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Garrett Brnger / AP
After a year of debate about what many viewed was an offensive name, this New Hampshire pond, pictured during winter months, has been officially renamed Carleton Pond.
Jew Pond, a small, unremarkable, yet controversial body of water in New Hampshire, has been officially renamed Carleton Pond, which many had been calling it anyway.
Residents from Mont Vernon, N.H., had pejoratively dubbed it “Jew Pond” in the 1920s after two Jewish businessmen from Boston bought a hotel there, the Los Angeles Times reported. The businessmen wanted to reopen the hotel for Jewish guests, who had been banned from the hotel – and from most hotels in New Hampshire.
(A hotel brochure, unearthed by journalist Katelyn Dobbs for a 13-minute documentary she produced, noted: “Applications from Hebrews not desired.”)
The pond had been given other names – Spring Pond and Fire Pond among them – but “Jew Pond” made its way onto federal maps in the 1960s, the Nashua Telegraph reported.
It wasn’t until 2010, when an algae bloom prompted the state to close off the lake that Jew Pond made headlines.
“A lot of us kind of cringed that our town would be characterized as having a pond that could be offensive to people and viewed as anti-Semitic,” Rich Masters, a Mont Vernon health officer, said in Dobbs’ documentary. Masters ultimately petitioned the town to change the pond’s name because he found it disrespectful.
“We thought it wasn’t a very good name for a pond,” Masters said. “I spoke to some people with a Jewish tradition, and they were not happy about it either.”
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Jeff Fladen, director of the New Hampshire Jewish Federation, told Dobbs that hearing the name “Jew Pond” reminded him of offensive phrases such as “Jewing down the price,” or talking about a “Jew lawyer” or a “Jew politician.”
“If the name had been Jewish pond,” Fladen said, “we would not be having this conversation.”
Jew Pond gained national attention and even Daily Show host Jon Stewart did a bit on the pond in March, suggesting, jokingly, that it might be inhabited by a mythical and neurotic creature (Woody Allen).
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But some Mont Vernon residents didn’t find the pond’s name offensive.
“As long as there are old people here we will always call it Jew Pond,” a woman identified as Mrs. Wilkins of the Historical Society told Dobbs. “In this day and age we do not consider it an insult. It’s just history.”
That said, Wilkins noted, the name “probably was an insult.”
After a year of debate, Mont Vernon residents overwhelmingly voted to change the pond's name to Carleton Pond after George O. Carleton who donated it to the town. The U.S. Geological Survey agreed and, on Friday, officially changed its name.
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im anticarleton.
palestineans were forced out of their homes at gunpoint...but thats ok because the jews had it bad in WWII....any crime the jews commit now will be ok because the jews had it bad in WWII.
No, Lebron - they were chased from the land because they used it to attack Israel in 1948, 1956, and 1967.
Jeff, you clearly don't have a clue. Israel did not exist as a country until 1948. And we can thank Truman and Churchill for laying this turd.
Correct. And the Original boundaries of Israel in '48 didnt include Gaza or the West Bank. Both territories' land were used as staging grounds for attacks in 1948, upon Israel's independence. Israel captured tham - and gave it back. Then, in '56 it was used again, captured, and given back. In '67, when it happened a third time, Israel didnt give it back (IDF left Israel 4 years ago).
Gaza is Egypt (they havent asked for it back) West Bank it Jordan (they havent asked for it back).
Of course, you, in your ignorance and hate, will say that you were referring to the ORIGINAL boundaries, not the territories....and that Israel should not have existed "period" because the Arabs were there first - not so.
Israel was there until year 70., hen, the Romans threw them out, but they always maintained a presence. I COULD go through the whole history, but it would be wasted on someone like you, whose agenda is clear. "There are none so blind as those who WILL not see."
I'm just going to call it Kike pond now! lol
Are you a Dago...or a Wop, Mike ?
lol Tranquil Nihilist- you nub
Dear LeBron James is a big fat loser,
Good to see somebody is educated about the facts.
P.S. Your name is absolutely TRUE!!!
It used to be called Palestine Pond but the jews got it for free when WWII ended...the palestineans were forced out of their homes at gunpoint...but thats ok because the jews had it bad in WWII....any crime the jews commit now will be ok because the jews had it bad in WWII.
what's wrong with the word "jew"? must be puritanism at work.
If you don't mind spic, wop, ni..er, etc. then Jew is okay. Moron.
Did you even bother to read the article? The name was designed to be explicitly derogatory -- some local bigots were upset that Jews were allowed to rent rooms in a hotel there.
Why are JPR and Jim jumping on Save? I myself wasn't aware that Jew was a bad word. I thought it was the same as Muslim or Christian. Now if the pond were called dirty Jew pond I might would think it was offensive. And as far as your comment, Jim, is concerned, it doesn't matter how it started out being used, it could still become a symbol of pride. ie. the term n*gg*r started out as derogatory, but then blacks took the word and changed the meaning.
Spc, the word "Jew" is acceptable as a noun but not an adjective...for instance, we can say "He is a Jew" or "He is a Jewish lawyer" but not "He is a Jew lawyer."
Cassandra-854239, you're ridiculous.
Cassandra is correct, but all these people with autistic disorders have trouble grasping simple social cues.
@Cassandra, thanks. I didn't realize that.
SPC consider yourself a wiser man. As for the N word, it has not changed. Children use it to insult a classmate. Adults sound foolish when they call each other the N word and many educated, black people have commented on this very fact. They do not find it cute or ingratiating. I simply find it odd and not in the least complimentary. Wanting to change a meaning does not make it so.
Please tell me that you are joking and are seriously not that ignorant. If you are joking, it's not a very funny joke. If you are not, then that level of ignorance is really frightening.
Except that Jews refer to themselves as "Jews" not the
"Jewish" and don't consider it derogatory. They don't say ridiculous things like "The 'J' word".
Funny how you're apparently very politically correct but you don't have a problem calling someone you've never met a "moron".
Cassandra, isn't "Jewish lawyer" having the word "Jewish" function as an adjective?
This name is not offensive. It would be like calling the pond 'christian pond' or ' muslim pond' . Whatever the meaning was before, it would have changed in today's time.
I would have just changed the name to "jewish pond" in order to keep some of the historical accuracy.
Too bad they didnt name it White Trash Pond...after the people who lovingly referred to it as Jew Pond.
How about renaming ...Indian Falls, Indian Lake, etc. Are we going to cave in to every stinking group? How about gay pond, black pond, homey pond, whitey pond, Mormon pond....give me a break!!
Durn, I certainly started a shiite storm. my bad. sorry about offending the prudes. I'm quite naive myself, but I don't consider one race inferior to any other and everybody is human in my heart. I'm quite rational though and take the mathematical absolute value(l l) of words like @!$%#, jew, kike, spic, camel- @!$%#er, cracker, scallywag, snik snak, fags or what not for what they contain, the word "human". so for all the hateful bigots and puritan hypocrites: F you.
and thank you to those who don't have a phoney heart who posted under my understanding of things.
Wrong. An equivalent derogatory name would be "papist pond" or "raghead pond".
A bigger issue here than the name, even, is the fact that there are right wingers - many conservatives, tea partiers and libertarians - that would not see the story behind the pond naming as a bad thing. Many right wingers defend the right of business owners to openly discriminate. Under this philosophy, a business owner could tell Jewish people, black people, white people, Irish people, Christians, atheists, gays, straights, or any other group that they can't shop there, eat there, sleep there, play there, etc. They would see nothing wrong with a hotel that put up huge signs that say "No Jews allowed". Because the rights of a business owner to discriminate trumps civil rights and human dignity.
My Protestant wife does not like the name: "PROT," and my Catholic friends don't like to be called "PAPISTS." My ITALIAN friends don't like to be called "WOP," and my German friends don't like to be called "KRAUTS." Nor do my Japanese friends enjoy being referred to as "JAPS," any more than my Chinese friends like to hear themselves referred to as "CHINKS," or my Latino friends enjoy the moniker: "SPIC." I won't even repeat the names which are doled out to African Americans.
So why should I expect my Jewish friends to like being called by a name which they find to be insulting? Only racists would fail to understand this.
Unless you are jewish you don't get to decide whether or not it's offensive. Just like with anything, if you are having a cyber relationship with someone online and your wife, the only other person it might matter to, thinks you are cheating, you are. The one to be hurt is the one who decides the offense even if you think it is stupid.
@vince..shame on you. No such thing as a stupid question, but there is such a thing as a stupid response.
The reason Jew Pond is not like Christian Pond is the context and spirit in which it was named and used - although Jewish Pond would be the correct alternative, "Jew Pond" just sounds of deragatory intent.
Jessica, How does bringing up bigots from 100 years ago make the world a better place today, yes let's keep ripping the scab off these wounds so that people who were not even alive at the time can be subjected to the spewage and hate like yours. MCIYA balls deep.
They've been bowdlerizing (look it up) names on maps here in Utah for ages. Sally's Nipple is no more. @!$%#ter Ring has also gone away. Why are people so afraid of words?
Oh, and Head (JPR or otherwise) ... I don't mind spic, wop, @!$%# etc. etc. at all. They're just words too.
Most racists don't mind those words. That's a given.
Rockwell people are afraid of names they are afraid to say Indian so they say native American they are scared that if they say Indian the Indians will rise up and take AMERICA back and make It a decent place to live again
@burger, people don't say Indian, UNLESS they are talking about people that come from India, make sense. The people that were born here in the US are native americans.
SpcTorres....You are quite incorrect, sir.
People certainly do say 'indian' and are talking about 'native americans' when they do so. I don't see what the hell the fuss is about to start with. I'm from a Swedish background and have no issue when somebody calls me a 'Swede' - People are waaay too into being politically correct.
awwww no more sallys nipple ?? still a nimrod mn looooooool
One of the best examples that has not been renamed is Le Grand Tetons. Too much history and Americans, in general, are ignorant of French fur trapper slang. But lots of oh-so-nice moms and dads use very naughty and descriptive language on vacations all the time and it doesn't hurt them a bit.
I've always wondered how that ever got past Congress. Were our representatives back when the park was established as dumb as they are today? Surely not!
@Bear, I guess I worded it wrong. What I was trying to say was that people who are from India are Indians and that the people from here are native americans. And as far as you being called a Swede when you have a Swedish background makes no sense. Native Americans don't have an Indian background so they should mine being called an Indian. People want to be called what they are and I can respect that.
Torres- If I know someone is a Dakota Indian, for example, I refer to that person as a Dakota instead of a generic term like "Native American" or "American Indian." I am definitely a Swedish-American: I have a U.S. passport, but I go by Swedish and American culture. When I lived in Sweden, a friend from the United States informed my neighbor she's Norwegian. I think she got the message that she really isn't Norwegian when the neighbor switched from speaking in English to speaking in Norwegian.
There are a couple of lakes where I live that people would like to rename. Many have suggested using the names the Dakota used for the lakes before the European Americans arrived, Maybe people in NH should figure out what people called the lake before it was known as Jew Pond
Yes, they do. It's actually *Native American* that elicits more of an eye roll than *Indian*.
When the *PC Committee* folk decided *Indian* was a misnomer, it was inquired of tribal reps what would be more *acceptable*. Since nearly every tribe's name translates in English to *the People* & that is how they refer to ea other, that was what would've been acceptable & proper to them.
That about made politicians' heads explode. They didn't like the right answer, so they hung *Native American* on them, against their expressed wishes. Neither Indian nor Native American is taken as derogatory, just as invented white nonsense.
Now *Redskins*, however....that's a fightin' word. That's derogatory.
It's an international embarassment that the pro football team from our nation's capital is called the Washington Redskins. There have been many petitions to change that & they've all been ignored. It would literally take an Act of Congress at this pt to do so, & it shouldn't. It's a derogatory term to Indians & they get to decide what is offensive to them, not some fat cat team owner who thinks it's a joke.
That could probably be b/c French slang for *breasts* isn't *tetons*, it's *poitrines*.
Watch out, or someone will bowdlerize Uranus next!
Coming soon, the demand to change the name of "Cracker" Barrel.
There are a lot of Kingons on Uranus, right?
hahahahahahaah thats funny!
@sawyer: There used to be, but they got wiped out.
the government wanted to bail out the ponds banks.
People have too much time on their hands if a name on a map upsets them. History is history, good or bad you shouldn't change it because a change in political wind. There used to be a N--g-r head rock in Florida. It looked just like a giant Black American coming out of the water. Nobody knows what they changed the name to but when you see it, the old name just jumps out at you.
Delightful.
Thank you, Mike-2889620 for being the only person on this thread that seems to appreciate the historical significance of local areas and the stories behind them. When being politically correct trumps history, then truth just goes down the tube---as already witnessed by a couple of the outrageous and unbelievable remarks made (and collapsed) in this thread.
Are you @!$%#ing kidding me? THAT's the first word that comes to your mind?
If that's your local history, it's time to flush it down the toilet.
If you look at something that looks like a black american's head and your first thoughts are it looks like a "n*gg*er's head" you've got issues. Remind me to stay away from you.
what about those grand tetons? thats gotta offend somebody not??
What the hell is to historical appreciate about that, Mike and Annie? When did I ask to be called a "nig#$r"? When was I historically a "nig$#r"? That isn't about "politically correctness", it's about coming out of the 50's and 60's (1800 or 1900's). It seems Mike and Annie go around calling Black people "nig#$&s" all the time! When people try to tell me that I shouldn't talk about slavery because "it's in the past", I will most definitely reference Mike and Annie on all my posts.
First off, I am not Jewish and actually, this is one time where politically correct, PC, verbiage is warranted. The pond was named at a time that words like that were meant as derogatory addresses of ethic groups, much akin to "honky" et alia.
Also, I am not condoning the use of all PC agendas, and just hope they do not change the name of the Grand Tetons! LOL
Where I live there are two small mountains which the National Park calls The Bubbles. Till the park decided to change the name, they were known as The Bubbies, because from the water they looked like breasts. Likewise, the nautical charts mark a local feature as A Rock, a clean-up of the real name, @!$%# Rock, called that because it lies at the end of a narrow passage between two islands called The Gut.
Liberals and their radical muslim allies are very upset by this
Please troll somewhere else.
Stuntman: I seriously doubt that radical muslims would have a problem with a term that is disrespectful to Jews. Please put more thought into your insults if you want them to be effective.
I can't believe anyone found this offensive. What's wrong with Jew? Jewanna cry?
Seriously?
What's wrong with Jew Pond? What if it was called Muslim Pond or Christian Pond - think it would have mattered? So it started off as an insult, doesn't mean it has to be taken that way.
Personally, I live Jew Pond. Sounds cool.
I was wondering the same thing. I didn't realize Jew was a derogatory word until now. I would love to have a Christian pond. The meanings of things can change over time and it would seem that the meaning of this pond could have changed for the better. But, apparently the term Jewish is more acceptable and correct.
vikings qb=christian ponder is that offensive??
No but his play sure is...
Why didn't they rename it Jewish pond if there was no problem with this name.
What? For this pond, I traveled 2,000 miles? On my worst enemy I would not wish this. Ahhhhem!
Time for Mrs. Wilkins to be replaced.
People think it's offensive to say "Jewing down the price," and they're right: It *is* offensive. But why don't the same people speak out when we use the equally racist slur, "I got Gypped"?
Those expressions are offensive because they are used in conversation. Right now. The names of old towns and places are historical and reflect events or circumstances of the age in which they were first named. Thus, they should not be changed to satisfy some overly-sensitive individual who is on the lookout for perceived insult.
I partly agree with you. I live in a city where PC nut cases tried to change the name of a subway station (that was named in the 19th century after a man who lived 200 years ago) because he had owned slaves. Things like this are foolish. Some place names should be changed however, because they enshrine the bigotry of their time. "Jew Lake" is an example of this, no different than calling a Jewish neighborhood "Hymie Town" or a Chinese neighborhood, "Chink Town".
These may not bother you, but insults are keenly felt and "perceived" if you're on the receiving end of them. I would in no way honor bigoted place names, just because "they are historical and reflect events or circumstances of the age in which they were first named." Some of our historical events and circumstances are a matter of shame. We should be valuing and respecting those who are living now, not keeping bigoted place names. Some might call this "PC". I call it "good manners".
@So that's how you spell Gypped? I get it now. Like the Gypies. Sounds offense, actually.
@Nikolaus, I agree with you. It's easy to percieve something as PC, when your not on the recieving end. Things change over time and hopefully for the better.
Great Call Nikolaus 20!
Agree 100% Nikolaus.
Insensitive, bigoted comments only reinforce whats wrong with America....If it was named cracker, redneck or klan pond some whites would think that was not an issue. The reason being is some whites embrace their racist, hateful ideals and are proud of it. So you see the people who see nothing wrong with jew pond are that type of person. There are towns down south with names like @!$%#ville and coontown, southern whites dont see a problem with that....their response is "why you people making such a big deal". Until you have been the oppressed people you will never understand what's the big deal.
Preston~ Some whites embrace their hatred of others; just as some blacks, Jew's or Am. Indians do. Every sect of humans has their own groups with superiority complexes. I would say that you are part of the problem~
@Kpreston, well said. People are all the time saying "I don't mind being called cracker or redneck so why do you mind being called N*gg*er or spick or chink" You want me to allow you to call me a derogatory name cause you don't mind being called one? It's not that kind of party.
"You want me to allow you to call me a derogatory name cause you don't mind being called one?"SpcTorres
I thought the dreaded N-word was re-claimed as a term of endearment? If so, how is it derogatory? Oh, you mean only if white people use it. I can make the same statement about black people (and other minorities). Black comedians seem to be the most racist (reverse racist for you PC ilk), but the Hispanics are catching up. I have quit watching several black comedians because of the racism... Martin Lawrence and D.L. Huguely (spelling?) being two of them. Shortly after Imus was kicked off the air for calling a black woman's sports team "nappy-headed hoes" I watched D.L. in a stand-up routine go on for 5 minutes about how Imus can't say that because he's white, but D.L. said, "but I can say it, and you ARE nappy-headed hoes." And of course the black audience p*ssed themselves laughing. If you can't see the racism and irony in that, you are too-far-gone PC.
I don't like being called cr@cker, peckerwood, h0nky, or the myriad other racial epithets that "minorities" use with impunity. You want me to allow you to call me a derogatory name cause you were called names once upon a time? It's not that kind of party.
lol k preston sound like YOU have some hate issues i thought we were americans black white yellow or green so deal with the person who oppressed you and leave the rest out of it OK?? have a nice day!
joe - you're right. we are americans, "black white yellow or green" so why are you arguing to allow a group to singled out and offended? if we're all americans and one group is offended, its our job to step back and do what we can to make sure ALL americans are happy.
@cc, it's funny how people think that they can call other people something because they've heard other people do it. My friends can call me all kinds of names and make fun of me, cause they know me, yet you couldn't and shouldn't think that you can do the same thing. I have white friends that call each other redneck, but I don't dare call them that. Essentially, you can't be derogatory by calling someone, the same thing that you are. If a gay person calls another person a f*g, the gay person might not get offended because they are both the same way, so if the person was meaning it in a derogatory way, he would be in-essence talking about himself.
SpcTorres, I was trying to find a way to say exactly what you just did! I love how people (my girl does this also) take a piece of a statement and shape it for their own argument. I do see that one sentence before you said, "People are all the time saying "I don't mind being called cracker or redneck so why do you mind being called N*gg*er or spick or chink" ". Really makes your statement valid when you take the WHOLE argument into account not just a sound bite! CC turned right around and said the exact same thing your were saying EXCEPT CC assumed that you were attacking White people when in fact you were using an example to illustrate a point.
This is just ridiculous. My cuz lived on a road named "Squaw Apple Road" and the sign would frequently be vandalized. I don't agree with changing pond names, school mascots or or clothes size monickers because a few are offended. They ultimately missed the real lesson to be learned; not erasing a part of history just because it's negative. As soon as that happens is as soon as the lesson will be lost. There is something to be said for seeing things in perspective and not "masking" things to sit well with the general public. It's not as if there is an Auschwitz theme park, Black slave trade group or Native American wig company... WTF peeps?!?!
Meg,
Let me explain it to you this way.... calling a Native American woman a squaw is like calling you a c#%t.
Do you get it now?
Squaw means the same as wh0re. I think most people don't know this and think it is just a word for Native American women. Squaw Apple Road must have been quite a party spot at one time.
LOL GIRLLLLL you wanna talk about remembering history, good, bad or the ugly, but you dont know the first thing about the history you're arguing to keep in place! it's the equivilant of white people arguing that slavery was not that bad just so they don't feel as guilty about it. If you don't know the history, don't argue FOR the marginalized group. let them tell you how it makes them feel and respect that.
Political correctness rears its head again. We keep on trying to sanitize the language, geography, sports team names, etc. What we are actually doing is removing our history and memories, for better or worse. Removing the pejorative, offensive, and politically incorrect names does not change history, but merely our perception of it. Where will it end? When we have collectively forgotten our past, we will repeat it,again, for better or worse. Remembering the incidents or the circumstances which led to the name being given to the item in question will likelier prevent those incidents or circumstances being repeated again. Besides, I am sure that somebody somewhere somehow will be offended at the new name. It is the new normal in this country. We have all become so thin-skinned and ready to take offense at anything that it is just a matter of time until someone complains about the new name.
You and I said basically the same thing. Yet you said it far more eloquently~
Thanks, Meg- believe it or not, I started my thought about 25 minutes before I actually posted. I am a one finger typist, chicken-scratch style. So slow!
And I'm sure Rick Perry still calls his country hideout "@!$%#head." But it's offensive and if you want to appeal to a broad population then you at least pretend to care about other people. That ultimately is the problem with republicans, a total lack of empathy.
WOW! now its republicans fault? hahahahah ok mr. narrow mind
The only reason EverydayAmerican and Meg are comfortable arguing this is because you're white Americans with no history of abuse like some minorities have been. For us, it's not just a get over it sort of deal. We have grandparents we never got to meet and financial burdens we've had to carry. I'm fine with you telling us to pull ourselves up by the boot straps and be productive but you cannot tell us what things we can and shouldn't be offended by. It's not your place. Recognize your privilege and move on. It's like me telling a woman who has been abused to get over it. Or Michael Vick's dogs to just shake it off. It doesn't work like that. I get that the name "Jew Pond" doesn't offend you but you have no right to tell other people what to be offended by.
And joe - Do you see Democrats arguing to enforce throwing out racial slurs and ignoring politically correct cues? Didnt think so. The America we envision is racially, socially, economically, religiously inclusive and you don't get to alienate people based on identifiers.
You do realize EverydayAmerican and Meg that regardless of the history, the name only reinforces the negative actrocities committed there. No one can change the history, negative or positive. If your kids or grandkids didn't know what a Jew, chink, spic, honky, or nig#$@ was, how would you explain the negative connotation attached to the name? Try telling my 85 year old grandmother, "it's ok to be called a nig#$% now because that was in the past!" Maybe in 100 years it might be acceptable to call that pond whatever, but with old wounds and lives still around today, I find that hard to believe.
I am just wondering if it was called Jew Pond because Jewish people were able to walk across it. :)
ROFL!!!!!!
Should have named it Jew-hater's pond...but that would not be politically correct, just factual.
Well, I guess the bay in Ocean City, MD should be changed as well then? It's name: ASSAWOMAN BAY...
Finally some real news
I grew up just a few miles from "Negro Bar" -- a sand bar/beach along the American River just below Folsom Dam (northern California). It was the site of an African American gold mining camp in the 1849 Gold Rush. See There has been some discussion over the years about changing the name, but the decision was to leave it alone. The name now serves as a way to introduce school children to the history of the area, as well as the changing terms used by different groups to describe themselves as well as others.
I've been to Negro Bar. Not far from Dyke 8, which didn't survive the name change frenzy. I'll still keep calling it Dyke 8 though. Not to offend anyone, that's just it's name to me.
The name of a fish called a Jewfish was changed a few years back to Goliath Grouper.
Goliath, for those of you who missed or forgot your Sunday School or Temple lessons, was a Philistine giant with a mighty dislike of Jews.
And don't even get me started on the Red Snapper.
I grew up calling it a Jewfish - therefore it is a Jewfish to me. Once and always. And I never had any antisemitic thoughts because of it.
Offensive my a$$ people need to grow some balls these days. What a bunch of cry babies society has come to be.