Politically Incorrect High Schools

[FilioScotia]

Well - the question is: Do Mexican-Americans really care about the fact Mexico lost Texas?

I have my doubts about that.

Allow me to erase your doubts. There is an active movement called Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, better known by its acronym, MEChA. The group was organized in 1969 by Mexican-American college students, for the most part, who preferred to call themselves Chicanos and Chicanas. MEChA proudly proclaims that its mission is to reclaim California and the rest of the Southwest

[TheNiche]

So, to answer your question -- Do Mexican-Americans really care about Mexico losing Texas? -- yes, they do.

I've got to question your logic here.

That'd be like saying that the KKK (3,000 members in 2005 as per the Southern Poverty Law Center) accurately represents the views of white people.

Edited August 30, 2006 by TheNiche

[TJones]

What's insulting about "Park Place"?

For those who continuously lost at "Monopoly" as a child, it is a sheer nightmare. You try landing on that property with a couple of hotels on it, and you'll cry your eyes out.

Don't even get me started on Boardwalk Junior High.

Edited August 30, 2006 by TJones

[Montrose1100]

Don't think of it as racist, think of it as History. Look past your own bias/whatever, and think outside the box. I'm Jewish, but I don't get upset everytime I see "Barbie" dolls.

[TheNiche]

For those who continuously lost at "Monopoly" as a child, it is a sheer nightmare. You try landing on that property with a couple of hotels on it, and you'll cry your eyes out.

Don't even get me started on Boardwalk Junior High.

Is Park Place an actual place? I mean, aside from all the subdivisions and apartment complexes, is there something about the name other than its association with a board game that makes one of the myriad Park Places more prestigious?

[Captain Impossible]

Did you know that the term "politically correct" was coined by Mao Tse Tung?

[gonzo1976]

I'm in full agreement with those who say it's wrong and silly to change names on buildings and other landmarks just because they're no longer politically correct with one group or another, in this case African-Americans.

I have a big problem with renaming landmarks that were originally named for someone to begin with. Wasn't there an instance a few years back (Dunlavy Park maybe?) where they wanted to rename it after someone even though it was named for someone else to begin with?

[FilioScotia]

I've got to question your logic here.

That'd be like saying that the KKK (3,000 members in 2005 as per the Southern Poverty Law Center) accurately represents the views of white people.

You're right. I should not have generalized. I should have said that yes SOME OF THEM care. Not all of them. So far, the MEChA "movement" appears to be limited to some fairly radical students on the west coast, although they claim to have chapters all over the southwest. I was just trying to bring the existence of this group and its stated goals into our discussion, and I did not mean to say or imply that ALL Mexican-Americans share its views.

And to answer Gonzo's question, Dunlavy Park WAS renamed. I don't remember if there was a big debate over it, but it's now Ervan Chew Park.

There was a brief flap in 1989 over a proposal to rename the Loop 610 bridge over the Houston Ship Channel. Somebody famous had died -- I think it was Mickey Leland -- and County Commissioners voted to put Leland's name on the bridge, but somebody pointed out that the bridge already had a name. It's the Sydney Sherman Bridge, built in 1973.

Sherman was a hero of the Texas Revolution and a respected Houston businessman for many years. Nobody ever refers to the ship channel bridge as "the Sydney Sherman Bridge", so many people, including County Commissioners, just forgot it had a name. Maybe we should all start using that name again so people will remember.

Back to Mickey Leland for moment, his death triggered one of the most contentious and nastiest periods in Houston city council's history, all because people wanted to rename prominent public structures after him. Democratic National Committee Chair Ron Brown started it when he let it be known that he wanted Houston Intercontinental Airport renamed after Leland, and said it would reflect poorly on Houston's race relations if it didn't go along.

A lot of people in Houston took umbrage at Brown's blatant political strong-arming, and the debate on Houston City Council got so nasty that at one point, longtime councilman Jim Westmoreland joked to reporters at the press table that they may as well call it "N--ger" International and make everybody happy. That sorry effort at humor ended Westmoreland's political career, because he lost to an unknown newcomer in the next election. Brown didn't get his wish, but the city did name the new International Terminal for Leland, and Congress named the new federal building at 1919 Smith for him. And if the "naming" issue wasn't nasty enough, the race for Leland's seat in Congress was even worse.

Edited August 30, 2006 by FilioScotia

[Heights2Bastrop]

So, to answer your question -- Do Mexican-Americans really care about Mexico losing Texas? -- yes, they do.

Had the Mexican not lost Texas, things would be a lot different today - they would be crossing different rivers to get to the US.

[dbigtex56]

There are now software programs that "fix up" your word processing. The example being, a journalist typed in "they were wearing black armbands." His computer zapped that and printed "they were wearing African-American armbands." ROFL? It is terrifyingly true!

A few years ago an ad appeared in Reader's Digest promoting tourism in Houston. Among the attractions listed were our restaurants, including several featuring "Native American food".

I'm not familiar with any "Native American" restaurants...however, Houston has numerous Indian restaurants.

[sevfiv]

Is Park Place an actual place? I mean, aside from all the subdivisions and apartment complexes, is there something about the name other than its association with a board game that makes one of the myriad Park Places more prestigious?

eh probably not, although it used to be much nicer, and its own city

http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/nbhd_svc...rInfo/SN_74.htm

as far as ties to the real park place in atlantic city, no comparison, i'm sure

[ricco67]

I dont have any issue with the names of those schools. I do take issue with the Confederate flag. It is a foreign flag, of a short lived dead nation and should not be flown with honor as would the American flag.

Do you also take that to mean that the Texas flag shouldn't flown? It was originaly the flag of the republic of texas (also a short lived nation as Texas allowed itself to join the union). Perhaps a redesign is in order?

[sevfiv]

Park Place WAS a real place. Now it is just Houston, but once was outside the city limits. Look south of Harrisburg on this map

neat map -

when i said "real" i chose the wrong word - i was referring to the park place that the monopoly game uses.

as far as the park place here goes, that's why i provided the super neighborhood link - it mentions park place as a separate municipality

[gwilson]

Malcolm X high is the same as Robert E. Lee? Give me a break.

Simply being associated with the confederacy doesn't equal being a racist.

And the war wasn't fought over slavery and the south wasn't the slavery homeland. The north had just as many slaves and slavery became a polarizing issue only near the end of the war after the emancipation (up until that point, slavery was still legal and heavily practiced in the north).

It amazes me how ignorant of history people are.

[gonzo1976]

Oh...I missed that..sorry. Park Place from Monopoly I think, was from the street in New York just like Broadway was. I think the other monopoly properties were from Atlantic City maybe? Don't know that for a fact. Maybe they were all from Atlantic City.

Park Place is a short street that sort of juts out from the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. It ends at Pacific Avenue.

[gonzo1976]

And to answer Gonzo's question, Dunlavy Park WAS renamed. I don't remember if there was a big debate over it, but it's now Ervan Chew Park.

OK. I found the Chronicle article. Dunlavy Park, like the street, was named for Herbert Dunlavy, who was killed in WWI.

Ervan Chew was a prominent member of Houston's Chinese-American community and volunteer. He died in 1999.

Now, I'm not saying Chew doesn't deserve to have something named in his honor, but why did city leaders have to rename something that was originally named after someone to begin with?

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

Do you also take that to mean that the Texas flag shouldn't flown? It was originaly the flag of the republic of texas (also a short lived nation as Texas allowed itself to join the union). Perhaps a redesign is in order?

Tell me you are not serious? The current flag for Texas represents the state, not the republic..........

The Confederate flag was never design to represent one particular state and it is not used as a symbol of any one particular state. It used as a symbol to represent a DEAD nation that is not the picture of the United States. Never has been and never will be.

[FilioScotia]

OK. I found the Chronicle article. Dunlavy Park, like the street, was named for Herbert Dunlavy, who was killed in WWI.

Ervan Chew was a prominent member of Houston's Chinese-American community and volunteer. He died in 1999.

Now, I'm not saying Chew doesn't deserve to have something named in his honor, but why did city leaders have to rename something that was originally named after someone to begin with?

Beats me. I guess nobody from the Dunlavy family was around to make a fuss. Recall a few years ago that Lyons Avenue on the east side almost got renamed -- I forget the proposed name -- until members of the Lyons family made a big stink about it. It appears our fearless city council will do whatever they think they can get away with.

[KewpieCleaners]

I guess political correctness is why Calhoun Street was renamed.

[gonzo1976]

Beats me. I guess nobody from the Dunlavy family was around to make a fuss. Recall a few years ago that Lyons Avenue on the east side almost got renamed -- I forget the proposed name -- until members of the Lyons family made a big stink about it. It appears our fearless city council will do whatever they think they can get away with.

I wonder if the city has anyone on staff to let them know of things like that. Someone to tell them that, hey, this landmark is already named after someone. I just view it as another example of erasing our past.

[FilioScotia]

I guess political correctness is why Calhoun Street was renamed.

Renamed? From what? To what? It's always been Calhoun.

[Subdude]

Renamed? From what? To what? It's always been Calhoun.

It was renamed St Joseph's "Parkway". I think it was more in the way of City Council giving some publicity to the hospital. The name should be changed back.

[Heights2Bastrop]

The Confederate flag was never design to represent one particular state

An interesting aside; the very first Texas flag (1836-1839) was the Bonnie Blue Flag which was also the very first flag of the Confederacy. If you recall, Rhett and Scarlett named their child "Bonnie Blue Butler".

That being said, the origin of the Bonnie Blue goes back to 1810 in Florida.

[FilioScotia]

It was renamed St Joseph's "Parkway". I think it was more in the way of City Council giving some publicity to the hospital. The name should be changed back.

Oh. That. Yeah I agree. Other stretches of that same street outside of downtown are still named Calhoun, and my brain still has not accepted that change. Even so, it had nothing to do with political correctness. I'm still trying to figure out what it did have to do with. It's never made any sense to me. OK, so they give the street in front of St. Joseph's Hospital the same name. So? Why?

Does this mean Gessner on the west side should be renamed Memorial-Hermann Memorial City Parkway? Hey let's rename Fannin where it goes through the medical center. From now on let's call it Memorial Hermann-Methodist-Saint Luke's-Texas Children's Parkway.

[TheNiche]

The north had just as many slaves...

Can you substantiate this claim?

[FreakyDude]

The Johnny Reb stuff itself is gone - Westbury is now simply "the rebels"

I'm white. I don't remember Johnny Reb, but I graduated in 82. We (Sharpstown HS) played the Rebels in basketball twice every year, and I actually attended Westbury for a brief period of time. My black friend (pc - african american) informed me of insinuations I wasn't aware of that related to that flag. That notion or facts made me sick. I understood and understand the intial meaning of the flag, just not the eventual or double meaning that apparently was established.

Yes, my friend discussed and myself are still best friends and will be for life.

[FilioScotia]

Can you substantiate this claim?

There were some slave-holders in the north, but it's not accurate to say that the north had as many slaves as the south. Slaves in the north worked mostly as domestic servants in urban areas.

That's not to say that the north was friendlier to slaves. Mais non! Southern slave-owners could always count on the north to catch runaways and send them back. Even the famous Underground Railroad that helped runaway slaves didn't end in the northern U-S. It went all the way to Canada.

Edited August 31, 2006 by FilioScotia

[Montrose1100]

I complained about malcolm x blvd. in NYC, do you think I would be able to get it renamed?

[FilioScotia]

I complained about malcolm x blvd. in NYC, do you think I would be able to get it renamed?

Good luck with that.

[Mark F. Barnes]

An interesting aside; the very first Texas flag (1836-1839) was the Bonnie Blue Flag which was also the very first flag of the Confederacy. If you recall, Rhett and Scarlett named their child "Bonnie Blue Butler".

That being said, the origin of the Bonnie Blue goes back to 1810 in Florida.

That was actually never a "Stae Flag" by definition, it was just a banner flown by the Texas soldiers for indepence. The Scott's Flag of the Liberal Faction. As dictatorial acts contrary to the liberal Mexican Constitution of 1824 by the centralista dictatorship began to mount, the number of Texans known as the Liberal Faction or War Party increased while the Conservatives rallied under the Mexican flags of 1824 hoping for a peaceful settlement with their adopted government and a return to the principles of local self-determination. This banner was apparently the earliest symbol of those who had abandoned hopes for reconciliation. A banner of similar color and design without the lettering was first used in 1810 when American frontiersmen rebelled against Spanish authorities at Baton Rouge in Spanish West Florida. Although never official, this design became famous as "The Bonnie Blue Flag" symbol in the Confederate States of America after secession in 1861.

Mrs. M. Looscan (daughter of Capt. Andrew Briscoe) in Wooten's Comprehensive History of Texas relates the description of its origin from veteran James L. McGahey: "It was suggested by Capt. William Scott of Kentucky who raised a company of men and lived near Lynchburg. Capt. Scott gave McGahey about 4 yards of pure blue silk which he took to Lynchburg to obtain a staff. There Mrs. John Lynch sewed a border next to the staff and Italian Charles Lanco painted the white star and the words "Independence" on the silk." Mrs. Looscan related that conservatives objected to flying the flag from the time it was unfurled by the company on their march to Gonzales in Oct 1835 to join Austin's Texian Federal Army which was being organized there. In the presence of Stephen F. Austin the flag was kept unfurled by James McGahey in his knapsack, but thought to be displayed at the Grass Fight and on 28 Oct 1835 at Concepcion. Legend says McGahey was wounded and gave the banner to Thomas H. Bell who may have carried it in the Siege and Battle of Bexar in Dec 1835. Bell returned to Goliad with Capt. Dimmitt's troops where the banner may have flown with others upon signing of the Goliad Declaration of Independence. Bell was with the group who carried the Goliad Declaration to San Felipe and the flag, in addition to Capt. Brown's bloody arm flag below, is said to have been raised there.

Edited August 31, 2006 by Mark F. Barnes