scilly

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

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

caretaker

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

MillieF

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

johnwoo

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

beckiwoo

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

dbd33

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

BristolUK

Will she host a BE coming out party?

dbd33

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

Engineer_abroad

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

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

BristolUK

By coming out I actually meant coming out of lockdown

dbd33

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

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

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.