NUMERICAL SOLUTION TO ELIMINATING STREET NAMES THAT ARE NAMED FOR BIGOTS

 

IN TORONTO, I HAVE BEEN SEEING AN INCREASING MOVE TO CHANGE NAMES OF STREETS THAT ARE NAMED IN MEMORY OF SOMEONE WHO IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN SOME WAY INVOLVED WITH DISCRIMINATION, OPPRESSION, OR BIGOTRY. I PERSONALLY FEEL THAT IF THE CITY INVESTIGATED THE NAMES OF MOST OF TORONTO STREETS, THEY WOULD FIND THAT THEIR NAMESAKE AT SOME TIME WAS HOMOPHOBIC, RACIST, ANTI-FEMINIST, ANTI-HISPANIC, ANTI-ITALIAN, ANTI-RELIGIOUS, ANTI-SEMITIC, OR IN SOMEWAY A BIGOT.

I HAVE A SOLUTION WHICH I THINK WOULD BE TOTALLY SATISFACTORY AND WOULD ELIMINATE THE CHANCE THAT TORONTO WOULD HONOUR SOMEONE WITH A STREET DESIGNATION, ONLY TO FIND OUT LATER THAT HE OR SHE WERE GUILTY OF SOME KIND OF OFFENSIVENESS TO THE FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS OF A PARTICULAR GROUP.

LET ALL STREETS BE NAMED BY NUMBER. THE NORTH-SOUTH ROUTES COULD BE NAMED AS STREETS -- STARTING WITH FIRST STREET. THE EAST-WEST ROUTES COULD BE NAMED AS AVENUES -- STARTING WITH FIRST AVENUE. NO NAMES, JUST UNOFFENSIVE NUMBERS.

HOWEVER, WE MUST RESPECT THE FACT THAT SOME NUMBERS ARE VIEWED AS CULTURALLY EVIL OR UNLUCKY. THOSE NUMBERS MUST NOT BE USED. IN ADDITION, SOME NUMBERS HAVE UNSAVOURY SEXUAL CONNOTATIONS WHICH MIGHT OFFEND RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVES. THUS, WE WOULD STILL NEED A NUMBER-STREET NAME MONITORING BOARD. I WOULD BE GLAD TO BE ON THAT COMMITTEE.

IN ADDITION, WE SHOULD DISCOURAGE FAMILIES FROM CHANGING THEIR NAMES TO NUMBERS SUCH AS THE FIFTEENTHS -- OTHERWISE, WE ARE BACK TO THE PROBLEM OF CHANGING THE STREET NAMES IF ONE OF THE FIFTEENTH FAMILY BECOMES FAMOUS BUT IS PREJUDICED IN SOME WAY.

I THINK MY SOLUTION IS SIMPLE AND WILL PREVENT THE CITY FROM HAVING TO CHANGE THE NAME OF A STREET BECAUSE THE PERSON IT HONOURED WAS NO LONGER HONOURABLE.