Is It Time For Citgo To Go?
by Aaron Margolis, September 23rd, 2006 at 10:27am
For 86 years, there was tradition in Boston that many called a “curse.” That tradition had its time. It is human nature to grow sentimentally attached to our traditions and symbols, and when inevitably those traditions and symbols come to pass, we rely on our memories to fill the void.
For Red Sox Nation, the CITGO sign is one of those symbols–a tradition, perhaps–that will be hard to part with. Nonetheless, we are at a moment in time where turning the CITGO sign into a memory is at the center of a debate that is gaining momentum, and national attention.
When the Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez called President George W. Bush a “devil” on the floor of the United Nations, even those most vehement of Bush-haters stood up and said “Oh no you can’t.” (Of course, they also implied that it was their duty to insult the President, but that’s besides the point.) WRKO’s Scott Allen Miller may have been the first to seed the idea of turning off the CITGO sign as a protest, and now we see Allston-Brighton City Councilor Jerry McDermott taking the idea one step further by suggesting the replacement of the icon with something more American, like an American Flag. Other suggestions are floating around, but whatever the future of the CITGO sign may be, it is becoming clear that many favor the change.
You must give Chavez some credit; his insult has caused many to realize that the President of the United States is bigger than any one man and that the office, regardless of who holds it, commands respect. While we know that Chavez was attempting to belittle President Bush, in all likelihood, we can expect the President’s rising approval numbers to rise even higher after this stunt.
Traditions and symbols will come and go. There is no more Boston Garden and no more Curse of the Bambino. Fenway Park looks more like an ad book than a ballpark and you can sit on the Green Monster. T tokens are soon to be a thing of the past, and Filene’s is now Macy’s. FAO Schwarz is gone and the Teddy Bear has a new home. There has been a few other running traditions in this state, like electing Republican governors, a nearly 90% liberal legislature, toll booths on the Pike, and a 5.3% income tax, but there are plenty of people willing to see those traditions come to pass.
Traditions and symbols will come and go. It’s time to say goodbye to CITGO.
Entry Filed under: Opinion
10 Comments
1. Maggie | September 23rd, 2006 at 11:21 am
First off the sign is on private property and if BU wants to do something…fine. Second, is anyone here considering that anything you do to Citgo is going to affect their 4000 American employees and 14,000 independent gas stations? Third, even though we are the largest consumers of oil in the world, we aren’t the only ones. Hugo will make a little less money selling it to China because of increased overhead, but he’ll sell it at a tidy profit.
Lastly, if you want to take away Chavez’s power then go green. Conserve, buy fuel efficient products, invest in alternative fuels and research, push our politicians to bring about real change. Make Chavez like every other ranting bum on the Common. This brouhaha has renewed my hopes that we can step back from the sensational rhetoric and see the big picture. Oil dependence is the problem. Without oil money Hugo, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are herding goats.
It’s a sign, anything we do would be an empty gesture. The current administration should jump all over this and get up a World War II style campaign. “It’s your patriotic duty to carpool.” “Take the bus and send Mahmoud packing.” “Turn your thermostat down to 68 and freeze out Hugo”. OK, clearly I suck at writing slogans….but you get my drift.
2. CCFK | September 23rd, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Once again, conservatives display their nasty authoritarian streak by showing how much they hate free speech and their disrespect for private property rights. Way to go!
3. Salvatore Coglione | September 23rd, 2006 at 11:03 pm
This is classic dumbed-down conservative thinking at its finest.
The Saudi Dictators provided the terrorists, training and financing for 9/11, and the wing-nuts responded by organizing boycotts of French wine and perfume. Now, years after doing nothing in response to the Saudi Dictators –and regularly filling their cars with gas made from Saudi terrorist oil– they’re demanding we take down a neon sign associated with the democratically-elected president of Venezuela –because he said mean things about Dubya…
Aaronism of the Week:
Rising? Haw-haw…! Reminds me of that ’60’s book, “Been down so long, it looks like up to me.”
4. Knightbrigade | September 24th, 2006 at 12:58 am
“with the democratically-elected president of Venezuela”
Like because he was elected democratically makes him LESS of an asshat!!!! C’mon Sal cut the crap, you blue state band leader. Don’t you have ANY respect for the OFFICE of the President? Christ even Nancy Pelosi had enough. Chuckle all you want at the poll numbers sitting in your moonbat clubhouse, but come November the game of RED state, BLUE state will show what way the polls have moved.
5. Maggie | September 24th, 2006 at 1:06 am
LOL @ CCFK - You’ve got to be kidding me! Did we shout down Chavez like the disgusting displays I’ve seen when conservatives try to speak? No. Chavez said what he had to say and we get to respond. No one supressed the nonsense that came out of his mouth. I listened to another load of his baloney on the Tavis Smiley show tonight on WBUR. No conservative voice is calling for Chavez to be silenced. However, we also get to express our views. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from response.
As far as private property and conservative action goes…..no one has touched anyone’s private property. Reasonable people are discussing possible legal avenues for expressing their dismay over the incident at the UN. That’s not disrespect. You’re very dramatic.
6. Jason Gallagher | September 24th, 2006 at 3:21 am
Citgo wanted to take down the sign in the 80’s and it was the city of Boston that was against it. I’m sure they’ll be happy to take it down. I don’t care one way or another. Chavez is not right on many things but he was right on one thing. Screw Bush - his kind does not care for the liberal city of Boston. John Kerry is my president. Maybe we should put Kerry’s picture over the Citgo sign.
7. Matthew | September 24th, 2006 at 9:10 am
It’s ironic that anyone should want to punish an oil company for remarks made about a man who is other oil companies goto guy and has been taking this country for a ride since 2000.
Maybe as patriots we should be asking why anyone would make such statements in the first place. Does Chavez also ‘hate our freedoms and way of life’? Didn’t Bill Delahunt recently broker a deal directly with Chavez that kept some of us out of a pretty cold winter?
The police-state that Bush is not so slowly building uses propaganda to remind us that we need more flags to be patriotic and leave the details to the politicians. No thank you.
What’s all this obsession with the Union anyway? Why not put up a Massachusetts flag?
PS Didn’t Holmes call it [the Statehouse] the hub of the solar system?
8. Jennifer | September 24th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Nice try CCFK, but boycott is free speech and we, The Americans, are the ones entitled to it on our soil. Though lately, people like you attack us for it. We will fight you to keep our freedoms - AND WIN!!!
>>
9. CCFK | September 26th, 2006 at 7:49 pm
Um, Jennifer, Maggie? You’re going to fight me to keep your freedoms? Exactly what “freedoms” have I proposed to take away from you? I was talking about the call to tear down the Citgo sign by genius Jerry McDermott, using governmental pressure to do it. That’s pretty much the antithesis of free speech as is the “he can’t come into our country and say those things” attitude running throughout most of the original post and the responses. So thank you both for your misguided lectures.
10. V | September 27th, 2006 at 12:42 am
Ignoring whether Chavez insulted the US or not. While most oil companies are enjoying record profits without sharing it, Citgo will providing low-income families with heavily-discounted home heating oil during the winter… Discounts not provided by any other companies.
The Citgo sign therefore represents the best of American ideals - “Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses…”