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When it comes to naming a dog, some pet owners go with classics like "Spot" or "Fido," while others might go with more human-sounding names like "Steve" or "Mimi," but the name one dog owner chose for their pooch has caused a strange confrontation.
The pet parent wrote about it all on Reddit, explaining that their family is not American, but their sister's boyfriend is, and he was "pretty surprised" to find out that they named their dog Yankee, something he deemed offensive. He was so put off that he demanded they rename the pup.
After initially telling him to grow up, the sister's boyfriend pushed back to explain "why the name Yankee was so awful," saying, "It was essentially a slur used against Americans." The dog owner told him he was crazy, but asked readers on Reddit for their thoughts.
Not surprisingly, everyone was on the side of the dog owner, writing things like, "Yea. It's definitely a slur. That's why we have the entire New York Yankees baseball team. And Yankee Candle. And Yankee Doodle." Another commented, "Where the heck is he from? Boston? Making it a sports thing? It is not a 'slur.' The Yankees won the war!" One other stated, "Your sister has managed to find the only American who thinks the term is offensive in any way."
As for the history of the word, according to National Geographic, the origin of Yankee is unknown. They reported, "Some say a British general named James Wolfe used it first in 1758 when he was commanding some New England soldiers. Others say the word comes from the Cherokee word 'eankke,' which means coward." During the Civil War, Southerners used it to describe those loyal to the Union. Later, in World War I, it was used abroad to describe any American.