Cost of name changes would be prohibitive
By Letter to the Editor on June 10, 2021.
Editor:
It is my belief that the special interest groups within our city are passing their own agendas onto the citizens of Lethbridge through the media with total disregard of how their “wants” will be funded or how they will affect the greater population.
Such is the case of Ms. Digout requesting that the name of a long-standing municipal park and westside neighbourhood be changed because, as she has stated through the media “the term Indian is outdated.”
The term “Indigenous “or “First Nations” has been recognized for several years and however just now she comes forward with her claim.
It is no surprise that her revelation follows the grieving of our country after bodies of 215 Indigenous children were found in the back of a residential school in Kamloops B.C.
It is also no surprise that her revelation is being brought forward during a municipal election year.
The costs to taxpayers to implement the changes she is requesting are prohibitive given the huge deficits our city and province is experiencing at this time.
Also, let’s not forget the stress that such a change to one’s address in the affected neighbourhood will cause to the homeowners after all these years.
Should Ms. Digout’s request be considered by city council (I would be surprised if it gets this far), I feel that it should be the citizens of Lethbridge that select the names of the affected park and neighbourhood and not the special interest groups, moving forward.
Kent Perry
Lethbridge
-1
Being the grandson of a half breed I have never met an Indian who didn’t want to be called an Indian. A lot of the stupidity behind it has been invented by white men. Maybe you should let the Indians decide and not just one of them.
A lot of these names where made in good faith and showed a respect for our Indians and to suggest they should be eliminated, because a handful of people don’t like them, like the Edmonton Eskimos is just plain stupid.
If you listen to our Indian celebrities such as Buffy Sainte – Marie, Robbie Robertson, or Rita Coolidge they use the name Indian a lot in their songs. It doesn’t bother them.
I agree with Kent by changing it you destroy the respect for which it was intended.
There are countless Indigenous? people who are offended by the term “Indian”. They’re typically young, and all over social media.
Anyway, the problem is they keep changing what title they want, as well as if it’s offensive or not. Indian? Native? First Nation? First people? Indigenous? Aboriginal?
What would be nice is if society could achieve enough enlightenment in which there is no need for racial identification.
A group of us had coffee with a senior Cree Indian each week day morning for about five years and he said it was some of the elders who taught the young ones to hate the word Indian for no good reason at all.
He had no problem with it. He agreed that If they want to lose the respect White men have for them changing names is just plain stupid.
That could very well be it, as it mainly seems to be the younger generation of Indigenous people that are offended by that term.
I use the term “Indigenous”, and so far, no Indigenous person has told me they find it offensive. So, that’s the term I’m sticking with 🙂
the problem is THEY want the distinction
Damn good point!
A really good point and as the Indian singers will tell you such as Buffey Sainte Marie, Robbie Robertson, or Rita Coolidge the word Indian works in writing songs indigenous, or native Americans doesn’t.
if the washington football team wants to use my name as their nickname, i would honoured. high praise, indeed. the washington biffs. go biffs!
LOL!