend could look at- https://thesocietypages.org/engagingsports/2019/01/07/whats-in-a-name-sexis...
One of mine could be seen as sexist: Laisse Tomber les Filles (7a) (Drop the girls), but only if you don't know the musical reference and have no sense of humour
Savage slit?
Not convinced that is racist in context.
There were some unpleasant ones at Parrock Quarry. Probably all fallen down now...
I just looked and noticed that they've been changed.
Of all the Redhead routes, that's the one you chose as being sexist!
I think there was a thread on this subject before.
Some here https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/rocktalk/most_inappropriate_route_names-6...
https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/rocktalk/distasteful_route_names_exclusio...
https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/rocktalk/banning_offensive_route_names-42...
WOGS; wall, overhang, groove and slab.
SS Special on Grochan.
Prick up ureas ; slate
Hymen Snapper; slate
Gollywog’s cake walk; bosigran
James
Steve Bancroft climbed" Motherf..ker" at Crookrise which was bowdlerised by Dennis Gray I think to "Mothers Little Helper", quite wittily bowderlised as it happens.
> Not convinced that is racist in context.
I like to think that too, and I like the song, but it is racist language and that's what the OP was after.
Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash (E3 6a)
Cover Me in Chocolate and Feed Me to the Lesbians (E6 6c)
I think Dave Viggers had some involvement in naming some routes with names deemed offensive by the Camp Commandant at Castlemartin, apparently his wife received a letter from the commandant asking him to desist from using such words in his route names!
I think Paul Williams bowdlerised Menopausal Discharge from Menstrual Discharge. I might be wrong.
Edit, in addition: ... which is quite a strange bowdlerisation, perhaps more misogynistic in itself.
> Here's one for you
A line from an Elvis Costello and the Attractions song. I would dispute that the song or the line was racist.
> I think Dave Viggers had some involvement in naming some routes with names deemed offensive by the Camp Commandant at Castlemartin, apparently his wife received a letter from the commandant asking him to desist from using such words in his route names!
It would be productive to know why any of these route names are racist or sexist.
If he’d just called it ‘Foreskin’ would that have been anything-ist?
The Sun
> I think Dave Viggers had some involvement in naming some routes with names deemed offensive by the Camp Commandant at Castlemartin, apparently his wife received a letter from the commandant asking him to desist from using such words in his route names!
One of the routes might have been: "The Mighty Quim".
However, that was by Emma Alsford, so obviously can't be sexist...
I know, and I'm a big fan of Costello. I understand the context and I'd accept that at the time you could say that sort of thing, and that it wasn't meant to be derogatory to black people. But, a white person using the N word as an insult is racist, even if it's not intented to be so. In the same way that using gay as an insult is homophobic.
> I'm not interested in the rights and wrongs of the names, but it'd be awfully good of you people to help me out with this little project. I suspect that if I do a good job I will get a treat.
White Slab (E2 5c) on Cloggy. Outrageous
The Gay Dwarfs and Mr Plod Go to the Tuppaware Party (E2 5b)
I dont think its really homophobic, just an outrageous name.
I also really like
Cabbage Man Meets the Death Egg (E3 5c)
I want to tick both of these routes purely for their names.
Anything by John Redhead should fit the bill I would have thought
What an unpleasant thread.
Only topped by the number of poor suggestions being made.
The route next to the Navy way at Harrisons is "Rum, bum, and biscuits".
I'd agree about the lack of suitable suggestions. Perhaps that means there are only a meagre few. The assorted links I've been give don't add much either. Creag Dubh Newtonmore was suggested as being ripe for it, but I couldn't see anything of note. Worth asking the question anyways.
Perhaps this is a positive outcome then?
> A line from an Elvis Costello and the Attractions song. I would dispute that the song or the line was racist.
Exactly. It was about mercenaries if I recall correctly.
> But, a white person using the N word as an insult is racist, even if it's not intented to be so.
Where to start? First, the point is that by applying the N word to a white person in this context is to (a) accept that it exists and commonly used as an abusive label of disadvantage, (b) implicitly admit the normality of dangerous and demeaning roles being disproportionately assigned to black people and (c) demonstrate how shocking all this is by applying the word to disadvantaged white people.
Second, whilst I completely accept that a person can feel offended by the use of a particular term, for it to be racist there must be an intent to offend. In this case the intent is the very opposite. It's deliberately provocative, but not racist.
I realise I'm probably arguing with the wrong person here!
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/showlog.php?id=42046
'faggot' and 'paki' both return climbs but offence to others may not have been the first ascensionist intent, so I wouldn't want to imply that.
Anyway, to get back to the point, I think there are very few for the simple reason that guidebook editors tend to tidy them up, as you suggest.
I've done it myself, either because it was just childishly scatological, on one occasion because it was unintentionally offensive given the meaning and origin of the phrase. Given the immortality they confer, on mature reflection I think most people are glad to have offensive names bowdlerised. They seem a lot less funny quite quickly.
Not particularly mercenaries as such. It was about the army recruiting poor working class boys from areas of high unemployment to do the unpleasant job of shooting people. White nigger I think refers to Irish people (No Blacks, no dogs, no Irish the signs used to say)
I don't think it was used as an insult but as a description of the Irish being discriminated against in a similar way to Black people.
> Anything by John Redhead should fit the bill I would have thought
Sexually unpleasant yes, sexist no.
> Genuine Q: how is that "sexist/racist"?
I'm guessing (hoping) it was a joke, as it sounds a little like "strap a dick to me" when pronounced
It's the punch line to a joke, "70s bantz" Bernard Manning style / borderline homophobic
> I'm guessing (hoping) it was a joke, as it sounds a little like "strap a dick to me" when pronounced
That's what it sounds like to me. If someone of any sex wants to put a fake penis on and play with someone else of any sex then that's fine. It's not sexist, in fact it might even be the opposite!
> It's the punch line to a joke, "70s bantz" Bernard Manning style / borderline homophobic
Didn't know that. Do you know if the route named after that punchline, or is it just a coincidence?
Indeed. Mentioning a sexual act/fetish/orientation is in no way sexist in itself!
> I think there are very few for the simple reason that guidebook editors tend to tidy them up, ...
Which guidebook editor was responsible for "The Unprintable" at Stanage?
true good point
> I want to tick both of these routes purely for their names.
you need to look at Jersey, lots of similarly-named climbs there.
to the OP:-
Gay bikers on Granite
> Not particularly mercenaries as such. It was about the army recruiting poor working class boys from areas of high unemployment to do the unpleasant job of shooting people. White nigger I think refers to Irish people (No Blacks, no dogs, no Irish the signs used to say)
> I don't think it was used as an insult but as a description of the Irish being discriminated against in a similar way to Black people.
I never knew about this, fancy that.
> In the same way that using gay as an insult is homophobic.
I stopped a friend using gay in place of weak or not very good, by saying that something was 'rubbish, and a little bit straight'.
> I think Paul Williams bowdlerised Menopausal Discharge from Menstrual Discharge. I might be wrong.
> Edit, in addition: ... which is quite a strange bowdlerisation, perhaps more misogynistic in itself.
The lateness of the hour might mean it's going over my head, but why would either route name be sexist? They're a bit 'icky' maybe, but I'm not getting the offense.