The Old Racist Cat

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Additionally, using offensive or derogatory names can be harmful to your cat’s well-being and even your own reputation. Necessarily, Lovecraft Country’s approach to Lovecraft’s legacy is simultaneously one of shrewd affection and resigned repugnance. For the problem with Lovecraft is that Lovecraft is everywhere. His influence is so ubiquitous within horror and fantasy that you simply can’t ignore it — nor is it always easy or simple to subvert it. Choosing an inappropriate cat name could lead to awkward situations with friends, family, and even your vet. However, The Aristocats could work as an update, musically and in terms of one particular scene which has become infamous for its insensitive portrayal of cultural stereotypes. Maybe it’s because of Garfield the cat, or maybe it’s because people just seem to know more orange cats (whether they’re straight-up orange or orange tabby) and associate them with good experiences, but lots of people think ginger kitties make the ideal family pet.

Think of this as a kind of “what not to name your cat” guide, and instead choose from one of the million other appropriate names! Wrap-UpCats prefer familiar people and surroundings: this show that trust play a very big role in how they develop their bonds and relationship, which takes time to build. Once a cat feels comfortable and secure with a person, it will likely be affectionate and sociable with that person.

The viral spread of the Tumblr post prompted further references to H.P Lovecraft's Cat in memes online. For example, on November 14th, 2018, iFunny [6] user AlekFletcher posted a Machine Gun Skeleton meme that invited users to Google the name of the cat. On December 8th, 2018, iFunny [7] user Wimpy-Kid posted a screenshot of a Google knowledge panel containing information about the cat, with the post gaining over 600 smiles in two years. A well-chosen name will not only be a source of pride for you, but will also bring joy and companionship to your furry friend for years to come. It was so on-trend, in fact, that white people would also use racial slurs to name plants, mountains, celestial objects, and even sports teams. To his neighbors and contemporaries, a cat with this name wouldn’t have been unusual at all. In fact, it would have probably been considered rather uncreative. HP Lovecraft’s Views on Race

At this point, I feel that the amount of feline Molly’s far exceeds the number of humans that hold the name. Lovecraft grew to become hugely involved in this community both as a writer and as an opinionated reader. One of the most popular pulps of the day was the popular Weird Tales, which ran from the ’20s to the ’50s and published hugely important genre authors like Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, and many more. It also published many of Lovecraft’s own works — nearly all short stories — and helped him gain a following. The sprawling vast horror subgenre that Lovecraft codified and popularized ultimately became known as “Weird” fiction (the W is capitalized to indicate that it’s a genre) partly because of the pulp’s influence. Still, there’s an extent to which all of this discussion has been taking place within Lovecraft’s niche community of genre writers — still well below the mainstream radar, away from the broader influence of his work. (As late as 2014, it was possible to read Lovecraft explainers in media outlets that made no mention of his racism.) That might finally be changing with HBO’s Lovecraft Country now spotlighting the conversation around the author’s racist legacy — but it also inevitably yields frustration because Lovecraftian imagery and themes are so embedded within the pop culture landscape. As a writer, Lovecraft was extremely generous. He frequently mentored and encouraged other writers, and fostered among his devoted cult of acolytes a “share and share alike” mentality that turned his stories into a kind of giant sandbox where everyone was invited to play. He freely gave every writer around him permission to write fanfiction of his works, be they remixes of his stories or new stories with crossover elements. Countless other horror writers throughout the 20th and 21st centuries have set their own stories within the fictional universe Lovecraft created, often referred to as the Cthulhu Mythos or simply “the Mythos.” While my tabby boy, Thomas, is a lover and not a fighter, I’ve seen some pretty vicious barn cats and terrified-to-the-point-of-trembling shelter cats with stripy or blotchy fur.