- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmit.online
- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmit.online
Summary
Rep. Dan Crenshaw criticized Apple Maps for not renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, as mandated by Trump’s recent executive order titled “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness.”
Crenshaw’s complaint reflects broader conservative frustration, as tech platforms and the global community continue to use the original name.
Critics compare the move to past nationalist gestures like renaming french fries “freedom fries,” accusing conservatives of embracing identity politics and culture wars despite their political dominance.
The name change is unlikely to gain international traction.
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I forgot that apple was a department under the president
I feel sorry for Wozniak… Watching the company he helped build turn into what it has.
As someone who worked in mapping, many people don’t realize how much this kind of BS actually comes up.
The map you see in Google / Apple maps isn’t the map the whole world sees. What you see is what’s culturally / legally appropriate for viewers in your region.
For example, in parts of India it’s legally required that Jammu and Kashmir be displayed as being part of India on their maps. On Pakistan’s maps it’s legally required to be weirdly ambiguous, with a strange open border that doesn’t properly close. The rest of the world gets dotted lines indicating it’s complicated.
For most of the world the body of water between Korea, Japan and Vladivostok is labeled as “The Sea of Japan”, but users in Korea will see “The East Sea”. Is the body of water around Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, etc. the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Gulf? Depends on where you are when you ask that question.
This even has a strange effect when all the countries involved agree that a certain geographic feature is the border, but that geographic feature is a river. Some rivers, especially ones like the Amazon river keep shifting. Sediment piles up, erosion happens, and the river shifts. The river is still the border, but now someone has to go in and adjust the political border to match the river’s new position.
So, if Trump does do something official to rename the Gulf of Mexico, the online mapping companies (and any offline ones that are left) will probably follow the rule and rename it… for their American users. The rest of the world will still see it as the Gulf of America. It will just be yet another one of those funny exceptions the companies have to keep track of while displaying maps for a certain subset of users.
Probably a good time to try and sell maps and globes to red school districts.
You know some friend of the administration already took that spot. It was probably their idea in the first place.
I’m waiting to hear what they want to do with New Mexico
I feel like New Mexico would rather secede and join Mexico before they bow to the administration.
Rename it to New America then in 4 years whine about New America trying to steal the light from old America because Democrats
Only after they deport all the new Mexicans
Small dick energy.
Is this what small government looks like? I thought these guys were all about reducing regulations and allowing businesses to do as they please, free from government restrictions.
I thought these guys were all about reducing regulations
Did you really? Be honest.
You don’t understand. They should be free of your restrictions, you should be bound by their restrictions.
Whoever obeys Nazis, I will boycott your platform. Plain and simple.
As a Trans person I feel soooo bad /s
Google also didn’t. Oof.
That post also prompted me to check Google maps, and I got Gulf of Mexico, thankfully. However I’m sure there will soon be a US version with the proper denomination so that the new masters of the land can be placated.
Cause most google users aren’t americans and the mental illness of a few sex criminals would disrupt their service.
It doesn’t matter who their customers are, Google is a us based company.
However, hopefully they are able to depose, delay, deny this ridiculousness
Executive orders mean shit, show me all the freedom fries in american stores.
Fuck, I honestly thought this was the Onion. Somebody get me out of this timeline. I withdraw consent for this simulation!
Pretty sure it’s called “Gulf of How The Fuck Does This Lower Grocery Prices”
If Apple changed the name to “Gulf of How The Fuck Does This Lower Grocery Prices” for a day in response I’d start using Apple Maps.
I’ll be happy with companies ignoring this to set the precedent that these executive orders are toothless.
Hey everyone, I just signed a lemmy order changing the name of maralago to gaping jizz hole. Enjoy!
Time for everyone to start burner Open Street Maps accounts!
Thank you for your service, sir/madam. You’re already a better executive than some presidents I can think of, thinking of what the people want.
As the first matter of business I need to immediately address, my resignation. No one man is equipped to weild the power of the lemexcutive for much longer than I have.
Farewell lemmings. Until we shit post together again.
Good night, sweet prince(ss)! Though your reign in this (lemmy.) world was short, your reign in our hearts will last at least a few more minutes!
I feel like an OSM edit is in order.
Please don’t vandalise OSM.
Use “Oblast” instead of state for every single red shithole.
Autonomna Pokrajina Texas
This should include the beautiful Oblast of New America if we are anyway in the process of renaming things.
Who’s gonna tell him?
The earliest known use of the name America dates to April 25, 1507, when it was applied to what is now known as South America. It is generally accepted that the name derives from Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer, who explored the new continents in the following years on behalf of Spain and Portugal, with the name given by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller.
So it should really be “Ameriga”?
Brazilians also Americans.
Venezuelans also Americans.
Canadians? Yep Americans
Having a step dad from Buenos Aires, I’m offended you forgot Argentina. But they have their own kind of crazy MAGA there, currently…
I remember Buenos Aires! I’m doing my part!
Waldseemüller
It’s a good thing the continent wasn’t named after him instead!
Then again, having a swim in the Gulf of Waldseemüller sounds kind of nice.
For all the non-Germans, Herr Waldseemüller or one of his ancestors probably was a miller at a lake in the forest. That’s what the components of his name say, and we already have a body of water here.
That’s a whole debate people from the US are not ready for
Anyone else remember “freedom fries”? That’s what we were supposed to call french fries when conservatives were upset that the French were not supporting the US invasion of Iraq.
But I don’t remember our government wasting time and official action on that. It was just a “popular” movement supported by propaganda
It’s even stupider when you remember that fries are from Belgium.
And that “frenched” is the way they’re cut, not that they have anything to do with the country.
Yeah, it started in WWI.
From a 1976 interview with German-American T. Max Kniesche, who moved to San Francisco in 1907, and worked in restaurants and cafes there:
Teiser: What was it like in San Francisco for Germans during the first world war? You were working at a clearly German restaurant. […]
Teiser: Did you change the kind of food that you served, or the decorations?
Kniesche: Well, the hamburger steak was Liberty Steak. French-fried potatoes were Liberty Potatoes. [laughter] We called it Liberty, but the liberty wasn’t there. Anyhow, everything went to “Liberty.” [laughter]
“Mission Accomplished” might be one of the greatest all time. And to think I thought that would be as low as it could get for our country.
Holy shit yes. I remember making fun of the doofus Bush Jr. But holy fuck do I wish him back compared to the current shit show.
Remember how if you didn’t want our boys coming home in flag draped coffins then you “Didn’t support out troops?”
Remember all the white flag and surrender jokes? Yep, the exact same starting point.
They were right as well
Yes, and sauerkraut was “liberty cabbage” before that.
“Liberty cabbage” sounds very Orwellian. I guess “freedom fries” does too.
It predates 1984 by over 30 years!
