The parent wasn't simply talking about making it a "cash machine", they're talking about using it as a PR vehicle for science.
And you don't have to be a child to appreciate the name, just not quite as allergic to whimsy as you seem to be.
And you don't have to be a child to appreciate the name, just not quite as allergic to whimsy as you seem to be.
British public life is nothing but whimsy. Consider that "wheelie bin" is the actual normal name of a thing, not a cutesy nickname.
A little non-whimsy is frankly refreshing.
There are words in all dialects that sound whimsical to outsiders, but internally they're so normalised that no one considers them whimsical at all.
He was talking about free merchandise, books, characters then?
> You could have Boaty McBoatface sale up to the ice caps to look at why they are melting.
An example of how it could be used to deliver important messages.
And merchandise can be part of the message anyway.
(I should however note that I just edited my comment to include the word "simply".)
And exactly what problem does attaching the name to a real boat cause? I think the objection to the name is far more childish than the name itself. "Oh no no no, we can't call it that. This is a serious boat, for serious grown ups."
No one forced them in to the situation.
FWIW I don't find the name stupid, one person's humour is another's stupidity I guess.
Hopefully it's a lesson for them not to ask The Internet its opinion again.
So what's your presumably non-childish objection to other things being given "whimsical" names?
I don't object to that either?
Do you or do you not believe everything should have a whimsical name?
To save time: If your answer to this is "No, I do not believe everything should have a whimsical name", then what is your non-childish objection to whimsical names in some cases?
(Except in the sense that variety is preferable, but I don't think that's what you're getting at.)
If not, you'd be an excellent committee member. You'd be a total hit at committees.