Town Rethinking 'Land of Rape and Honey' Slogan

Scroll down to questions 6 and 7 on the town of Tisdale's survey, and you'll realize this isn't just any ho-hum community-rebranding effort. After asking for the participant's basic stats (age, gender, etc.) and general thoughts on one's impression of the rural Saskatchewan town, the queries focus on which slogan is the most preferable one for Tisdale. Among the choices: "Hub of the Northeast," "A Place to Bee," "Land of Rape and Honey," "A Place to"—wait, what? Per UPI, the Canadian town's Economic Development Office is reconsidering its long-held slogan (the rape one) for pretty obvious reasons.

The word "rape," however, actually refers to a one-time town staple, the rapeseed, which is used in animal feed and biodiesel fuels, the news agency notes. Still, the tagline has upset some people because of the word's association with sexual assault, the CBC reports. Although there are "passionate people who believe it should be changed and passionate people who believe it shouldn't be changed," Tisdale's economic development director tells the CBC, the town decided to rethink the slogan because (a) production of organic rapeseed (and honey, for that matter) has declined substantially in the region in recent years, and (b) visitors like this guy keep shining an unwanted spotlight on the word's other meaning. (This well-known slogan has very strange origins.)