After Peta’s call ‘to reject mischaracterisations of chickens’, I wonder what they would make of Polish representations of polecats and Croatian cuckoos
Chickens don’t have it easy. On top of living largely crap, short lives, they endure the ignominy of collectively being a byword for cowardice. The campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has written to the Oxford English Dictionary asking for this definition of “chicken” to be changed. Naturally enough, there are those who have been unafraid to holler “Woke nonsense!” as loud as cocks crowing.
For my part, I think Peta is right to stick up for chickens, but I’m not sure removing a definition – assuming definition-removal is a thing – would make any difference. Chicken, in this sense, is in common use as an adjective, a verb and a noun. It’s got deep roots that are going to take some shifting. And any such move could open up a right can of worms (sorry, worms). What about the vulture, rat, shark and sloth lobbies? Not to mention pigs, snakes, weasels, donkeys, sheep, dogs, parrots and all manner of creatures with whom we share this beleaguered planet.