So Star Trek was racist and illiterate?

Maybe dyna misheard on the zoom meeting.

If it's named Zulu because it's black then I can see why that could be offensive. If it's purely a coincidence then I'd give the benefit of the doubt.

GooberTheHat wrote:

If it's named Zulu because it's black then I can see why that could be offensive. If it's purely a coincidence then I'd give the benefit of the doubt.

I can’t see how it could be a coincidence.

there's also the chance that someone just thought Zulu was a cool name and didn't know where it came from.
but as with all these things, only the person who did it knows the intent really.

maybe their thought process was 'well it's a black dog, and we can't use the n word, so next best thing is....' in which case yeah, obvs a problem.
or maybe they got a dog and their 5 year old picked the name zulu innocently and at random.

or perhaps something in between.

RedDave2 wrote:

davyK wrote:

Had the HR person's dog been a different colour then it would be a fine name.

That feels far too simplistic - Zulu isnt an offensive term is it? And its rare that people name a dog a name that they find offensive (not saying it doesnt happen)  Taking the Dambuster one - regardless of the dogs colour, thats offensive. In this case... I just dont get the offence.

I think there's an inherent risk using that name for a black dog. Zulu itself isn't of course.

As Dyno raised the topic, it's worth asking if he finds it offensive, and if so why?

I think I find the appropriation of a name of an ethnic identity to be given to a pet as a name a bit distasteful, more so than any connection with skin/fur colour tbh.

tin_robot wrote:

RedDave2 wrote:

If it's named Zulu because it's black then I can see why that could be offensive. If it's purely a coincidence then I'd give the benefit of the doubt.

https://www.pupnames.com/dog-name/zulu Seems its considered a decent name for a dog. Maybe it is innocent. But even if its linked to the colour thing - I'm not seeing it as an offensive term. Like Gurt its not a name I'd pick but is anyone here actually offended by the name?

I think naming your black dog after an African ethnic group who were famously subjugated first by the British, and then stripped of their nationality by the South Africans is, erm, misguided at best.

(Particularly for an HR manager)

Yup, especially as I’d imagine that for many British people of our generation and older “Zulu” is associated with that jingoistic old empire Michael Caine feature.

As in, that’s the first thing that comes to mind, rather than Zulu as an ethnic group.

Tin has it right

Kow wrote:

I guess it doesn't have any imperialistic connotations for me.

If you're struggling to see why something might be considered problematic, if you google it with "The British", there's a 75% chance that it will explain it.

Kow wrote:

How about calling a white dog Saxon? And the owner is in Africa.

This never works as a method to find out whether something is racist or not. The historical context matters.

No one has a problem with the word Zulu here.

tin_robot wrote:

If it's named Zulu because it's black then I can see why that could be offensive. If it's purely a coincidence then I'd give the benefit of the doubt.

https://www.pupnames.com/dog-name/zulu Seems its considered a decent name for a dog. Maybe it is innocent. But even if its linked to the colour thing - I'm not seeing it as an offensive term. Like Gurt its not a name I'd pick but is anyone here actually offended by the name?

I think naming your black dog after an African ethnic group who were famously subjugated first by the British, and then stripped of their nationality by the South Africans is, erm, misguided at best. (Particularly for an HR manager)

For someone working in HR, it makes you wonder.

Indeed, if I did have to raise a serious issue, I'd outright do the outmost to make sure I go over their head to address it.
Even if that means going outside the company.

It's a fairly large organization, and they're a middle manager posting in a 'frivolous' (like, a jokey) Slack channel, with about 200ish people in it. So I'm biding my time. Ultimately, I'm here to work, and it's no direct threat to me. But I'm keen to ask where the name came from, as a starter. And if I get an innocent answer back, that might make for an education.

But what are the odds?

Anyway, I'm not going to expect them to change the name, but I think it's fair to ask.

If I was a racist, wouldn't it be more insulting to my dog to call him after a group of people I didn't like?