Showing respect for people and places by learning names


As a lifetime learner, I'm a big believer in starting learning about something by learning what it's called. And this can often be very difficult.

Just yesterday I learned what the GWR is. It means the "Gilbert Water Ranch" and it a place in Gilbert, Arizona where people who love to watch birds (nowadays called "Birders") love to go. The full name of the place is the Gilbert Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, so at first I was puzzled as to why it wasn't called GRPWR, but my best guess is that people were used to calling it the Gilbert Water Ranch, and as they got more and more used to it, it just became GWR.

I haven't lived in too many different places in my life, but wherever I've gone I've tried to learn what things are called. To me, it's more than just the beginnings of learning, it shows respect. Names of people and places are very important to people, and in my experience people are happy to help if you let them know that you're kinda new in town.

You could, of course, dig your heels in and argue with people. When I moved to Santa Barbara I spoke enough Spanish that I managed to mispronounce most of the streets. The locals say "Goo-TERRACE" for Gutierrez Street, but I knew some locals who were patient with me. They may have giggled a bit at my inability to pronounce things, but they helped me. My opinion is that it didn't matter what I thought, what mattered is what the people who cared about these places thought. There could have been a street called "Sade" and if it was called "Shar-day", I'd learn it. And as an old Monty Python fan, I know that "Luxury Yacht" is pronounced "Throatwobbler Mangrove".

When I started teaching graphic design, I shared what things were called. Just for fun I'd look up something like "Joint Photographers Expert Group", but I assured my students that they should just say "Jay-peg".

I just took a look at the web page for GWR, and there it says "Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch. I'll think I'll stay with GWR. I'm a local, and I'm a birder.

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