Politically incorrect insects
On a walk last week, one sunny, humid day in late May, I noticed the annual abundance of ladybird larvae underneath the trees in my neighbourhood. I’ve always loved these little critters; after all, who doesn’t like an insectoid that looks like a dinosaur/alien hybrid made out of cooling lava, right? It got me wondering, though. What should these ladybirdlets be called? Girlybirds? Ladychicks? Girlychicks? Yeah, I see it too. Strangely, we use ladybird every day without thinking anything of it, but I actually spent most of that dog walk thinking about what a baby ladybird could be called and couldn’t come up with anything that was a fun play on words that didn’t sound hugely sexist. Now, to put something in perspective before I go any further. I’m not a militant feminist who believes women should rule the world. I believe that everyone should be treated equally and with respect. Personally, I don’t care if someone is male, ...