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The oldest pub in England, with roots back to the 8th century, is at the centre of a bizarre campaign by the animal rights group PETA.
I should be fair first explain that PETA in the UK doesn't have the same rep as PETA in the US, they are left wing loonies, but they at least not borderline terrorist left wing loonies.

Nevertheless due to the entitlement culture of the progressive left PETA is feeling emboldened enough to demand the pub is renamed in case it is seen to glorify cock fighting.
Now this gets my goat, and the other one as well. We in England are all too often to be tolerant of others cultures, yet meekly submit when someone or other takes offense to our own and wants to airbrush it away.
I would be mightily peeved at the arrogance of it all even if it wasn't the oldest pup in England, and from that matter it might well not be. It is still a very old fixture of our culture, albeit a small one, and is not to be eroded simply because a pressure group does see it in its trend.
There is an underlying terror behind moves like this, a culture takes centuries to evolve, through its traditions, and those traditions need preservation. This is more than well understood if an ethnic arts center is being proposed, and for the record that is all well and good. Yet our own culture is being stripped away piece by piece. And ancient land as England is has snippets of its past throughout, streets may follow streets from medieval times, road names may have ancient meaning, buildings are placed for the needs of yesteryear and named for such. Historical revisionism is capable or ripping asunder a fabric long sewn together, and once it is gone it is gone.
The cause is even pointless, cock fighting was banned 150 years ago. Long predating the animal rights movement, and perhaps we need to do more to highlight Victorian social advances than those of the current day, at least the Victorians were well meaning in their meddling.

If a pub name is an offense to the progressive left, what the hell will they think of the Tower of London. The torture chambers in there are still fully stocked, while the cock fighting pits in pubs are long gone. Are historical castles a beacon celebrating human rights violations? Or valid icons of national history. I tell you this the London Dungeon is a major attraction in the city, people like to see the old torture devices, especially kids. It has a Haunted House type effect, though I now wonder how long this will last in our antiseptic cultural, milieu.

Back to the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks.

Pub website.
http://www.yeoldefightingcocks.co.uk/index.html

Source.
http://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/animal_rights_group_calls_fowl_over_name_of_historic_st_albans_pub_1_4079279
http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/12958834.Britain_s_oldest_pub_will_NOT_change_name__despite_campaign_from_animal_rights_activists/

The landlord appears to be resisting PETA and has had a lot of support in this. So here is the email I wrote to the pub:

I hear historical revisionists from PETA are in your faces. It is deplorable that we cannot celebrate English culture without offending some over-entitled nincompoops.
I wonder how many years will pass before even using the word 'Cocks' is taboo, you know, just in case bystanders get offended.
I cannot claim to be a patron of your establishment, and it is too far for me to travel to be one, so you need not face loss of custom by ignoring what I say; but I do hope you love our heritage as much as I do, and deplore historical revisionism and see through to its bitter and frankly dangerous core.

This fight might be won, though these pressures are more like a dripping tap, they only need to win once and can whine until they do. Besides I am more concerned with the cultural implications, this sort of progressivism is getting more prevalent and they are being listened too far more often than warranted. Some complaints deserve to be ridiculed.

Completely opposed to cock fighting, but yeah, that's pretty asinine.

PETA have achieved their goal by getting their name in the public eye again, ridiculous story or not.

So far as "offensive" pub names, I can think of a dozen off the top of my head that are far worse, including quite obviously racist ones. Part of me doesn't care, part of me wonders if anyone else truly does.

And yet, The Drunken Duck, in Cumbria, remains in business...

Despite ducks drinking Guinness!

PETA: "change the name".
Owner: "no".
/story

Why exactly does there need to be a thread about this?

 Peregrine wrote:
PETA: "change the name".
Owner: "no".
/story

Why exactly does there need to be a thread about this?

1. Because it happened.
2. Because what it says about society.
3. Because its not over yet. If you say no to a progressive, they just demand louder and have carte blanche to accuse you of intolerance without threat of their hypocrisy called out..

Meh. Who in his right mind still thinks that PETA isn't a joke?

Wonder what they'd make of the Saracen's Head? There's a pub and village in Lincolnshire named for that.

Also, the Fox & Hound, is a pretty popular name, topical too, seeing as the Tories want to re-instate fox hunting.

Maybe someone should let them know? ;-)

 Orlanth wrote:
1. Because it happened.
2. Because what it says about society.
3. Because its not over yet. If you say no to a progressive, they just demand louder and have carte blanche to accuse you of intolerance without threat of their hypocrisy called out..

That's an awfully large brush you've got there.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Sigvatr wrote:
Meh. Who in his right mind still thinks that PETA isn't a joke?

And for once I agree with Sigvatr on something.

Feth PETA for trying to destroy over a thousand years of culture. Hope it goes to court and the judge issues a forced sterilization against every member of PETA for this glaring act of stupidity and waste of time.

I'm confused. A bar thats been around since before the Americas were a thing still has a landlord? If the bar owns the property why do they care. They should have a special "F off PETA!" Wednesday drink special.

 Goliath wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
1. Because it happened.
2. Because what it says about society.
3. Because its not over yet. If you say no to a progressive, they just demand louder and have carte blanche to accuse you of intolerance without threat of their hypocrisy called out..

That's an awfully large brush you've got there.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Sigvatr wrote:
Meh. Who in his right mind still thinks that PETA isn't a joke?

And for once I agree with Sigvatr on something.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on the thread as well.

 Sigvatr wrote:
Meh. Who in his right mind still thinks that PETA isn't a joke?

This sums up what I feel about PETA perfectly.

I really don't understand why this pub is being singled out, my local in Horncastle is called 'The Fighting Cocks' and its a pretty common pub name. Is it simply because its of historical interest?

Lots of other odd and possible offensive pub names to, elsewhere in Lincolnshire we have the Butcher & Beast just a quirk of British culture, one that should probably be left alone.

...
cock... fighting

 Iron_Captain wrote:
...
cock... fighting

15 years old right?

 Salad_Fingers wrote:
I really don't understand why this pub is being singled out, my local in Horncastle is called 'The Fighting Cocks' and its a pretty common pub name. Is it simply because its of historical interest?

Lots of other odd and possible offensive pub names to, elsewhere in Lincolnshire we have the Butcher & Beast just a quirk of British culture, one that should probably be left alone.

The reason (I presume) is if they pick out the big dog that's been around over ten centuries and they win, every other place they target will fold by default. They figure win big or go home. That's the logical reason.

Is it label as a Historical Building? Being that old I'm sure that the Pub has a few laws it can get behind right?

 Orlanth wrote:
1. Because it happened.

So what. Some crazy person probably stood on the corner and yelled at everyone to warn them about the black helicopters somewhere in the world, but we don't see them getting a news article and a forum post.

2. Because what it says about society.

It says nothing at all, except maybe "society has a few really stupid people in it". PETA is an irrelevant minority that only gets attention when we're laughing at them.

3. Because its not over yet. If you say no to a progressive, they just demand louder and have carte blanche to accuse you of intolerance without threat of their hypocrisy called out..

First of all, PETA isn't progressive, they're single-issue lunatics that don't really even care much about that single issue. Second, they can demand all they like but they still can't change anything. Third, the thought of PETA not being called out is just hilarious. "PETA sucks" is one of the few things that everyone, regardless of political alignment, can agree on.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Salad_Fingers wrote:
I really don't understand why this pub is being singled out

Because PETA wants attention, not change. Going after some local pub with no history behind it doesn't get attention.

 Salad_Fingers wrote:
I really don't understand why this pub is being singled out, my local in Horncastle is called 'The Fighting Cocks' and its a pretty common pub name. Is it simply because its of historical interest?

Lots of other odd and possible offensive pub names to, elsewhere in Lincolnshire we have the Butcher & Beast just a quirk of British culture, one that should probably be left alone.

As I said a little earlier, because it got PETA in the news. The theory of no such thing as bad publicity. Look at how many posts in this topic include the word PETA. We're feeding them.

My favourite pub names around here are The Soldier Dick and The Blazing Rag (which in my head I'm fairly certain must be an arsonist's pub).

Outrage is a drug, and once you've got the taste you'll go looking for it anywhere.

Writing a short essay on the destruction of culture over what is, basically a bunch of lunatics asking for a pub to change its name and being rejected out of hand would surely have to be hitting the bottom.

Give it up, dude. The culture war isn't happening.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
As I said a little earlier, because it got PETA in the news. The theory of no such thing as bad publicity. Look at how many posts in this topic include the word PETA. We're feeding them.

PETA aren't that cynical. If they were they'd probably be more effective.

PETA are, instead, a bunch of attention whores. They revel in attention, positive or negative. Whether that attention advances their goals is quite meaningless.

How are we sure it's the chickens that are fighting?

 Jihadin wrote:
Is it label as a Historical Building? Being that old I'm sure that the Pub has a few laws it can get behind right?

I would certainly think so... but then I don't live out that way and obviously don't know the laws and how they would/could pertain to the situation.

Peta is a fine example of militant hippyism and should be ignored for the spankers they are.

What if they changed the picture instead, might offend other groups though...

 kronk wrote:
Peta is a fine example of militant hippyism and should be ignored for the spankers they are.

The problem is the 'militant' part when they cross over into ELF and other organizations that are not afraid to blow up and burn down to make a point.

 Orlanth wrote:
Nevertheless due to the entitlement culture of the progressive left

Dude, don't hold back.

Tell us how you *really* feel.

But seriously if 'hey change your name!' is the most dangerous thing the fringe Left has done recently, I think we're pretty safe.

 Mr Nobody wrote:
What if they changed the picture instead, might offend other groups though...

Nah, it'll just become the hottest gay bar around.

I find fighting offensive.
They should change it to Ye old Joust..........
Nope, not gonna finish this.

PETA; "You should change the name of this pub because reasons"