Would You Be Offended?

United States
February 23, 2007 5:17pm CST
In Seattle, Washington a group of people are protesting a new pet supply store. They are not so much protesting the store as they are the name and the fact that there is a huge sign that boasts the name. High Maintenance B*tch, even sports products that are uniquly named, such as Gel-ous B*tch bath gel and Street Walker paw cleanser. Many people are complaining about children seeing the sign and about other local events, yet the owner says their is nothing wrong with it and will fight to keep the sign the way it is. What do you think about this? Would you be offended? Would you protest if the store were in your neighborhood? You can read the complete article at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/dog_sign
26 people like this
59 responses
@LittleMel (8742)
• Canada
23 Feb 07
I won't be offended but if I have kids I won't let them buy there. They might learn dirty words there thinking it's just brand names of pet and kids love pets so they will think it's OK while it's not!
3 people like this
• United States
23 Feb 07
I know what you mean. I am semi-liberal, but I would have to question whether or not I would want the sign changed. This is also on the towns parade route for special occassions, so there would be many families with children that would view it. Thanks for the response.
1 person likes this
@soccermom (3198)
• United States
24 Feb 07
Where I live we have "Bad A** Coffee" and it's mascot is a naughty looking little donkey. Hey, whatever sells, this is America afterall.
• United States
26 Feb 07
We have that shop too. I never even thought of it when I was posting this. They do have good coffee, lol. Thanks for your opinion.
@vanities (11395)
• Davao, Philippines
24 Feb 07
i think i will..in the first first ..before putting a business name it should be approved ..is there any guidelines on what proper names should be put in any establishments??..coz in the first place it must be censored right there first..i for one will be protesting such kind of words..not proper for our growing kids i think..
• United States
26 Feb 07
+ to you for expressing you opinion. I don't believe in censorship and I don't think that anyone has the right to tell me what I can or cannot name my business. There are many business in this country that have names that are inuendos for other things. I'd rather my kids know the proper meaning of the word, and not think of it as just a dirty word. I do appreciate your input and opinion, thanks for sharing.
• United States
24 Feb 07
I'd neither be offended nor protest. B*tch is such a common word and everyone hears it. Plus, it is the term used to describe a female dog. If you were raising your kid to show dogs, they'd be using that term every day. We really need to move away from the Puritan direction in which things have been heading.
2 people like this
• United States
24 Feb 07
You put it correctly...if the child(ren) are around dog breeding or any type of show dogs, it would be a common word and nothing negative would be thought of it. I think we have become way to politically correct. Call it what it is, lol. Thank you very much for sharing your input on this. I appreciate it.
1 person likes this
@tarsadawn (350)
• United States
24 Feb 07
I would not protest, but I would do my best not to drive by the shop. I have a child and wouldn't want them to be exposed to that language. I wouldn't protest, but definitely would not shop or go around the store.
• United States
24 Feb 07
Thanks for you opinion as a concerned parent. While I understand it, surely you must realize that your child will come in contact with the word at some point, and probably in the negative sense, not being used as the proper name of what it is. I mean no offense here, and I respect your opinion. Thank you very much for responding and sharing your view.
1 person likes this
@MaSunny (61)
• United States
24 Feb 07
I would not be offended because 1.) the term "b*tch" is not only used as a profane word but an "official" term. 2.) Kids are going to learn these words from school, from the media, from the streets, from their friends, from their friends' parents, from a stray piece of paper. And, if they don't know what it means then, they'll look it up easily via resources that are accessible 24/7. Unless the kids are raised under a rock, how can one be sure they will not learn the word anytime anywhere. Plus, it's not a subliminal message or something that influences unhealthful activity, it's simply a word that is irrationally labelled as profane.
• United States
24 Feb 07
You are so right. No matter how much we as parents try to shelter our children from the world's realities, they will be subjected to it no matter what. I can count numerous shows that parents let their children watch where the B word is used on a regular basis. So to protest a sign seems a little insignificant in my opinion. Thank you very much for your thoughts and opinion. I appreciate the input.
1 person likes this
@janet069 (663)
• United States
26 Feb 07
Protesting probably is not the right thing to do. Just don't do business there if you are offended. That should take care of the problem permanently.
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
28 Feb 07
no I wouldnt protest it! I think it is a good way to get the word b*tch back to where it belongs a female dog. How would 5 year olds know the word or the meaning? What would they know about a street walker? I beleive they have the right to put on their sign what they want . It is grown ups that are offended the the kids and it is the grown ups that have made the word b*tch a cuss word. I really think it is funny ha ha
1 person likes this
• United States
1 Mar 07
I agree. The bigger a deal that adults make out of it, the word itself, the more kids are going to want to use it. I say if we put it out there in it's original context, maybe it will cease to be a cuss word. Thanks for your reply lakota. As always, it is appreciated.
@meme0907 (3481)
• United States
28 Feb 07
Hey CDW :D I wouldn't complain about the sign,ppl shouldn't have any trouble explaining to their children that a B%t@h is a female dog then maybe the kids wouldn't even grasp ahold of it's use as a profanity & possibly it could improve things. +'s 4 U :)
1 person likes this
• United States
1 Mar 07
My thoughts on it exactly. And aren't their more important things people could protest in this day and age. I wish they would just "get real". Thanks for your response meme. As always, I really appreciate your input.
• United States
24 Feb 07
Personally I wouldn't offend me I find it quite humorous. In the article I noticed they refer to what would a 5 year think. Well I don't know any 5 year olds who get the veiled innuendos
2 people like this
• United States
24 Feb 07
I noticed that part in the article to, and thought, "A five year old probably doesn't pay any attention to reading signs". And you're correct they wouldn't pick up on the inuendo anyway. Thanks for your thoughts my friend and for responding.
1 person likes this
@AskAlly (3625)
• Canada
24 Feb 07
Society has given the word b!tch a bad conotation. We all know it just means female dog. I don't think I would be overly offended. If my kids were still young I'd just explain what it meant. Just some dry humor as far as I am concerned.
2 people like this
• United States
24 Feb 07
I too don't think it's a big enough deal, with all the other problems in this world, to protest about. Thanks for your thoughts, I appreciate it.
1 person likes this
• United States
24 Feb 07
I have to say, I probably would. It is not good to have around children, and even if the owner believes that it would not offend anyone, he/she needs to understand that it is not appropriate. I would not really want that in my neighborhood, and a lot of people probably wouldn't even know it was for pets, they would probably go there thinking it was some other kind of store.
2 people like this
• United States
24 Feb 07
I can see your point and you have valid reasons. I am almost certain it says pet shop somewhere on the sign. They didn't have a picture of it posted though. I appreciate you sharing your opinion on the matter +. Thank you for responding.
1 person likes this
24 Feb 07
What a great way to generate publicity for a new store. If they set out deliberately to whip up the protest then they certainly managed to get their name in the papers. The word for a female dog? a pet store? no I guess I would probably laugh rather than be offended.
1 person likes this
• Canada
24 Feb 07
I personally am not offended by this, but I do think they have a point when it comes to kids. Some of them are going to want their parents to explain about that sign, and of course it could lead to a few awkward moments. A B!tch is of course, a female dog, but it's also used as a derogatory term for a woman and if a child is caught saying that word, they're gonna be in trouble. I think the sign should either be changed or at least made smaller so it doesn't stand out quite so much.
• United States
24 Feb 07
It will be interesting to see what the protests come to, and what the end result is. I have a feeling the owner of the store will claim "freedom of speech" in the matter. Just from what I read, she is pretty adamant about keeping the sign as is. Thank you very much for your opinion and comments. I appreciate it.
1 person likes this
• Canada
24 Feb 07
I wouldn't be offended in the least. But I do somewhat agree with their position. If I had kids I wouldn't want them reading the sign. But whether or not they do have to get their named changed we need to remember that this is all publicity. Bad publicity is still publicity
1 person likes this
• United States
24 Feb 07
I think it's distasteful. I understand the owner wanted to give the true meaning of the word b*tch to the rightful owner but the reality is...it's already been sterotyped and a pet store isn't going to changed it. Kids already know it's a bad word used in the context it is commonly used in as well as the true meaning being a female dog.
• United States
26 Feb 07
Then maybe it's time we as a society bring back and take back the rightful meaning of the word. I do see your point and appreciate your opinion in the matter, thought. Thank you for sharing. + to you.
@cillerman (403)
• Bulgaria
24 Feb 07
Of course I wouldn't be offended. It's just a sign. Whatever. Of course, I am not a parent, but I don't think parents should be offended also. If a kid knows the word "f**k", but doens't know the meaning and the usage... what harm is that? And if someone would explain to that kid what the word meant... it wouldn't be a grown-up. It'll still be child. You can't blame the sign for getting small children to curse.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Feb 07
No, you can't blame the sign for children swearing. They have probably even heard the word a time or two from their own parents, so why are they now being offended? Thank you very much for your opinion and comments. I appreciate it.
@Dano11 (173)
• United States
24 Feb 07
I think the owner has gotten exactly what he was looking for in naming the store as such: PUBLICITY Would I be offended? No actually offended by the name, but I would think considerably less of the owner and not likely to do business with them because they know exactly what they are doing. They are playing off the cheap terminology of our culture to make a name for himself and be noticed. If the man, (or woman), is not intelligent enough to earn the respect of prospective clients without having to be cheezy, then I would not give them credit for being capable of taking care of my pet. To translate and paraphrase a wise proverb, if you don't do that which you know to be wrong or even questionably wrong, you won't find yourself in the middle of a controvery, which this owner has abviously done.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Feb 07
I love that proverb. I would have never thought of it in this instance though, but now I can see how it would apply. Thank you for sharing it, as well as your comments. I appreciate it.
@havachat (105)
• Australia
24 Feb 07
it's such a petty thing to argue over, it's only a female dog anyway, really if people are that offended over slang or profanity, then we better ban tv, movies, schools and even the internet and the list goes on, have a look at whats in the encyclopedia, it dosnt matter what is done, there is always going to be some group to ban things, mainly because they have nothing better to do, there was a store in mackay, ( australia )that had a group upset with it, because they painted the building yellow, it started a row in the council chambers, was on the news and they even had picket lines going, imagine how much money and time is wasted on stupid things like that, considering the things going on with our planet, wouldn't that be better put to doing something there, those groups should get a grip
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Feb 07
I agree...get a grip. You would need to ban the entire media, if you ban a sign for stating the true terminology of the word. Thank you so much for sharing. I appreciate your input.
• Morocco
24 Feb 07
Well actually I think it's pretty funny.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Feb 07
LOL, thanks for responding. I appreciate it.