For many, hurricane names are the most tangible manifestation of the sexist thinking that exists in the world. Because over the years, hurricane names have always been chosen from female names. Even though this situation has changed today, the reason why women's names are associated with hurricane names is a bit of a coincidence.
We all remember Hurricane Katrina that devastated the United States. Hurricanes Irene, Sandy, Isabel and many more are natural events that have had a huge impact around the world. So why aren't these hurricane names male names like John or Michael? In fact, hurricane names have been mixed with male and female names for a while, but for a long time, hurricanes were always referred to by female names.
For many, the use of female names as hurricane names was the epitome of sexist thinking in the world. Although it has not been a valid situation for a while, it has been on our minds that hurricanes, a terrible disaster that everyone fears, are named after women. Let's take a closer look at why hurricane names were chosen from female names, how it changed, what is the situation today.
It all started with meteorologists in love
Many people see the naming of women for a devastating natural disaster like a hurricane as sexist and insulting to women. However, this is not the case. The tradition of officially naming hurricanes began in 1953. Before this year, hurricanes were not named, making the work of the World Meteorological Organization difficult.
Meteorologists, who detected hurricanes named according to the region they originated from, named these disasters among themselves, just like an explorer who found a new space object. While choosing this name, they used the names of their beloved ones, who were the most precious. Considering that almost all of the meteorologists working in the early 1900s were male, it would not be difficult to guess that the names of hurricanes are also female names.
When we look at the root of the question of why hurricane names are chosen from female names, we actually see loving lovers instead of a sexist attitude. However, this situation changes in 1953, when hurricanes are officially named, and we come across some really disturbing thoughts.
'Hurricanes, like women, are unpredictable'
Excuse the title, this is the opinion of US officials, not ours. The United States of America, which is a region where hurricanes are experienced intensely in the world, has also affected the world in terms of hurricane names as it is a country that is influential in the world. Hurricanes were officially named for the first time in the United States in 1953.
When hurricane names were officially given, female names were preferred as a tradition for years. However, this took away the original love story of the event. US officials say, "Hurricanes are like women; unpredictable, difficult to discover, unknown when and how much damage it will cause.'
It is not known whether this thought is unique to the USA or whether the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) thought so, but for many years all over the world officially female names were given to hurricanes. Until women's rights activist Roxcy Bolton showed up and convinced the authorities to back off on the issue.
What can a young woman change?
Mississippi feminist and women's rights activist Roxcy Bolton, one of the founders of Florida Women's Organization, has made it her duty to defend the rights of women in the USA throughout her life, starting from the 1950s. In addition to his many effective works, the reason why he is the guest of this article is that it removes the sexist attitude applied in hurricane names.
Roxcy Bolton, who started to campaign with the official giving of female names to hurricanes in 1953, did not let go of this business for many years. His efforts were only able to bear fruit at the end of the 1970s. As a result of Bolton's campaigns, in 1979, the USA stopped giving only female names to hurricanes.
We don't know, maybe different women in different parts of the world may have protested such a sexist attitude and seeing women as a disaster. But when Roxcy Bolton died in May 2017, she was even mentioned in her obituary as the woman who changed the names of the hurricanes. The best answer to those who think about what a young woman can change.
How are hurricanes named today?,
Although things started to change thanks to Roxcy Bolton, the change did not come in a day. For many years, there were those who said that male names did not reflect the fear of hurricanes. In fact, in a Washington Post article published in 1986, it was harshly argued that male names do not reflect the necessary romance and urgency.
For some time, hurricanes have been called by both male and female names. Except for the initials q, u, x, y, and z, 21 special male and female names are chosen every 6 years, and hurricanes are referred to by this name, respectively. If there are more than 21 hurricanes that year, the Greek alphabet comes into play.
Click here the 6-year hurricane names plans determined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that is, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via the link here. The names of all the hurricanes that are expected to occur in different regions until 2026 are known as of today. Hopefully they won't have to use it.
We talked about the reasons why women's names, which are seen as the most concrete form of sexist thought, are used as hurricane names, and we talked about how things work today. Sometimes, even if the traditions appear for innocent reasons, there is no harm in updating them according to the conditions of the day.
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