I took a long walk today through Linlithgow and beyond. On the way back I sat in a little green space with flowers. A guy named Tom was cleaning it up. He sat and talked to me for a while.
One of the things he talked to me about was the Black Bitch. It’s a bar Tom likes to go to on Friday for karaoke. The name has a story to go with it. There was a guy way back in in the 1600s who was put on an island in Linlithgow loch and left there to starve for a crime he committed. . He had a black greyhound dog who swam out to take him food every day. When the town found out about it they chained the dog to a pole and later a pub was opened there in honor of the bravery and loyalty of the dog.The townspeople admired the dog and started referring to themselves as black bitches. It’s on the coat of arms of the town. There is a newspaper called the black bitch.
Zoom to 2020- Minneapolis Minnesota - George floyd is killed by police. The news goes around the world and there are protests everywhere including Scotland. Now there is objection to the phrase black bitch. Some people think it is offensive and should be changed. It is being studied by the Scottish historical trust (apparently they make these kind of decisions).
Tom doesn’t think it should change. What do you think?
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