Pub Name Change in Abingdon Prompts Counter-Petition

A petition to reverse proposed changes to a pub’s name, which had been deemed “offensive,” has gathered thousands of signatures. Last week, Greene King, the pub’s owners, announced their intention to rename The Midget in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, following an initial petition signed by over 1,300 individuals. Since this announcement, a counter-petition advocating for the retention of the pub’s original name has attracted 2,600 supporters. The establishment was named after the MG Midget car, which was manufactured at a local factory in the town until the 1970s. However, the term “midget” is more widely recognized as a pejorative descriptor for individuals with dwarfism. Greene King stated that the pub’s new designation would be The Roaring Raindrop, chosen to honor the final record-setting MG car produced in Abingdon. Upon its opening in 1974, the pub was initially known as The Magic Midget, referencing a former MG land speed world record car, but the word “Magic” was removed from its name in 2002. Dr. Erin Pritchard, the initiator of the initial petition, informed the BBC: “That name is very offensive because it is screamed at you in society, it is shouted at you whilst people giggle at you with their friends going ‘ha look over there, there’s a real life midget’.” Conversely, Abingdon resident Amanda Buckingham commented that the pub’s name is “only offensive if it is used as an offensive term about a person.” She further explained: “People don’t go into the pub and think that it’s about a person – there’s a sign with a picture of the car outside, the decor of the pub is all about cars.” Buckingham added: “Changing the name is not going to stop people from calling it The Midget, and it’s not going to stop people using the term in a derogatory way.” Dr. Pritchard countered by stating that pub names “change all the time,” yet these establishments “still remain a piece of local heritage.” She elaborated: “The people in Abingdon might say ‘oh it’s because of the MG car’, but it’s still putting that word out in society.” She concluded: “Where do you think the name for the car came from? The word midget was derived from the Victorian freak shows to refer to people with dwarfism.” Zoe Bowley, the managing director of Greene King pubs, had previously indicated that the company had deliberated “long and hard” regarding the name alteration. She further stated: “We hope that making the change in this way helps to preserve our pub’s historic links to Abingdon’s past while simultaneously ensuring our pub can be a place where everyone feels welcome.” For further updates, BBC Oxfordshire can be followed on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or Instagram. This content is copyrighted 2024 by the BBC, with all rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites and provides information on its external linking policy.