Offended by “The Lou”

I’m Gabe Hartwig, the Page One designer Steve mentions above.

It’s true — “The Lou” is not a formal name for St. Louis, nor is it appropriate for most headlines. But certain areas of the newspaper call for a different writing tone. The Page One skytease is one of those places.

When I’m writing a promotional tease to a section like Get Out, which often pertains to entertainment, parties, celebrations and the like, I tend to write in the same voice I’d use if I were telling a friend to read the story. It’s simply a more conversational tone and fits the topic more appropriately. The readers we’re targeting with such teases can connect more immediately if we’re speaking their language.

When I see or hear “The Lou,” the last thing I think of is a toilet. (It’s spelled differently, for one.) I’m young and (somewhat) hip, and people my age don’t think twice about calling St. Louis by that nickname.

We get to vote? Hooray! I have hated this nickname ever since the first time I read it in the Post-Dispatch. It means the bathroom. Why would we want to nickname ourselves “the bathroom”!

I personally like “The STL” to ” The Lou” . However people need to get a life if the only reason for cancelling a their paper is a nickname regularlly used by the younger obviously hipper crowd.

I think that the nickname ” The Lou ” is cool and easy to say. Lighten up a little and let the energetic fun loving minds have an endearing name for their work place and playground.

I’m all for calling St. Louis “The Lou” or “STL” or whatever you want. Also, no problem with bare bellies in the paper — skinny, fat or pregnant, male or female.

But I’m not sure why it’s important to note that “two women readers” called (especially when it’s repeated later that the callers were female) — or why they’re “women readers,” not “female readers.” I wouldn’t say two “man readers” called.

I too quit reading Peterson long ago when she started using the “Lou” word. It’s just tacky. Spend your time off finding a better word if you must. Though I’m just fine with St. Louis. Not everything needs a nickname.

monday is a normal work day for most americans,cinco de mayo is not a recognized holiday, besides st.louisans don’t need an excuse to party, we are a pretty happy bunch. all this businees calling st.louis “THE LOU”has to go,it’s totally inappropriate.. my guess is the “CAN ” won’t fly either. i travel some and it’s unbeliveable how many can’t tell you 1) we are in missouri 2) even in the midwest. however they know about the arch and if their a baseball fan were ok.lets try some eduational or smarter slang discription of our fair city. if the powers that be really want to something productive lets start with dewitt pitt becoming maybe dewitt park !!!

Deb Peterson says she rarely uses Lou in her column anymore. “It just got played out,” she said. Fans no doubt have noted that “The STL” is now her phrase of favor.

I grew up (to about 18 years old) in the St. Louis area and about 25 years ago moved away. I have since returned a couple of years ago to find people using “The Lou” as a nickname for St. Louis. I thought it made no sense then and have yet to actually understand it. Why give it that nickname? “St. Louis” seems about as short as saying “The Lou”. In fact, counting the letters, there is only one more letter in “St. Louis” than “The Lou”, so saving space does not seem to be the reasoning. I agree that not everything needs shortened nor a nickname. I will continue to call it “St. Louis” or “home”.

I would just like to point out that there are pleny of terms related to the bathroom with homonymic counterparts. For example, the game “Craps” shouldn’t be offensive, just because the word “craps” (even spelled the same, unlike “Lou” and “loo”) can have potentially offensive meanings.

It must have been in elementary school when we were introduced to the concept of homonyms (noun: each of two or more words having the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and origins). And unless there is some evidence to suggest that the term “the Lou” originated BECAUSE it sounded like the British term for the toilet, and not just as an abbreviation of “Louis,” I see no logical reason for its offense. Unless you really just don’t grasp the concept, in which case you are encouraging other people to think of you as being very ignorant.

I’m a St. Louis “native” and I didn’t like it when Deb Peterson started using it in the first place (and emailed a comment then). It just sounded like someone who was not from here trying to sound cool. I don’t like it any more now than I did then.

I, too quit reading Deb Peterson when she started using that name; still don’t read her column. Didn’t like it then, don’t like any better now. Can’t say that I’ll ever like it.

When “the Peter” launched her own new nickname for this town (aka “the crapper”, er, “the lou” ) the first impression that came to mind for me was that some folks just have a need to create nicknames. What’s in a nickname? Is it a stab at being humorous? Or perhaps to become more personal and endearing? Sometimes insult is the intent, or at least leaves that unintended result.

The measure becomes the reaction, doesn’t it? If I like it keep it up! Call someone by a nickname they don’t like, and the likely reaction is negative. Nicknames are sort of like sarcasm. Some find humor, others find offense. What’s YOUR intent? Or more importantly how do people read it?

So, what’s the verdict on “the lou” (or does the post mean “the loo”?) ?
Humorous- to some readers
Offensive- to some readers
Endearing- to some readers
Insulting- to some readers

And how about the originating name caller? As long as the topic here is nicknames, perhaps readers would like a run at her nickname too?
Readers, what’s your vote on “the peter”?
Humorous
Offensive
Endearing
Insulting

BK

Perpetrators of “The Lou” defend the nickname by invoking Nelly. Well God bless Nelly, but as we all know, there’s nothing quite as enduring as Hip-Hop slang. So carry on “The Lou” people. I think it’s really groovy, man Hep.

I note that some of your responses were from apparently younger people who seem to think that saying “The Lou” makes them hip.

What it does is accentuate the fact that they are hopelessly juvenile.

I wonder if they have a tree house and a secret club with a password?

Succinctly, “the lou” is tacky! St. Louis has more class than that.

I’m glad this discussion came up, I consider myself young and hip but count me in with those hating the use of “the lou.” I am not offended by it because it refers to a toilet, but because St Louis has some awsome history and I think it’s disrespectful is that sense. I lived in San Francisco for many years and people there did not like the use of Frisco. I never heard residents using it. I emailed Deb Peterson shortly after she started using it.

Deb Peterson’s use of “Lou” is the reason I have quit reading her column. She is not very “hip” if she doesn”t know British slang.

I have lived in St. Louis since I was born 58 years ago. No one from here refers to St. Louis as “St. Louie” and the use of the “the Lou” is an obvious an attempt to incorporate another nickname that no one from here never uses (or has ever heard of except in Deb Peterson’s column). I enjoy Deb Peterson’s column but I have no idea why she is insistant in using the term “the Lou” in her columns. It does upset me every time I see it. Why doesn’t she just quit using it and just stick to the facts - or the gossip as it perhaps more aptly applies,

Ever since I first saw “The Lou” in the lady with the AmerenUE hairstyle’s column, it has been like fingernails on a blackboard to me. Folks around the water cooler feel the same. Let’s face it, St. Louis is not a hip town, but leans toward the conservative side.

St. Louis has had a perfectly good nickname for years: “Saint Louie”. If that’s too many syllables for some people to spit out, I wish they’d use “St. Lou”, rather than “The Lou”. It just sounds more dignified.

Fingernails on a blackboard are preferable to “the Lou”….disgusting

I also have stopped reading Peterson, and will never read her column again. I find the use of the term “The Lou” to be an absolutely disgusting way to describe the city I love. And the day you used it as a headline, the entire paper went straight into the trash. If that means I’m not hip - so be it.

Whatever PR flack thought the nickname for St Louis should be “the Lou” probably is related to the one that thought calling San Francisco “Frisco” was also a good idea. (By-the-way, only out of towners call San Francisco by that particular nickname. The natives either call it San Francisco or “The City”).

I guess those who want to call St Louis “the Lou” are also those who put 911 on their speed dial as *11, it is just too much work to utter the extra syllable.

A fellow editor sent me this link, with “You want the Loo? You can’t handle the Loo!” as the subject header.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/10/16/eosk.toilet/index.html

Oh, please. Are they also offended by Lou Brock and Lou Grant and Lou Fusz? I think some people just sit around waiting for something they can get upset about. Let me guess: both of these callers were retired. Leave “the Lou” alone.

And yes, I routinely use “the Lou” as a nickname for St. Louis, as do my friends.

These people love the Lou — err, loo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOXlF1t1ZyI

I’ll admit, I’m a 27 year old transplant (I went to HS in southern IL) but I think calling the city The Lou is just fine, though I like The STL a bit better. It seems like people who have lived here all their lives and are a bit older than me seem to be the people with the problem with the name. Cool cities have nick names. St. Louis (or The Lou or The STL or That Town Across the River From Belleville) is a cool city.
By the way, I wonder how the St. Charlesian’s feel about people calling their city The Chuck.

“Wikipedia says the origin of that is unknown.” Next time look in a dictionary! That’s what it’s for! LAZINESS.

Incidentally, the dictionary also cites the origin as unknown.

“A rose my any other name….” With all the problems in the world, THIS is what people choose to call and complain about? Get a life.

“A rose BY any other name…” yea, yea I know I spelled it wrong. My coffee hasn’t kicked in yet