Apple America’s Gulf and Conservatives Are Triggered

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) is concerned that Apple Maps is still calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of Mexico. He was so upset that he X’d Apple CEO Tim Cook and said he was complaining. “Hey @tim_cook, I just noticed that Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico. I sent a report through the app, but you’d like to know!” said former Navy SEAL.

Crenshaw seems to be frustrated, triggered if you will, that Big Tech isn’t changing as fast as he’d like. He’s so pissed off that he’s written a rant in Target in the style of a suburban moron. Crenshaw’s whining symbolizes the rise of a type of writing and style once attributed to the left in online spaces, a behavior I’ve seen in right-wing pundits and politicians over the past few years.

Crenshaw does a culture war impression and doubles down. They engage in identity politics, seek to eliminate their enemies, control gender norms, and demand that the culture bend to their whims even when the culture is not interested. This is all that the left has been accused of for a long time.

hey @tim_cookjust noticed that Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico. You sent a report through the app, but 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 “.Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.” Among other changes, the order states that the United States will henceforth call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. 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 that is not used only by the US 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 and Apple Maps, and it’s a good bet that the name will not change for them.

Wikipedia has also not changed the name in its entry for the Gulf. “Even if it’s official, America can’t own Wikipedia entries. (It) remains the Gulf of Mexico as the rest of the world calls it,” he said anonymous Wikipedia editor in the page’s edit history.

“It’s a modern version of the Liberty Fries jingoism, nothing to do with geography,” said another Wikipedia editor, referring to the post-9/11 attempt by conservatives to change the name of French fries. “We have the same perennial complaint about the British Isles from a number of Irish editors. It’s nothing new or special, and it can be documented with a simple link in an article if it’s more than noise at a press conference.”

But conservatives like Crenshaw will publicly make the demand, write posts, and embarrass themselves. Oblivious to victory, they are already exhibiting the traits they have long accused their rivals of.

The American right controls the Supreme Court, the presidency, and the legislature. Such a total political victory is not enough. They want you to like them too. They want you to laugh at their jokes, take their memes seriously, and call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

A pinned post on Crenshaw’s X account is “A Conservative Guide to the Culture War” from 2021. The second item on the list is the claim that “a winner mentality is better than a victim mentality.”

Over the next four years, I suspect we’ll see more confusing writing from Crenshaw and others as the winners turn themselves into victims when every little thing goes wrong. Or when they don’t go as fast as they want.