• Steeve@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      Or maybe it’s just a big ol waste of time and money to fully rename a town.

      • Beetschnapps@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        It’s an effort that pays dividends far into the future. Like changing military bases named after confederates. Regardless of the effort, future generations benefit from present wisdom.

        • Steeve@lemmy.ca
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          11 months ago

          “White Settlement” is apparently the name that the Native Americans gave it in the 1800s and it stuck. Literally nothing like naming military bases after Confederates.

          • clothes@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            I get that this makes it a little bit different, but practically I’m not sure it matters. People don’t care about name origins, and our relationships with names have changed since 1800. Whether or not “White Settlement” is offensive is a different question that I’m unsure about.

            • Steeve@lemmy.ca
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              11 months ago

              No, it makes it a lot different. Evidently people do care about name origins, because they chose not to change the name.

              • clothes@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                Some may have! But I’d need to do research on this particular vote to make that sort of claim confidently. I suspect it was complicated, because things like this are complicated! Just like names ;)