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-   -   Should BC consider a name change? (https://britishexpats.com/forum/maple-leaf-98/should-bc-consider-name-change-933310/)

scilly Jun 20th 2020 9:29 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by MillieF (Post 12869674)
No. It’s a good name. Everybody knows where it is. So we were nasty racist colonizers...yeah :thumbsup: Oh...and the French (oh yes...nasty racist colonizers, oh...and then we have the Dutch, Germans, Portuguese...and anybody else that thought they might have a chance to subjugate someone. It’s called history. I’m not suggesting it’s something to be proud of...but can’t we just move on? We can’t rewrite history but we don’t have to keep repeating it. Ruwanda, Kosovo and two world wars and countless other fiascos didn’t seem to teach us anything. We aren’t exactly covering ourselves in glory on migration anywhere are we...a quick glance at Turkey, Greece and Calais? Should we start apologizing immediately...or do we need to wait for a hundred years. The human race is pretty crap overall, but isn’t it better that parts of it is starting to try to be better.

Can’t we just reach towards new behaviours instead of this constant hand wringing for past sins?

I agree!

Everyone is trying to re-write the past.

We shouldn't re-write it so that it disappears. That doesn't correct anything that happened then. It happened because that was the way people thought back then.

What we need to do is acknowledge the past, acknowledge that the thinking was wrong but that good things might (and probably were) done after that time.

Then we need to ensure that the past is not repeated in the now.


As to who pays for the removal of the statues, the renaming of streets, towns, provinces .............. who do you think???

Not the people who are now demanding it.

All the people who pay city/property taxes and provincial and federal taxes will pay for it. They will skyrocket.


There was some re-naming of streets in country areas where we had our cabin, from the English to add the Indigenous name.

If it was on the tribal property, then they paid for it. If it was not, there was an added little bit on the property tax that we had to pay.

BristolUK Jun 20th 2020 9:45 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by scilly (Post 12869798)
Everyone is trying to re-write the past.

I tried rewriting it but I still don't have a villa in the South of France overlooking the sea. :lol:

caretaker Jun 20th 2020 9:50 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 12869802)
I tried rewriting it but I still don't have a villa in the South of France overlooking the sea. :lol:

The sign said Breakfast Served At All Times, so I said I'd like a mushroom omelette during the Renaissance.

MillieF Jun 20th 2020 9:54 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 12869802)
I tried rewriting it but I still don't have a villa in the South of France overlooking the sea. :lol:

bummer...me too - you me, next summer - sounds like a plan ;)

johnwoo Jun 20th 2020 10:26 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by Jsmth321 (Post 12869490)
Change is always hard for people.

As for what to change it to, well that is anyone's guess, but first step is to just open the discussion and go from there.

History of B.C. didn't begin when the first Europeans arrived. What was it originally called. Perhaps \Kwakwakaʼwakw

beckiwoo Jun 20th 2020 10:51 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 12869747)
From past comments on BE something involving Lululemon, rain, yoga, hipster...

That’s more Vancouver lol and let’s face it: ‘There is more to British Columbia den dis’ (true AP style there)

dbd33 Jun 21st 2020 12:28 am

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by MillieF (Post 12869806)
bummer...me too - you me, next summer - sounds like a plan ;)

Ah, I may have lived more poorly than the rest of y'all because my ex-wife has one of those.

BristolUK Jun 21st 2020 1:49 am

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 12869851)
Ah, I may have lived more poorly than the rest of y'all because my ex-wife has one of those.

Will she host a BE coming out party?

dbd33 Jun 21st 2020 2:14 am

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 12869875)
Will she host a BE coming out party?

She's gay positive, or gay indifferent anyway, so I imagine so. I'm going to have some trouble doing that though.

Engineer_abroad Jun 21st 2020 12:07 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by johnwoo (Post 12869816)
History of B.C. didn't begin when the first Europeans arrived. What was it originally called. Perhaps \Kwakwakaʼwakw

it could be argued that the history of BC did begin with Europeans as the whole concept of a province under a confederated federal government is a European construct for government. The land existed prior of course but would not have had a single name since the First Nations would not of seen it as a single territory.
Renaming the province in a First Nations language or based on culture is going to depend on which of the many first peoples you want to give the right to name the whole province too. Perhaps the Tlingit or the Coast Salish or Nuu chah nult or Kwakiutl. Oh wait but that’s only those on the coast, maybe Sylix in the Okanagan or the Kutenai in the east, but their territory also extends into Alberta, so we better get Jason Kenney to agree to redraw the border. There is also the issue over which of the first nations you want to prioritize, maybe the Squamish or the Nk’MIP? All of which have distinct culturally identities and languages. Oh yea also the issue of setting an arbitrary date on which you want to apply it, since different people arrived at different times in history, is 10,000 bc ok or would you prefer 1090.

I find that those wanting to rewrite history often don’t even know the history they are trying to change. They just know the don’t like it. Human history evolves, it isnt black or white (excuse the term)but many shades of grey and trying to rewrite it makes no meaningful change other than making people feel better about themselves.

Partially discharged Jun 21st 2020 12:18 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by beckiwoo (Post 12869822)
That’s more Vancouver lol and let’s face it: ‘There is more to British Columbia den dis’ (true AP style there)


I couldn't find a direct Alan BC reference so this will have to do.

BristolUK Jun 21st 2020 12:21 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 12869883)
She's gay positive, or gay indifferent anyway, so I imagine so. I'm going to have some trouble doing that though.

By coming out I actually meant coming out of lockdown :lol:

dbd33 Jun 21st 2020 12:33 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by Engineer_abroad (Post 12870019)
it could be argued that the history of BC did begin with Europeans as the whole concept of a province under a confederated federal government is a European construct for government. The land existed prior of course but would not have had a single name since the First Nations would not of seen it as a single territory.
Renaming the province in a First Nations language or based on culture is going to depend on which of the many first peoples you want to give the right to name the whole province too. Perhaps the Tlingit or the Coast Salish or Nuu chah nult or Kwakiutl. Oh wait but that’s only those on the coast, maybe Sylix in the Okanagan or the Kutenai in the east, but their territory also extends into Alberta, so we better get Jason Kenney to agree to redraw the border. There is also the issue over which of the first nations you want to prioritize, maybe the Squamish or the Nk’MIP? All of which have distinct culturally identities and languages. Oh yea also the issue of setting an arbitrary date on which you want to apply it, since different people arrived at different times in history, is 10,000 bc ok or would you prefer 1090.

I find that those wanting to rewrite history often don’t even know the history they are trying to change. They just know the don’t like it. Human history evolves, it isnt black or white (excuse the term)but many shades of grey and trying to rewrite it makes no meaningful change other than making people feel better about themselves.


Most of this makes sense, a new name would be no more historically relevant than the old name but "making people feel better about themselves" is a good enough reason for me. It doesn't matter what a place is called so if a popular vote chose "Black Lives Matter Province" or even "Trumpland", fair enough. Popular votes don't work though, in the UK that gave us Boaty McBoatFace and, in Canada, it gave us Bob, neither of which were worthy enough for the governments of the day so we got RRS Something Worthy But Tedious and Nunavut.


Engineer_abroad Jun 21st 2020 1:01 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 12870030)
Most of this makes sense, a new name would be no more historically relevant than the old name but "making people feel better about themselves" is a good enough reason for me. It doesn't matter what a place is called so if a popular vote chose "Black Lives Matter Province" or even "Trumpland", fair enough. Popular votes don't work though, in the UK that gave us Boaty McBoatFace and, in Canada, it gave us Bob, neither of which were worthy enough for the governments of the day so we got RRS Something Worthy But Tedious and Nunavut.

i generally agree but I don’t think helping the majority (white people) feel better about themselves (aka Were not racist we changed the name of the province) is meaningful.

dbd33 Jun 21st 2020 1:16 pm

Re: Should BC consider a name change?
 

Originally Posted by Engineer_abroad (Post 12870046)
i generally agree but I don’t think helping the majority (white people) feel better about themselves (aka Were not racist we changed the name of the province) is meaningful.

Oh, no, it's not meaningful. Perhaps if there was an old name to go back to, but in this case a new name would be invented to seem old. It's tacky but no more so than having pink flamingoes on the lawn and we all do that.


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