tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29361741.post1614707574899934639..comments2023-12-30T05:22:27.108-05:00Comments on The New York Crank: A name by any other name would smell as nomenclaturalThe New York Crankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04489472134701718697noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29361741.post-8906809184008489652021-02-14T12:39:41.525-05:002021-02-14T12:39:41.525-05:00Wow! ... what a read! If we try to keep up with al...Wow! ... what a read! If we try to keep up with all the political correctness, it'll drive ya nutz, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh {:-) I don't eat pancakes, but if I did, and liked the product, it wouldn't matter to me if Aunt Jemima was on the product ... and I known quite a few black people over the years, that had Aunt Jemina syrup and pancakes in their kitchen, sure as Hell didn't seem to stop them from liking and buying the product. But a majority of Americans want these things to change and remove statues, replace or whatever, doesn't mean 2 shits and a grin to me ... so that's their choice. Besides, we would have to take down every statue of every founding member of this republic/ democracy, damn near to try to un-racify (if there is such a word, if not, there is now) ... this country was bred on racism, classism, violence, inequality, etc, and it's still racist in many categories that apply.<br /><br />Yeah, I lived in Brooklyn and upstate in Buffalo as a kid (I live in Dallas today) ... there was numbers for the schools ... I guess they're giving them all names now? or have? At the rate we're going in America right now, we won't have to worry about names, if the corporation buy naming rights to schools too, like they did on stadiums, there is actually a stadium called "Quicken Loans" (what a name for a major sports venue ... sounds ike a fucken pawn shop in the hood). I mean, maybe corporations will want their names on schools ... get their names to sink into childrens heads, as if they don't have enough commercials already. When I talked about Amazon as a kid, it was about the river ... today, Amazon is something different to a kid. Later Guy ....Ranch Chimphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086251248546955720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29361741.post-29777948122011606592021-02-12T09:33:16.125-05:002021-02-12T09:33:16.125-05:00I happen to prefer a name like "Pearl Milling...I happen to prefer a name like "Pearl Milling," to association with a personality, which, as the second half of your post suggests, could be fraught with peril, should something unsavory emerge (or erroneously be thought to emerge) about the particular individual. A chacun son goût, I suppose.<br /><br />Yes, I was referring to one of those institutions. <br /><br />Various online thesauri (thesauruses?) include "erroneous" as a synonym for "inaccurate" (as well as "wrong," "faulty," and "mistaken") and it was in that sense I was using the term. I agree that my use of "inaccurately" was ambiguous, and that "erroneous" would have been preferable. And I agree that it was sloppy history and a ridiculous error. <br /><br /><br /> Lizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16601496880286539795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29361741.post-8455073219608569512021-02-11T18:31:02.157-05:002021-02-11T18:31:02.157-05:00I have a quibble and a question and a comment, Liz...I have a quibble and a question and a comment, Liza. Here we go:<br /><br />QUIBBLE: Pearl Milling Company sounds like they are milling pearls. Or that that a Mr. Pearl is milling something, such as steel dowels in a machine shop. Even if I think of a flour mill before I think of unappetizing steel shavings, I have to leap mentally from that to pancakes, rather than to bread or cake. And nobody who I know ever milled a quart of pancake syrup. Also, a brand with a human personality — Paul Newman's Own salad dressing, for example, is more memorable than a pearl and a mill. And while the Pearl name may hark back to the product's history, it's a history that until now nobody has known. Little wonder they need something on the box to tell people, "Hey, it's really Aunt Jemima" before people will buy it. Other than that, it's a fine name.<br /><br />QUESTION: You mention " one of our fellow alums tried to cast inaccurate shade on Ruth Bader Ginsburg." *Our* fellow alums? I have no idea what we are both alums of, since you don't mention the school and I have no idea who you are, thus leaving me utterly clueless. Are you talking about Miss Mallay's Nursery School? P.S. 246? P.S. 208? Erasmus Hall High School? Antioch College? The Ogilvy creative training class of 1963? The Basic Training Escape and Evasion class I had to take in the Army? Please clarify.<br /><br />COMMENT: I note your statement: "As far as Paul Revere: apparently someone on the committee inaccurately thought his attack on a British fort had something to do with colonization of the indigenous population." That wasn't inaccurate. It was erroneous. And it was sloppy history. It was the kind of error a mediocre mind hellbent on purging the world of something-or-other would make. He is no different in this ridiculous decision from the left than the yahoos who raided the Capitol to "stop the (so-called) steal"l are on the right.<br /><br />Yours with extreme crankiness,<br />The New York CrankThe New York Crankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04489472134701718697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29361741.post-32523777750080663982021-02-11T11:58:17.272-05:002021-02-11T11:58:17.272-05:00I don’t understand why you think "Pearl Milli...I don’t understand why you think "Pearl Milling Company" is such an awful name. It provides a nod to their history and refers to a process involved in milling flour. "Pearl Milling Company" reminds me a little of "Pearl River Bridge," my favorite brand of soy sauce. I've never had any trouble remembering "Pearl River Bridge" and don't see why anyone should have trouble remembering "Pearl Milling." <br /><br />I agree with you regarding the decision to rename the San Francisco schools. And, in follow-up to your comment "the only morally perfect people are nonentities," I note (not sure if it should be with amusement or angst) that one of our fellow alums tried to cast inaccurate shade on Ruth Bader Ginsburg (no nonentity, but one of the individuals considered worthy of providing a replacement name) within hours of her death being reported. <br /><br />As far as Paul Revere: apparently someone on the committee inaccurately thought his attack on a British fort had something to do with colonization of the indigenous population (see https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-san-francisco-renamed-its-schools). <br /> Lizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16601496880286539795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29361741.post-65160612539463104092021-02-11T09:29:43.928-05:002021-02-11T09:29:43.928-05:00I agree with you bt. I grew up in New York City wh...I agree with you bt. I grew up in New York City where, at least 75 years ago, elementary schools were given numbers, not names. I went to P.S. 246 and P.S. 208. Then 246 was converted into a "junior high," the equivalent of today's Middle Schools. And it became Walt Whitman Junior High School. These days, from what I can see, all New York schools are named after people — so it's probably only a matter of time before this blows up when we discover that some person honored that way spanked either his kids or the monkey.<br /><br />Yours crankily,<br />The New York CrankThe New York Crankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04489472134701718697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29361741.post-370970667365030872021-02-10T20:05:43.914-05:002021-02-10T20:05:43.914-05:00I lived in SF for a while, and even as a committed...I lived in SF for a while, and even as a committed lifelong 'liberal', I found the politics there often verred WAY OFF into the weeds.<br /><br />If they don't want these names, why not just say "no names" and let's get out of the infinite loop. Then name them for streets or avenues or animals, who cares? Cant's use colors, that would be a terse conversation... <br /><br />But no, many people will work as hard as possible to avoid the simple solutions. They'd rather beat that poor, tired, overworked horse.bt1138https://www.blogger.com/profile/12843326237379459791noreply@blogger.com