Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/04/16/runaway-negro-creek-finally-ha.html
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Better late than never.
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Took them long enough, same with the canyon in Utah. It seems like they’ve all had to be changed federally to some extent, since local officials invariably want to retain the names.
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It needs a better name, but Freedom Creek seems like Freedom Fries. Why not just call it Runaway Creek? Sometimes we need to preserve the ugly reminders of our past. Like scars, they remind us of what not to do again.
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Emancipation Creek maybe?
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I’m hoping that there’s a dangling modifier in that sentence.
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Terms like “runaway” or “fugitive” or “escapee” may imply that the individual who took such action is somehow escaping justice rather than seeking it.
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I kind of like it, despite my previous rant. Better than Freedom Creek.
At the time, they were escaping justice as it was applied then, but not now. It was a stigma then, a badge of honor now. That sort of reminder is important.
Edit: Oh, you might mean it implies actual criminals. That’s sort of the reason to use it. No one is going to get interested in the history of Freedom Creek. Runaway Creek sparks curiosity and hopefully surprise and learning of the actual origin of the name.
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The word itself still carries a stigma, justified or no. “Runaway” usually implies someone who tried to escape responsibility for their actions.
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It was a bad movie, but not THAT bad…
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Whatsabout history tho? How will we remember?
I think dickhead white person creek might work well instead?
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Worst episode of Magnum PI, ever.
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Runaway Racist Creek?
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I have to say i agree with you in the sense that “runaway” sounds intriguing. When I hear the song “Runaway Train” I think, “man I’m sick of this song,” but I also don’t think, “why are all those irresponsible children shirking their responsibilities?”
“Freedom creek” sounds like the tea party named it after George W Bush.
How about some more interesting words: “salvation creek, emancipation creek, ooh I like “opportunity creek” or “hope creek.”
Honestly, it still works though.
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I agree. Freedom Creek is too easy and ‘freedom’ tends to get thrown around a lot in scenarios such as this. I guess I would have liked to have had a little more thought go into the name. Refer to something local or, if the desire is to maintain a relationship to the original name, then, as Jandrese stated, Emancipation Creek. Or maybe Underground Railroad Creek, unless you’re into the whole brevity thing.
That said, I’ve never heard of it before and will likely never see the creek. However, it’s good that it has finally been changed.
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Interesting. To me “a runaway” implies fleeing something horrible, and the runaway has my sympathy.
But, if the town shared my perspective, they would have renamed it a while back.
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“Freedom” implies they made it all the way north, a nice Hollywood ending.
Based on that, “Fuck you, racists Creek” would be more appropriate.
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And, knowing the good people of Reconstruction Georgia, I’m guessing that Runway “Negro” Creek was already a change from the original.
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