A Saturday Short
Name Changes are for the Birds
On a vacation recently to Florida’s Atlantic coast, we had the opportunity to have lunch at Copper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant in Orlando. The slogan for the chain of about 50 establishments is “Modern Casual Dining”. While both the food and service were terrific, what was extraordinary was their coffee – it was too early for wine and we were flying out later that afternoon.
Although never explained, the dining/drinking enterprise was obviously named after the bird, Cooper’s Hawk. The fowl was named in 1828 by the French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in honor of his friend, American naturalist, William Cooper. The bird is a member of the Accipiter species and at times referred to as true hawks.
Going woke, the American Ornithological Society recently announced that birds in North America will be renamed to avoid any 'harmful' historical associations with people or groups of people. The AOS states the “decision aims to eliminate the practice of naming birds after people, which has been deemed “clouded by racism and misogyny” in the past. The name Cooper’s Hawk is one of 80 that will be rechristened. What now is an established eatery to do? Its name as well must be harmful to those very limited by such monikers and environmentally fragile issues.
In groups of people perhaps name changes to something more environmentally inclusive and sensitive designations are required for:
Philadelphia Eagles
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Cardinals
Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays
Pittsburg Penguins
Anaheim Ducks
Another ornithological group, the National Audubon Society was named for John James Audubon. In his biography it is written, “Audubon owned slaves, both in Haiti and the United States. He also sold slaves to others and believed in the institution of slavery. Audubon held white supremacist views and believed in the superiority of the white race. He also stole Native American remains to support his theories on racial hierarchy.”
Being as woke as any organization, one would assume the National Audubon Society would change its name, except that would certainly impede or disrupt donations - the most important matter and primary purpose for all duplicitous environmental organizations.
My wife’s maiden is Robbins. In her youth, the nearby ranching community included the Sparrows and Crows. Ranches with flatulating cattle, coupled with those names - does this call for an all-out protest and barn burning?
These are the same people, in the same types of organizations, who believe their ideology supersedes humanity and everything else is secondary to their cause.
I have arrived at an appropriate bird name for the American Ornithological Society that removes people, the “Windmill Killed Killdeer”.
