- cross-posted to:
- usa@midwest.social
- cross-posted to:
- usa@midwest.social
In academic discourse, use of the correct name is an important means of establishing professional credibility. For example, if within the fields of computer science and information science, a specific term of art, such as artificial intelligence, has gained widespread acceptance, the use of an alternative term—a term, like superintelligence, not widely accepted within the discipline—would seriously undermine the credibility of academic work (and the author’s more general standing within the field).
Donald Trump has notoriously attempted to rechristen the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” So too has he attempted to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” and he is threatening to fashion new MAGA names for an ocean, a major river, and the state of New Mexico. Trump also recently signed an executive order requiring all federal government programs and communications to use the terms superintelligence and S.I. rather than the broadly accepted nomenclature artificial intelligence and A.I. One might shrug all of this off and say, “Well, so what? It’s a free country, and all of us can still use the generally accepted names of places (Gulf of Mexico) and things (A.I.).”
Unfortunately, after Oct. 1, 2026, this is no longer the case for academics at state-sponsored colleges and universities in Alabama. H.B. 2 officially bans the use of the phrase Gulf of Mexico by any and all state employees. As a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, I find this appalling.
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Malicious compliance: just say “the gulf”.
How is this not a first amendment thing? Since this is a state run public institution, so essentially the government, controlling what private citizens say. Just because it’s a law doesn’t mean it’s constitutional.
Nobody says you can’t cough and mumble the past word. Every time.
I would not care. If someone complains i would call them a Traitor Fellon Rapist Turd Ass Licker and flip them the Finger. A day later i propaby be sitting on the street begging for money. But under no circumstances i would play with the Turds Bullshit.
Every record has been destroyed or falsified … every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered… welcome to the Trump United States of America America.
(The gulf formerly known as) Gulf of Mexico, or (The gulf with the international name) Gulf of Mexico, wouldn’t work?
Isn’t this the government overreach they’re always harping on about …
Suddenly, conservatives are upset about deadnaming. 🙄
The cons are some of the most petty of snowflakes.
What are they going to do if people use the right name for the Gulf of Mexico?
Mexico, Gulf of
Chalchiuhtlicueyecatl
Or… British Petroleum Thunderdome
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I’m not a lawyer. I’m 99.99% sure that if the institution is state run (like a university of Alabama situation), then they open themselves to civil rights litigation if they were to fire you for this.
“The Gulf East of Mexico”
The gulf east of Mexico
People still think this is the land of freedom lol. I’d guess 70% of Alabama doesn’t care about this, how far off am I as someone who hasn’t gotten to experience the people IRL?
Florida passed a similar law, but I am yet to meet a serious person, emphasis on serious, that actually calls it gulf of america. Only the die hard bootlickers are on board with this. In an unrelated irony, the locals are also set to sink the SS united states, a historic vessel, in the gulf of Mexico (america for the idiots) in the next week. The timing is very apt.
Whole lotta grifters sold shirts to dipshits related to “gulf of america” (lol) but yeah no one outside the biggest of buttkissers calls it that.
Oh yah they did, tons of stupid flags too. But then again these are the same idiots that flew flags saying trump won in 2020.
Isn’t the SA United thing a good thing tho lol? Was under the idea it would be a huge artificial reef / rec diving spot?
It is and it isn’t. It has cost millions to purchase it, tow it, store it and clean it and now is under a pending injunction from a federal judge that may prevent it from sinking as the plaintiffs alledge the USACE didn’t follow the proper protocols to issue the permit modification since the vessel is on the national historic register. Its a shit show. Im all for artificial reefs, but this is just dumb.
I live in Alabama, but I can’t say I have an answer for you. It just doesn’t come up. People usually just say “the gulf.”
That being said, most people that interact with me know that we don’t see eye to eye. This means most hot topics are left alone.
Tommy Tuberville is a stupid idiot who’s going to make more of a fool of himself as governor than he did as Senator. George Wallace without the charisma
Maybe they’ll have better aim this time.
Though to be fair, Wallace spent the end of his life trying to make amends for the rest of it. Can’t see Tuberville doing that either, not least because he is, in fact, not very bright.
You can’t even call it the gulf formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico? Like the history doesn’t even count?
According to the article they are forbidden to call it anything other than the gulf of America, except specifically in a historical context. But only when “reasonable” which means they can ignore that exception whenever they feel like doing so.
This bizarre law provides that “all state and local entities and their employees shall be required to … [r]efer to the body of water that borders the coast of Alabama as the ‘Gulf of America,’ ” including “in all newly created maps, documents, educational materials, websites, official communications, and other resources.” Section 3 contains a limited exception to this general rule: “Nothing in this section shall prohibit a public K–12 school or public institution of higher education from using the term ‘Gulf of Mexico’ within a larger course of academic instruction when reasonable for historical purposes.”
Most just call it the Gulf to get around this stupidity
We’ve always been at war with Eurasia typa shit.
