The sun just set in Barrow, Alaska

[burbguy82]

then...out come the Vampires

 

[HemiBenny]

By that logic, every Washington street and MLK boulevard should be renamed.

Not really. The logic has to be looked at in perspective.

The people of Alaska wanted it changed back to what the natives in the area have always called it. The Alaskan government even agreed with them and started calling it by its native name.
The tallest mountain in North America that the locals and natives have always called Denali is different than some random street in some random town or city. Denali has more cultural significance than a street.

 

[Hohn]

Not really. The logic has to be looked at in perspective.

The people of Alaska wanted it changed back to what the natives in the area have always called it. The Alaskan government even agreed with them and started calling it by its native name.
The tallest mountain in North America that the locals and natives have always called Denali is different than some random street in some random town or city. Denali has more cultural significance than a street.

Fair enough. The point though is that all such naming is arbitrary. It's one arbitrary case against another, but there's no non-arbitrary way to weight compete claims for anything that is symbolic.

It's true of all such controversies over symbols or naming things. There's no obvious "right", it's just who wins the debate.

 

[HemiBenny]

There's no obvious "right", it's just who wins the debate.

There are obvious "wrongs", though.

Executive orders to change it back to Mt. McKinley, after the Alaskan people won the argument to change it to Denali, are wrong. That removes the debate for them to win or lose. A debate that they shouldn't have to have again.
The people from Ohio who fought the name change lost the debate in 2015; who are they to determine what a mountain in Alaska gets named?
It was an E.O. for petty reasons. (The obvious "wrong" I'm talking about here.)

 

[GON]

Should Istanbul be renamed Constantinople based on historic precedence? Or is even Constantinople erroneous and the city go historically deeper and be renamed Byzantium?

It is more likely than not the names of many areas have a list of prior names.

Funny note, can a name change increase the value or perception of an area? What if Gary, Indiana name was changed to Malibu, Indiana?

Here is one waterfront/ one waterview homes listed for sale in Gary, IN. Not sure many would tour these homes. If the name was changed to Malibu, IN- I suspect more folks might tour these homes. Maybe the renaming of an area increased value/ opportunities.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7705-Lake-Shore-Dr_Gary_IN_46403_M49156-79287

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7219-Maple-Ave_Gary_IN_46403_M33855-10158

 

[HemiBenny]

Should Istanbul be renamed Constantinople based on historic precedence? Or is even Constantinople erroneous and the city go historically deeper and be renamed Byzantium?

It is more likely than not the names of many areas have a list of prior names.

That's up to the people who live there to decide.

Denali has been called Denali by the locals and natives since long before the US government existed, and it is called by that name to this day. I would think the voice of the people who live there and won their argument/debate in 2015 should be honored, not cast aside by E.O.

 

[Pew]

Should Istanbul be renamed Constantinople based on historic precedence? Or is even Constantinople erroneous and the city go historically deeper and be renamed Byzantium?

It is more likely than not the names of many areas have a list of prior names.

If the citizens of Turkey/Istanbul want to rename it back to Constantinople then that's their wish. Not somebody thousands of miles away that abuses their power to change it.

It's tradition, just like the Sears tower will never be called the Willis Tower.

 

[thastinger]

Here come the vampires

 

[Nessism1]

My father is an Alaskan native, with indian blood. We lived there for a short time when I was a kid. The government takes indian rights seriously, so changing the name from Barrow doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me is that almost 5000 people live there! That's amazing!