Apple called it “America’s Gulf” and it stirred up conservatives

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) is upset that Apple Maps still calls America’s Gulf the Gulf of Mexico. So upset that he tagged Apple CEO Tim Cook on the X and said he had filed a complaint. “Hey @tim_cook, I just noticed that Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico. I sent a report through the app, but thought you’d want to know!” the former Marine said.

Crenshaw seems upset, upset if you will, that big tech companies aren’t changing as quickly as he would like. He’s so upset that he makes an embarrassing post in the style of an annoyed suburbanite at Target. Crenshaw’s wailing exemplifies a behavior I’ve seen among right-wing pundits and politicians in the past few years, the emergence of a kind of post and style once attributed to the left in online spaces.

Crenshaw posts criticism and redoubles his culture war efforts. They are obsessed with identity politics, trying to cancel their enemies, police gender norms, and demand that culture submit to their whims even though the culture doesn’t care. These are all things they have always accused the left of doing.

Hey @tim_cookJust noticed that Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico. I sent a report through the app, but I think you want to know! pic.twitter.com/fA7cWtOGY1

– Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) January 21, 2025

Less than 24 hours ago, as of this writing, Trump signed an executive order titled “Reclaiming names that honor American greatness“Along with a host of other changes, the order stipulates that the United States will henceforth call the Gulf of Mexico America’s Gulf. Google and Apple have not updated the name.

These things take time. But just because Trump says the name is different doesn’t make it so. It is a body of water not exclusively used by the United States and Mexico, and the rest of the world will still call it the Gulf of Mexico. Many people who don’t live in the US use Google Maps and Apple Maps, and it’s a good bet that The name will not change for them.

Wikipedia also did not change the name in its entry for the Gulf. “Even if it were official, America has no right to have the Wikipedia entries. (It) remains the Gulf of Mexico as the rest of the world calls it.” Wikipedia editor without name On the date the page was edited.

“This is a modern version of freedom potato chauvinism, which has nothing to do with geography and everything to do with politics,” another Wikipedia editor said, referring to conservatives’ attempt to rename French fries after September 11. “We have the same kind of perpetual complaint with the British Isles from a series of Irish editors. This is nothing new or special, and can be documented on its own and with a simple reference in the article if and when it becomes more than a soundbite in a press conference.”

But conservatives like Crenshaw will make that demand publicly, spreading the embarrassment and embarrassing themselves. They now showed the traits they had long accused their opponents of.

The American right controls the Supreme Court, the presidency, and the legislative branch. This kind of complete political victory is not enough. They want you to love them too. They want you to laugh at their jokes, take their memes seriously, and call the Gulf of Mexico America’s Gulf.

The pinned post on Crenshaw

Over the next four years, I suspect we’ll see a lot of embarrassing posts from Crenshaw and others where victors become victims when every little thing doesn’t go their way. Or when things don’t go their way as quickly as they want.