Petition wants to rename Ohio city … to Flavortown
If Columbus changes name, celebrate region’s rich history instead
Here’s a weird story for you, readers.
There is an online petition calling to change the name of Columbus, Ohio, to Flavortown.
The petition cites two reasons for the name choice: “For one, it honors Central Ohio’s proud heritage as a culinary crossroads and one of the nation’s largest test markets for the food industry. Secondly, cheflebrity Guy Fieri was born in Columbus, so naming the city in honor of him (he’s such a good dude, really) would be superior to its current nomenclature.”
The backlash to Columbus stems from its ties to explorer Christopher Columbus. And nationwide, he has been a hot topic for several years now.
Biography notes he’s often presented as “the famous explorer who discovered America,” but the overall story is much more complicated.
History notes that he never set foot on North American shores – instead, he landed in the Bahamas in 1492.
And when he arrived in Hispaniola, he forced native inhabitants into slavery, and punished them with “the loss of a limb or death if they did not collect enough gold,” Biography reports.
He was brutal, History.com reports, and a cloud of controversy surrounds his legacy.
Nationwide, there has been a movement to rename Columbus Day as well, to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, to celebrate the history of Native Americans instead of Columbus.
The organizer of the Flavortown petition, Tyler Woodbridge, notes, “Columbus is an amazing city, but one whose name is tarnished by the very name itself. Its namesake, Christopher Columbus, is in The Bad Place because of all his raping, slave trading, and genocide. That’s not exactly a proud legacy.”
But is renaming the city Flavortown really the best idea? We think not.
One could make an argument to rename Columbus, but in doing so, it would be better to push for a name that reflects the region’s history. After all, it is the state capitol of Ohio, and Flavortown, while fun, hardly seems appropriate.
What do you think readers? Should Columbus, Ohio, be renamed? Let us know. Share your thoughts with a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com.
And to check out the petition, visit https://tinyurl. com/y6vjwtcv.