PETA Claims Circus Cruel to Critters

PETA activists are cracking the whip on Springfield-based
Merriam-Webster, demanding that the definition of "circus" be rewritten
to label the big top as cruel to "captive" animal performers.

The dictionary currently defines a circus as "an arena often covered by
a tent and used for variety shows, usually including feats of physical skill,
wild animal
acts, and performances by clowns."

But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – known for caging naked women
to protest the wearing of fur and protesting the living conditions of pet store
iguanas – wants a new entry.

PETA’s proposal defines a circus as a "spectacle that relies on captive
animals" who are "forced to perform tricks under the constant threat
of punishment." It also wants the definition to say that "modern circuses
include only willing human performers."

from the Boston Herald

As an English teacher and a linguist, we are shocked that PETA would
take their campaign to the editorial offices of a dictionary, of all
places.  While opposition to animal cruelty is all well and good,
applying political editorial alterations to dictionary definitions
would be somewhat akin to publishing a cookbook with politically correct
admonitions after key ingredients (Beat 4 eggs **WARNING – Consumption
of more than two eggs per week can lead to dangerous levels of cholesterol**
Next, melt 8 tbs of butter (1 stick) **WARNING – butter contains saturated
fats, which have been shown to produce hardening of the arteries**,
etc.).

Hey, PETA, quit messing with the English language! The Merriman
Webster dictionary happens to be our favorite on-line
dictionary to
use with our students because of the concise definitions and
the free and fast pronunciation button – click it and hear a clear,
US Evening News prouncation of any word. But it is not WIKIPEDIA. No
user editing.

If you feel that some circuses are cruel and exploitive, by all means
expose them – hold a press conference, publish shocking pictures on
the internet, organize a protest, write your Congresspeople, march
outside the Circus sites, create a blog, sneak cameras behind the scenes
and
post
the video
on
a videoblog,
make a movie, publish a book, a pamphlet, a tract, a flyer, a glossy
magazine or your own dictionary, organize a concert, enlist animal-loving
celebrities,
go on Oprah, but for Webster’s sake, leave the language alone.