I don't think this is necessary. This isn't the first Ebola outbreak; they've been identified since the 1970s. No one is being persecuted or stereotyped by this item. How would suspending an item work anyway? And when would you 'unsuspend' it? If you suspend it, there's really never going to be a good time to bring it back into circulation because, though an ebola outbreak might die down, ebola will always be around.

This is not necessary at all

Not everything revolves around what happens in the United States, ty

Ebola was a menace for decades

It's not targeting anyone. Why should it be removed? If it's about what's been in the news recently, then that's not really a reason to eliminate the item all together. I can understand why it does bother some at the moment and if staff sees it necessary they can change the name or something like said.

This is in bad taste, I've always thought so considering how many people have lost their lives to the ebola virus. :c ...Not even counting recent news.

Sorry, but I think it's going a little overboard and see no reason it needs to be removed. I'm really hoping that changing the name of 'gypsy' items isn't going to lead to people asking for anything and everything else to be changed. That was a legit request, I don't think this is.

What.

Viruses are a part of nature, even particularly dangerous or terrible ones. Its a humorous play on words and I'm not in the least bit upset by it.

slipping down the slippery slope

I really don't see the point to this. I like the item and its name appeals phonetically.

This! :P Let's see. we can start with all the fetus items, then move on to demented plushies, and most of the stuff in the Lost Skeleton, because tons of people have colon problems, etc., etc., etc.

I agree some items are done and named in very poor taste. I bloody HATE the fetus, but I get the allusion to the dancing baby that haunted the net to hysteria...not that I like that either :D And if it was to change anything, probably 70% of the items will be changed, all the "crazy" or "demented", for instance, which I found insulting and more racist then "gypsy", recently changed...This is more of a debate subject :D

Hey, I know! Let's call it Subola!

^This adorable little guy most probably is supposed to be an influenza virion. Influenza kills up to 500,000 people worldwide every year and still I haven't seen a single voice against this cute item.

Look out, Maleria. You'll be next.

(Different spellings, I know, but it's so damn close I'm surprised she hasn't been bought up already.)

I have a feeling if subeta had to amend offensive items, a good chunk of my gallery would be gone. Can we just not do that please? xD

There are many sad things in this world. If we can't deal with pixel items, what does that say about us?

This is not the first Ebola outbreak though... this is definitely the largest and most deadly, but I remember at least a few that caused a few hundred or more deaths at a time. It's always been a devastating disease. It's awful that it's happening again, but that doesn't mean that we need to remove the item from site because it's currently 'relevant.'

Diseases exist. Now if the item description was offensive somehow, I could maybe see why someone would want to ban the item, but it's very neutral imo. And as others have said, this is not the first outbreak: putting the item on hold now might send a message that the previous deaths were not as tragic as the ones caused by this one.

That is exactly what I thought last night after seeing this thread and I was laying in bed.

It just makes no sense to "suspend" an item like this. But I also wish people would stop saying "omg it's not an issue until it happens to america is it" Um it's been a pretty big issue in Africa lately. And like everyone else keeps saying, ebola has been around for many years. So why do people keep running here under the assumption that it's not been recognized as a real issue until now that it's in the united states...

Nonetheless I don't think anything needs to be done with the item. It's a cartoon ebola. So?

Well.. we users are meant to want to get rid of our hoards.... ;)

My entire point is that it has been an issue for Africa for DECADES and yet, people are only whining about it because one person died in the USA. This is Americanocentrism to the maximum, like one death happening in America is more important than millions of deaths happening elsewhere.

Notice that despite Ebola being a major issue for months, the issue was only raised when something happened outside of Africa? Not at the start of the mediatisation of the epidemic.

Yeah, to me, it's a major sign of "Outside of North America, I don't care what happens"