Lived in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s (which had its own serious problems, but was not Orange County). But my family was involved in protests about naming the OC Airport after Wayne. Clearly he was revered in the very conservative parts of that county (so was the John Birch Society), and few would have singled out his racism as the main reason for the reverence - though many would single out his standing up to the Hippies, the Women’s Libbers, the (what they still called then) rebellious Negroes, the militant Indians and the Homo-Sexual Agenda. There was very little doubt what the debate was about (two different visions of what it meant to be American, much as we have today). The protests had no chance, since inside the county support was overwhelming. In my family we refused to use the name, and always called it the Orange County Airport.
My brother and his family, and my wife’s sister and her family, now live in OC, which still has pockets of rabid ultra right conservatives (I took my daily walk from my sister in laws house last year and ran into several racist signs and well manicured lawns), but is much more diverse, progressive and tolerant than it was in the 20th century. This of course is reflected in the party affiliation of the congressional delegation from the region. All that to say, OC names it’s airport after Wayne because of his hateful, intolerant views, not because they were not aware of them. If a video of his hateful comments had been released in the mid 1970s, it would not have derailed the plan to name the airport after him, it would have made the mice even more popular. On Thu, Jul 2, 2020 at 12:51 AM 'Dave Sikula' via TVorNotTV < [email protected]> wrote: > Understood, and not offered as any kind of defense, but more as > perspective on the idea that, by 1979, all right-thinking people had > rejected discrimination. It was (and still is, to a degree) a pretty > popular idea down there to the point of naming an airport after one of > their own. > > --Dave Sikula > > On Wednesday, July 1, 2020 at 8:22:02 PM UTC-7, PGage wrote: >> >> Again, this is true, but it is the problem, not the defense. >> >> On Wed, Jul 1, 2020 at 6:11 PM 'Dave Sikula' via TVorNotTV < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> > Not to defend that mindset at all, but I grew up in La Mirada, which is >>> about as far south as a person can go in Los Angeles County before crossing >>> the Orange Curtain. >>> >>> When we moved into our house in 1962, the realtor proudly told my mother >>> that there was an agreement that the first one of them who sold a house to >>> a Negro would be blackballed by the others. >>> >>> There wasn't a Black family in town until 1972. A coalition of town >>> fathers (among them a U.S. Congressman and the high school football coach) >>> burned a cross on their lawn. It was we;-known throughout the town who had >>> done it, but there was no way to get the case taken on by the authorities >>> (who were, needless to say, in the bag). >>> >>> So naming an airport--or anything--for any racist in that period >>> wouldn't have given anyone a second thought--especially an airport right >>> next door to Irvine, which was incredibly restricted until even more >>> recently. >>> >>> --Dave Sikua >>> >>> On Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at 6:29:58 PM UTC-7, PGage wrote: >>>> >>>> That is a dubious argument for not defending adequately against >>>> COVID-19, and it is an even worse defense for John Wayne and Orange County. >>>> We are talking about 1979 (when they named the airport) not 1779. There >>>> were plenty of Americans who knew racism was wrong at that time. If a >>>> particular herd refused to see that, they are assholes, not immune. >>>> >>>> On Tue, Jun 30, 2020 at 4:24 PM Steve Timko <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Herd immunity. Everyone around him was infected with racism. >>>>> On Jun 30, 2020, at 12:49 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> No. He wasn’t. I’m saying that too. But how is that a point in his >>>>>> defense? >>>>>> >>>>>> On Tue, Jun 30, 2020 at 8:44 AM Steve Timko < [email protected]> >>>>>> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> I am saying he wasn't much of an outlier in the Republican Party >>>>>>> On Jun 30, 2020, at 6:35 AM, PGage < [email protected]> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I’m not sure your first point is a defense. Orange County chose to >>>>>>>> name the airport after him when it was proud of its identity as a >>>>>>>> bastion >>>>>>>> of white, conservative, Republican power in Sothern California, >>>>>>>> specifically to celebrate and brand itself with Wayne’s brand of thinly >>>>>>>> veiled racism and jingoism. The county is substantially (though not >>>>>>>> completely) different today, and no surprise a majority there no longer >>>>>>>> want the racist brand. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Mon, Jun 29, 2020 at 8:41 PM Steve Timko < [email protected]> >>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> What John Wayne said was inexcusable and likely he said much worse >>>>>>>>> in private. >>>>>>>>> Two points in his defense: >>>>>>>>> His views were not that far from typical Republican views at the >>>>>>>>> time (read transcripts of the Nixon tapes) and sadly not far enough >>>>>>>>> from >>>>>>>>> the beliefs of most white Americans. >>>>>>>>> He fully owned the racist character in "The Searchers" and >>>>>>>>> Hollywood has produced few movies as anti-Trumpanzee as "The >>>>>>>>> Searchers." >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Mon, Jun 29, 2020, 7:05 PM PGage < [email protected]> wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> And yet, there are many people who call the Orange County Airport >>>>>>>>>> John Wayne. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> On Mon, Jun 29, 2020 at 11:31 AM 'Bob Jersey' via TVorNotTV < >>>>>>>>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> M-D November, today (6/29): >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> Yeah, what was the rationale behind that, anyway? >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Airports for the most part are named for where they are (sorry, >>>>>>>>>>> NY), and many a SoCal'er knew there wasn't a city there named for >>>>>>>>>>> Hope, >>>>>>>>>>> so... >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2017/12/15/bob-hope-airport-renamed-so-passengers-know-where.html >>>>>>>>>>> (link) >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> B >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the >>>>>>>>>>> Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. >>>>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from >>>>>>>>>>> it, send an email to [email protected]. >>>>>>>>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit 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