Cave Men - A New Protected Class

Geico was ahead of the curve with the cave man ads:

Attention Fred Flintstone and the Geico cave guys: "Stone Age" is no longer acceptable, joining the list of other words and terms deemed offensive in polite society. "Primitive" also is considered, well, primitive by some.

"All anthropologists would agree that the negative use of the terms 'primitive' and 'Stone Age' to describe tribal peoples has serious implications for their welfare," the British-based Association of Social Anthropologists said Tuesday. "Governments and other social groups have long used these ideas as a pretext of depriving such peoples of land and their resources."

The edict is the result of a kerfuffle that began last March when Jenny Tonge, a Liberal Democrat member of Parliament, described two Botswana tribes as "trying to stay in the Stone Age" and "primitive" during a spirited debate. Though she later said she was misunderstood, Mrs. Tonge was criticized in the British press as "primitive" herself.

In a letter to the Guardian newspapers, tribal representatives stated: "She says it is not an insult. But if you call someone stone age or primitive, it sounds like you think they are inferior to you."

Survival International, a London-based activist group that supports tribal rights, quickly started a campaign to "challenge racist descriptions" in the press. The group has asked the public to monitor news organizations for violations. The New York Times, the Canadian Broadcasting Co. and the Times of London are among those cited for using "Stone Age" in their coverage.

"Journalists and editors need to understand that the use of these terms directly contributes to the suffering of tribal and indigenous peoples all around the world," spokesman Steven Corry said yesterday.

The aggrieved parties would be the same tribal and indigenous peoples who do not read newspapers or watch TV, and therefore have no idea they've been insulted. Even a cave man could understand that (but not Survival International).