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.

  • merc@sh.itjust.works
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    2 hours ago

    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.

  • ZK686@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    I couldn’t care less what the name of that gulf is, however, Trump is right when he says that the US is the ONLY country that pumps money into that entire region. We protect it, monitor it, and it all comes out of American tax dollars. Mexico is just riding our coat tails. I can see why he’d want to change it. Also, the name “Gulf of America” technically includes Mexico…

    • WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works
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      1 hour ago

      We freeload off of Mexico. They give us about $160 billion more dollars in goods and services than we give them. They give us about $467 billion worth of stuff, and in return we give them about $309 billion in stuff. In exchange we mostly give them IOUs and other pieces of paper.

      Oh, and that’s before we talk about the billions of dollars we steal from the Mexican government. Think of all the talented workers that move from Mexico to the US. That’s millions of people raised and educated on the backs of Mexican taxpayers, who come to the US and never contribute a penny to the Mexican economy.

      The US is a giant leech sucking the Mexican economy dry.

    • Randelung@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      You know some friend of the administration already took that spot. It was probably their idea in the first place.

  • porsche13@lemmy.today
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    11 hours ago

    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.

    • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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      7 hours ago

      You don’t understand. They should be free of your restrictions, you should be bound by their restrictions.

    • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      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.

    • endeavor@sopuli.xyz
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      12 hours ago

      Cause most google users aren’t americans and the mental illness of a few sex criminals would disrupt their service.

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        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

  • AwesomeLowlander@sopuli.xyz
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    22 hours ago

    Fuck, I honestly thought this was the Onion. Somebody get me out of this timeline. I withdraw consent for this simulation!

    • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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      6 hours ago

      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.

    • slingstone@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      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.

      • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        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.

        • slingstone@lemmy.world
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          22 hours ago

          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!