Re last post, that’s because you are outside the U.S.
The Associated Press is continuing with Gulf of Mexico because they only have one set of content internationally. Google can adjust regionally.
And before someone says how much better the AP is than Google, the AP is going back to Mt. McKinley, because the mountain is wholly in the U.S., and the U.S.goverment thus gets to name it – even though the people there are against it:
While I dislike the renamings, the Secretary of the Interior can legally order the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to do this – for the U.S. federal government. Unlike a lot else going down, this one is, however obnoxious, both constitutional and minimally harmful.
I’m not the most tech aware, I thought a lot of this blowback was on Google for changing it on Google Maps. I was going to switch over to the default map app on iOS and they are also showing it as Gulf of America. Did Apple make the change and no one is complaining? Or since Apple’s map generally sucks anyway no one uses it and so no one noticed?
In real news, Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) has submitted a bill to rename Greenland “Red, White and Blue Land”. Because the house has nothing better to do, apparently.
Google (and Apple, and the Associated Press) are doing nothing they wouldn’t do for another nation state, whether free or dictator-run, where the government made a geographical name change that lacks international recognition…
Google says that in Mexico, it will still say Gulf of Mexico (if you are set for English, or other language translation) – without any qualification:
The slightly broader issue here is that the anti-Trump camp shouldn’t make enemies on issues where a reasonable case can be made for the action taken. Google is treating the two U.S. geographic name changes just like any comparable changes by North Korea (or they would if Google wasn’t blocked in NK).
I disagree. The name change is idiotic. The President also isn’t given sole naming authority in any law that I’m aware of, and even if he did it’s still idiotic. People and companies should resist The less pushback he gets, the more stupid shit he’ll do.
Doug Burgum, the Secretary of thr Interior, could have theoretically defied Trump. However, Trump could, and probably, would, have fired him. And it is unlikely a court challenge would get him his job back.
While renaming the Gulf is a completely undeserved insult to Mexico, I suspect it is a mildly popular move, and I think calling it racist is incorrect. If there was a Gulf of Canada bordering the U.S. and Canada, Trump would have renamed that also (Gulf of United States?).
I think the case for renaming Fort Liberty being racist is stronger. The claim that the world’s largest (or highest population) military base is now really named for Pfc. Roland Bragg is obvious nonsense.
As for renaming Denali, that’s unpopular in Alaska. The Alaska Senate voted unanimously to keep the name the same. Mention that. But Trump really likes Pres. McKinley. I think that if you use the word racist when in such borderline cases, you weaken the word and turn off some centrists.
ETA: except that what I was thinking was maybe something like the converse: that people are saying in all seriousness things that most people would assume to be satire. (Or, at least, would have not all that long ago.)