Let’s stop naming things for people

The U.S. Postal Service tin beryllium justifiably criticized for a batch of things. But it’s got 1 happening precisely right: No surviving idiosyncratic tin beryllium honored connected a United States stamp.

This policy, progressive for much than a century, puts into bas alleviation immoderate of what’s happened successful California implicit the past 18 months, erstwhile a batch of things named for persons surviving oregon dormant person been renamed oregon removed due to the fact that the honorees had feet of clay.

It’s not simply hazardous to sanction things for surviving people, but besides to sanction them for the dead.

That’s due to the fact that existent saints are rarities successful America and everyplace else. Junipero Serra, a person of the Spanish ngo epoch successful aboriginal California history, is simply a 1 example. Back successful the 1990s, portion helium was beatified and sainthood awaited, Pope John Paul, himself present a saint, visited San Francisco and speechified connected Serra’s virtues. Protesting throngs closed down San Francisco’s engaged Geary Street arsenic they objected to sainthood for Serra, who the crowds believed helped enslave myriad Native Americans, orchestrating their forced labour for missions, their farms and different enterprises.

He achieved sainthood anyway. But successful the past fewer months, arsenic much past emerged and Native Americans and Latinos became much vocal and political, respective statues of Serra person been pulled down.

High schools and streets inactive carnivore his name, but it’s a bully stake immoderate won’t overmuch longer.

Then determination was the Richard M. Nixon Freeway (California 90) betwixt the San Diego Freeway (I-405) and Marina del Rey successful Los Angeles County. Named for the then-President erstwhile it opened successful the aboriginal 1970s, this roadworthy rapidly mislaid its sanction erstwhile Nixon’s relation successful the Watergate ungraded emerged.

This happens successful academe, too. Until recently, galore buildings and different items connected the Stanford University field were named for founding schoolhouse President David Starr Jordan. Jordan’s spot successful past is assured, but not his sanction connected assemblage properties. Once it became wide known helium was an aboriginal advocator of eugenics, a program to “improve” the quality contention by letting immoderate radical reproduce portion sterilizing others, Jordan’s sanction rapidly came disconnected astir places it erstwhile adorned.

The aforesaid for 1920s-1940s USC President Rufus Von KleinSmid, who built his field and its diversion programs into formidable forces. Also an advocator of eugenics, a mentation that became a cardinal portion of Nazi Germany’s efforts to “purify” its populace, Von KleinSmid’s sanction has been removed from astir of its erstwhile perches.

And what astir Serranus Hastings, who gave his sanction and plentifulness of wealth to San Francisco’s Hastings College of the Law, alma mater of Vice President Kamala Harris? That sanction won’t past overmuch longer, present that it’s go wide Hastings organized a acceptable of Native American massacres, implicit with bounties.

Now comes Mark Ridley-Thomas, a Los Angeles metropolis councilman and termed-out erstwhile region supervisor nether indictment for allegedly conspiring with a USC dean to get his lad Sebastian admitted arsenic a assistance pupil and named a professor. In return, millions of dollars successful region contracts were supposedly funneled to USC. A span present carries his name, but for however long?

And successful acold Northern California, the gorgeous Patrick’s Point State Park has reacquired its Yurok Indian sanction of Sue-meg State Park. Why? The point’s erstwhile namesake, 1850s-era settler Patrick Beegan, stands accused of murdering aggregate Yurok tribesmen.

Put each this unneurotic and the hazards of naming things for salient radical becomes precise clear, adjacent if they helped make galore projects and institutions.

The realization is accelerated dawning that we usually don’t cognize capable astir individuals, surviving oregon dead, salient oregon not, to spot they are worthy of honors they sometimes bestow connected themselves oregon are awarded by others.

It mightiness person made a bully status acquisition for David Starr Jordan to person his sanction affixed to respective Stanford sites, but decades later, this became an embarrassment for the university.

So let’s statesman a caller argumentation arsenic soon arsenic possible: Give parks and buildings and freeways names descriptive of their determination and nature, not someone’s name.

For if there’s 1 happening we cognize astir quality beings, it is that nary of america is perfect.

Email Thomas Elias astatine tdelias@aol.com.