8 ms·
The solution is simple. Continue calling the boat Boaty McBoatface. Ignore all references to the government's preferred name. They can choose what's painted on
by mrob 11y ago
The solution is simple. Continue calling the boat Boaty McBoatface. Ignore all references to the government's preferred name. They can choose what's painted on the side, but the name depends only on what people call it. If enough people call it Boaty McBoatface its name really is Boaty McBoatface. If your job depends on calling it the government's preferred name then subtly alter the timing of your speech to make it clear that it's not the real name while maintaining plausible deniability. Only written communication from coerced people remains a problem, and hopefully that will be far outweighed by people using the real name.
- Frenchgeek 11y agoSo "A McBoatface by any other name would sail as adequately"?
- joshvm 11y agoThis will probably happen anyway. Research ships are manned by researchers (usually of the non-bureaucratic variety) and in my experience are game for a laugh. Regardless of what it gets officially named, this ship will almost certainly be unofficially referred to as Boaty McBoatface by its crew. (And as another commenter who is familiar with the project internals pointed out - they already do call it McBoatface)
- noobie 11y ago>this ship will almost certainly be unofficially referred to as Boaty McBoatface by its crew. Except for the captain.
- baddox 11y agoI don't see much fun in that. The funny thing about getting the ship named Boaty McBoatface is that it would be painted on the ship and would be named as such in official documentation. The ability to casually refer to the ship by that name does exist, obviously, but how often do people refer to specific government ships by name anyway?
- radiorental 11y agoOn the contrary, think of the why/who behind nicknames.
- vidarh 11y agoOne has to wonder if someone will decide to apply an unauthorised paint job at some point..
- DonHopkins 11y agoI hope somebody paints a big face on it.
- Natanael_L 11y agoA banner would be safer
- oldmanjay 11y agoThe problem with this "joke" is that it's a mildly amusing story at best. Having it painted on the boat is just prolonging something that never really made it to the amusement level of a joke with legs. I hope the officials hold firm. Long after the easily entertained public has moved on, they can do their job without being reminded of how poor the sense of humor in the general populace actually is.
- lmm 11y ago> I hope the officials hold firm. Long after the easily entertained public has moved on, they can do their job without being reminded of how poor the sense of humor in the general populace actually is. How is the a bland, inane government-issue name it will no doubt end up with going to be any better?
- uptown 11y agoYour reply is about Boaty McBoatface, am I correct?
- Coincoin 11y agoEven better, call the boat Sir Boaty McBoatface. Everyone takes a Sir seriously.
- mikecb 11y agoDame
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- vidarh 11y agoAlso, consistently refer to the person overriding the competition result as Sour McSourpuss.
- chollida1 11y ago> The solution is simple. Continue calling the boat Boaty McBoatface. Ignore all references to the government's preferred name. This is good advice. In Toronto we have a baseball stadium called the Rogers Center (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Centre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Centre). It was originally called the SkyDome but it was bought by a company called Rogers and renamed. Everyone still refers to it as the Skydome. Corporate branding be damned:)
- theseatoms 11y agoLikewise in Chicago, the Sears Tower is now technically the Willis Tower.
- _asummers 11y agoIt got bought again, though I don't know if the newest buyers plan on changing the name again.
- gryphonshafer 11y agoThis happens with airports a lot. Some really wonderful and generous old pilot or aviation engineer dies, so the field gets renamed in honor of the person. But aviators still refer to the field by it's traditional name. It's not a slight against the honored dead; rather, it's just out of habit and the fact that it's tremendously easier to remember "$CITY_NAME Airport" than it is "$GUY_WHO_DIED Field".
- jshelly 11y agoThe marketing opportunities alone are insane. I am amazed that they are turning down the name. This ship had the opportunity to be as well known as the Titanic (but for better reasons)
- __david__ 11y agoAgreed. Especially if they do something funny with the paint, like a giant happy face on the front or something. Maybe some cartoon arms on the side. Suddenly it goes from a soon-to-be-forgotten research vessel into an iconic mascot. I'd buy a Boaty McBoatface toy and I'm not even British.
- moron4hire 11y agoCould totally make a browser extension to automatically convert the text on a page, like the "On the cloud => in my butt" one.
- talmand 11y agoThat wouldn't make it the name, that would make it the nickname.
- imgabe 11y agoOutside of the people who actually work on the ship, how many members of the public are ever going to have any reason to call this ship anything at all after the poll is over? I mean, it's cute to give the public an opportunity to name something, but half the people who voted in the poll have probably forgotten the ship even exists by now.
- gumby 11y agoYes! It's "name" is probably some registration number anyway. And regardless I doubt anyone will call it "Boaty McBoatface". It'll be abbreviated into something anyway. BMBM or Boaty or something. And it will demonstrate that resistance is futile!