'You can't rewrite history'

Political correctness has gotten out of hand in this country. Changing the name of Negro Creek isn't a step forward for society. If anything, it's a step backward. People learn from the mistakes they made as well as the ones their ancestors made. Changing the name of a creek doesn't change the history behind the word. It was an acceptable term at the time, and it's part of our area's history.

Fifty years ago, the word "gay" meant happy or merry. Should we ban the Flintstones theme because "gay" is used in a more derogatory way now? Of course not.

Many places all over the United States, all over the world have what most people would consider "offensive" names. The reason? During the early 1900s, topographers were sent out to name and measure geographic locations and relied on local input. Those names, some offensive, were codified in federal maps and served as a snapshot of the local language and racial attitudes. Consider, for example, Arizona’s Dago Spring and Gringo Gulch, New York’s Polack Swamp, and Chinaman Bayou in Louisiana, to name just a few. When I was in Florida, I had been to Jew Point, and some of the best fishing in Indiana is in Redskin Brook.

You can't rewrite history. And you can't change the past. Sure, by today's standards, those names are offensive. But covering them up and pretending those opinions and views never existed is a slap in the face to those who fought to change it in the first place. History is never pretty. If you want our children to learn from the past, you can't hide the parts you don't like and pretend they never happened.

Chad Errio

Seatonville