Letter | The ‘backgate’ by any other name is just confusing
Re: March 12 letter from Lynn Edwards, “Stop saying backgate”
May I ask: Where are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, etc. located? In the “Middle East,” or around latitude 32 deg N and longitude 53 deg E?
Why have I heard numerous meteorologists declare that hurricanes form in the “South Atlantic” when actually they form north of the Equator, therefore, causing them to literally be in the southern portion of the North Atlantic Ocean? Do educated meteorologists not realize that they are north of the Equator?
Yes, the “backgate” is a local reference commonly used to refer to the area that now includes the intersection of U.S. 17 Bypass and Farrow Parkway/S.C. 707. However, local references are what give areas their character, and some historical perspective, and they should be preserved.
I’m sure there is some initial confusion when people move to the Grand Strand but if those people are moving to a new, permanent location then they should embrace the area and all of its nuances. Not just in Myrtle Beach but anywhere.
If we become so literal as a society that we are no longer able to reference common nicknames then perhaps it’s time to strip away all color, paint everything gray, and make a bread sandwich.
The writer lives in Myrtle Beach.
This story was originally published April 26, 2015 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Letter | The ‘backgate’ by any other name is just confusing."