I’m outraged-That an “institution of higher learning” can’t differentiate between a victimizer and a victim is
pathetic.Having said that if they come up with something with some panache or catches the zeitgeist I’ll 
follow along.On another note-although this appears to be a piece of “woke” nonsense and “cancel culture”
I can’t let GW Risings post go unanswered.My friend -what is more egregious,changing the moniker of a 
University or not televising the Jan 6th committee?With no commercials!Talk about canceling.

I just don't care. I don't find the name Colonials offensive in any way. But also, I don't feel attached to the school because of the Colonials nickname. I feel attached to the school because it is where I went to school. I'll still feel attached if they change the actual name. 

If people are offended, changing it and leaving people less offended is better. There's a lot in life to be upset/worried/angry about. I just choose not to be any of those things about GW's name. I'm looking forward to buying a new hat and some new shirts in 2023.

Gwmayhem wrote:

Mike K wrote:

ESPN AP Article

According to an online statement from the university, a that committee determined that supporters of "Colonials" view it as referring to "those who lived in the American colonies, especially those who fought for independence and democracy," while opponents see the term as referring to "colonizers who stole land and resources from indigenous groups, killed or exiled Native peoples and introduced slavery into the colonies."

NO, NO, NO!  Definitions of words are not matters of opinion.  You can't take the word "refrigerator" and state that one group views the word as an appliance designed to store and keep food cold while others define it as a fluid put in a car to enable power steering.  Colonizer and Colonial are different words with different meanings, not subject to interpretation.

Totally agree with you Gwmayhem

Let´s leave the pros-cons on dropping Colonials to the other thread and use this to discuss possible replacements.

My suggestion is Independents. The school´s namesake was against political parties and led the army that made the USA an independent country. Also, this still gives out-of-town media a chance to spell the name wrong (Independence will be the new Colonels). And it is in keeping with the political hotbed that the University is smack-dab in the center of.

Others have suggested:
1) Revolutionaries-- An easy pick and on-brand. It also would allow the school the change the court at the Smith Center from having pictures of DC area sights to portraits of John Brown, Stokely Carmichael and Eugene Debbs. Sadly, too similar to the MLS team in the Boston area.
2) Carvers-- I like this one, but it may be a bit beyond the mean intellect of mainstream America (then again, Wheel of Fortune and the nutritional information graphic on a cereal box are also beyond the intellect of mainstream America, so that might not be so bad-- the country is in really bad shape). But I don´t see a very eye-pleasing logo-- maybe a Mount Vernon overseer eating peanut butter? not really easy to put on a t-shirt.
3) Hippos-- A million times no. SJT is just some old ex-employee who hangs around the office too much because he is too much of a loser to take up a hobby in his retirement. To reward his ego with this would be to send the University on a death spiral that results in American buying most of the land the campus is on now. Hard pass.
4) Commanders-- Sure. The NFL team has won exactly zero games with that name, and yet still managed to continue insulting racial minorities with its existence (see Del Rio, Jack). Given George Washington´s slave ownership, opponents would refer to the school as "Master and Commander".
5) Bulldog and/or Wildcats-- Of course, there are not enough schools using these nom de guerres out there already. Might as well make vanilla the official school flavour.
6) Districts-- Not exactly a fierce wild animal that will rip your head off, but it does draw attention to where the school is located and, perhaps, increase community interest in the teams. It might also get derided as political ploy to draw attention to the District´s attempt to get Congressional representation and budget autonomy. Accept this only if it comes with a tax break from the city that might otherwise have gone to wasting money on a stadium for the NFl team .
 

Last edited by GW Alum Abroad (6/15/2022 4:12 pm)

Thanks for posting this, GWAA.   

I like referring to us, officially, as The Buff and Blue, but stylized as the Buffs for the team nickname. 

The fight song already calls us the Buff and the Blue, a Buffalo mascot works, and Buffalo (Bison) we’re prevalent all throughout our country during that era.

The GW Ewes!

GW69 wrote:

I’m outraged-That an “institution of higher learning” can’t differentiate between a victimizer and a victim is
pathetic.Having said that if they come up with something with some panache or catches the zeitgeist I’ll 
follow along.On another note-although this appears to be a piece of “woke” nonsense and “cancel culture”
I can’t let GW Risings post go unanswered.My friend -what is more egregious,changing the moniker of a 
University or not televising the Jan 6th committee?With no commercials!Talk about canceling.

I'll tell you what. You can televise the whole January 6th hearings in primetime on every network if you agree that in the upper right hand corner of the screen we have the current average price per gallon of gas and the current annualized inflation rate. Fair?

Last edited by GWRising (6/15/2022 4:31 pm)

Gwmayhem wrote:

Mike K wrote:

ESPN AP Article

According to an online statement from the university, a that committee determined that supporters of "Colonials" view it as referring to "those who lived in the American colonies, especially those who fought for independence and democracy," while opponents see the term as referring to "colonizers who stole land and resources from indigenous groups, killed or exiled Native peoples and introduced slavery into the colonies."

NO, NO, NO!  Definitions of words are not matters of opinion.  You can't take the word "refrigerator" and state that one group views the word as an appliance designed to store and keep food cold while others define it as a fluid put in a car to enable power steering.  Colonizer and Colonial are different words with different meanings, not subject to interpretation.

 
This should be framed and sent to the powers that be at GW.

Stealing from an old political party I Think we should be the GW “Know Nothings”.  We obviously can’t explain the difference between Colonials and Colonialism.

Or just go opposite.  George Washington RedCoats.  Let’s see if the students understand irony.

For me, a school name works best when it signifies a group that you can be a part of. Even better if it is recognizing a group that your values align with. 

Because GW students already lack school spirit and I don’t believe in GW’s marketing office to properly get me pumped up about an animal or color, my vote would be for Revolutionaries.

For a school as political as GW I think the word will offer multiple meanings to multiple people. And it has a historical bent as well.