First They Came For The Names

   My stance on the subject of name changing has been made clear - I am against it and have posted about it. The only reason I am bringing it up again is because the situation is about to get worse. The reasons why are provided at the bottom, as are links to my related remarks on this subject - if you wish to see how wrong-headed one can be. I turn now, however, to the subject of the next purge - OFFENSIVE ADVERTISEMENTS.

Next It Will Be The Advertisements

  I am not a fan of advertisements and 'tape' just about every TV program to avoid them. I stopped watching the U.S. evening news, mostly because of them. We also don't need to be encouraged to buy more things and I would be pleased if the one pictured above was never to be seen again. These are current ads, however, and about purging them I am ambivalent.  The ones I am concerned about, are the older ones, particularly those in print, which some fragile person might stumble upon, in what used to be the safe spaces provided by libraries. 

   It did not take me long to find ones that are no longer appropriate and it will not take long for the posses of the politically correct to ask that they be removed, or that huge WARNING signs be placed in periodical rooms. Here are a few and they don't even include the really offensive ones that do not have the right mixture of races, genders, etc. You read it here first and in a few months my minuscule audience will be praising me for my prescience in predicting the next purge. 

   That should be enough. It is perhaps a good thing that General Motors stopped making the Pontiac, because they would have had to change the name in any case.

Sources: 

  The reason I am focusing on this again is because the U.S. Department of the Interior, just issued this press release: Secretary Haaland Takes Action to Remove Derogatory Names From Federal Lands. Surely a giant eraser soon will be rubbing across the more northerly part of the continent. 

   For earlier pronouncements: Names on the Land. And, No More Name Changing. 

The Bonus:

  If you haven't done your Christmas shopping, you can buy this book AND it will convince you that toponymy should not be tampered with: Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States, George R. Stewart.

  Those of you who are familiar with FIRST THEY CAME FOR.... will be aware of the totalitarian trends from earlier times. If you are not see here.