BBC to drop BC, AD; it's BCE, CE now

wfgodot

Former Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2009
Messages
30,166
Reaction score
718
Conservatives in a tizzy as....

BBC turns its back on year of Our Lord: 2,000 years of Christianity jettisoned for politically correct 'Common Era' (Daily Mail)
The BBC has been accused of 'absurd political correctness' after dropping the terms BC and AD in case they offend non-Christians.

The Corporation has replaced the familiar Anno Domini (the year of Our Lord) and Before Christ with the obscure terms Common Era and Before Common Era.
---
"You say yes, I say no"
Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester, said: 'I think this amounts to the dumbing down of the Christian basis of our culture, language and history. These changes are unnecessary and they don't achieve what the BBC wants them to achieve.

'Whether you use Common Era or Anno Domini, the date is actually still the same and the reference point is still the birth of Christ.'
---
But Rabbi Jonathan Romain, from Maidenhead Synagogue, said he could see the logic behind the change.

He said: ' “In the year of Our Lord” is a religious view that is not shared by many across the world, or even the UK. The change to BCE and CE is simply more inclusive.'
---
more, including short discourse on Gregorian Calendar, at link above

Dark Knight tackled the issue in an earlier (2005) WS thread:

BCE/CE replaces BC/AD in schools, now
 
It began to get on my nerves when "God" became de-capitalized and the "Holy" was dropped from "Holy Bible" (and now "bible" itself is left lower case). A Judeo-Christian heritage is a thing to be culturally celebrated, not to be treated as an embarrassment.
 
Oh, good grief! So the BBC finally crawls into the 21st century!

If Christians really cared so much about our dating things from the birth of Jesus (if in fact he ever existed and was actually born), then why didn't they work to change the calendar years ago when scholars realized Jesus could not possibly have been born in Year 1? Why do they insist on celebrating Jesus' birthday in December, when that too has been clearly dismissed by scholars?

No one's abandoning the Judeo-Christian heritage. But while we're on the subject, let me point out that the "Judeo" half of that tradition uses a different calendar entirely. How about a little respect for that?

The BBC is merely acknowledging that most of the world is not Christian. While most people now use the Western calendar, they do not do so to honor the (erroneous) birthdate of a Nazarene carpenter.
 
It's as idiotic as it was 6 years ago. I am not surprised that a European media group is the first to make the change, however. Nor am I surprised Nova is taking the same stance as 6 years ago, lol. Just one step closer to the end of days.
 
It's as idiotic as it was 6 years ago. I am not surprised that a European media group is the first to make the change, however. Nor am I surprised Nova is taking the same stance as 6 years ago, lol. Just one step closer to the end of days.

Why should I change my stance? What is different now?

But speaking of the End of Days, what would Jesus say about condescension toward those with differing beliefs?
 
I have been using BCE/CE for about 20 years. It is standard in the sciences.
 
I have been using BCE/CE for about 20 years. It is standard in the sciences.

Ditto. And I was in the arts and humanities. The BCE/CE terminology has been standard in academia since the very early 90s.

Nothing new has happened except that the BBC is very slow to adapt to the times (CE, that is).
 
I'm an atheist, and even I think changing common terms because of their obscure religious roots is contrived and ridiculous. "BC" and "AD" are no longer religious terms, they're time designators and don't really measure the exact years from any event. I hate attempts to artificially tinker with the natural tide of language change.

Maybe the BBC should also start using different names for the days of the week, too, since they're named after gods. Should we change "bead" to "smallish decorative thingy, since "bead" originally meant prayer in English?
How about if the Chairman of the BBC Trust changes his first name from Christopher to Commonpher?
 
Ditto. And I was in the arts and humanities. The BCE/CE terminology has been standard in academia since the very early 90s.

Nothing new has happened except that the BBC is very slow to adapt to the times (CE, that is).

The BBC is not an academic institution. Its language should reflect the language of the people of the UK because its primary concern should be clarity. As an academic myself (diachronic linguistics) I'm well aware of the degree to which politics drives terminology in higher education. A term being used commonly in academia since the early '90s which is different from the one used in the larger language community usually indicates either politics or obfuscation. (CE and BCE, though, have been used infrequently for hundreds of years -- but by a very tiny bit of the English-speaking population.)
 
You are correct that the BBC is not an academic institution, but it is one of the rare media outlets that handles the news in a serious and respectable manner. People all over the world tune in to them for information and so it makes sense that they wish to use terminology that recognizes their global audience.
 
Ordinarily I'm on the other side in these matters and yes, my discipline too uses BCE/CE most of the time now; but this - this feels like the urban renewal programs pushed in America in the '60s, out with the old, in with the better. Except the better, wasn't. And the old was torn down and carted to landfills and could not be restored. And ways of being disappeared and the mysterious, ambrosial darkness on the edge of my town was lit by box stores and smelt of the tarring of rooves.
 
I don't see an analogy here. Unless the terminology stand for Before the Capitalist Empire (BCE) and Capitalist Empire (CE)
 
My country is losing its identity and news like this erodes it further. Once we had imperial measures-now gone along with many other British things.
Along with our Grammar schools we lost a generation of working class children who knew latin
Maybe it's because I am getting old but I resent it. In most areas of life I am very liberal
 
I think this is a storm in a teacup. Must have been a slow news day for the Daily Mail.
 
You are correct that the BBC is not an academic institution, but it is one of the rare media outlets that handles the news in a serious and respectable manner. People all over the world tune in to them for information and so it makes sense that they wish to use terminology that recognizes their global audience.

Their global audience either speaks English, in which case their most-used terms for dates are AD and BC, or speaks another language, in which case they use different letters altogether.

Here's what I can envision happening:

"Attila the Hun began his reign some time after 435."


"Would that be in CE or in BCE?"

"I beg your pardon. BNCE or NBCE?"

"In BBC-ese, BC must be BCE and AD must be CE."


"Did you say, 'NBBCE's BC must BBCE and a D must BCE?'"

"Gee! . . . 'Kay, BC and AD are BCE and CE, see?"


"GKBC and ADRBCE and CEC??? I'm really lost here."


"I'm talking about Before the Common Era or Common Era. Attila. 435, what?"

"That would be CE."

"So, BCE?"

"AD, dammit!"
 
Ordinarily I'm on the other side in these matters and yes, my discipline too uses BCE/CE most of the time now; but this - this feels like the urban renewal programs pushed in America in the '60s, out with the old, in with the better. Except the better, wasn't. And the old was torn down and carted to landfills and could not be restored. And ways of being disappeared and the mysterious, ambrosial darkness on the edge of my town was lit by box stores and smelt of the tarring of rooves.

Isn't that analogy rather over-the-top? I agree with you that much urban renewal, while well-intended, did great damage.

But using inclusive language is hardly the same thing.

No individual is prevented from using the phrase "in the year of Our Lord" either in Latin or English, but why should everyone use it when everyone doesn't believe it?
 
My country is losing its identity and news like this erodes it further. Once we had imperial measures-now gone along with many other British things.
Along with our Grammar schools we lost a generation of working class children who knew latin
Maybe it's because I am getting old but I resent it. In most areas of life I am very liberal

Why is it only English-speaking peoples who can't embrace change without losing our identities? Much of the world uses the metric system without a problem.
 
Their global audience either speaks English, in which case their most-used terms for dates are AD and BC, or speaks another language, in which case they use different letters altogether.

Here's what I can envision happening:

"Attila the Hun began his reign some time after 435."


"Would that be in CE or in BCE?"

"I beg your pardon. BNCE or NBCE?"

"In BBC-ese, BC must be BCE and AD must be CE."


"Did you say, 'NBBCE's BC must BBCE and a D must BCE?'"

"Gee! . . . 'Kay, BC and AD are BCE and CE, see?"


"GKBC and ADRBCE and CEC??? I'm really lost here."


"I'm talking about Before the Common Era or Common Era. Attila. 435, what?"

"That would be CE."

"So, BCE?"

"AD, dammit!"

You're being silly and you know it. I got used to using BCE and CE in about 4 minutes.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
156
Guests online
1,032
Total visitors
1,188

Forum statistics

Threads
589,931
Messages
17,927,829
Members
228,004
Latest member
CarpSleuth
Back
Top