A petition with more than 10,000 signatures (at the time of this writing) is calling for the city of Columbus, Ohio to be renamed to Flavortown in honor of the one and only Guy Fieri.
As protests against police brutality continue worldwide for the third consecutive week, many are calling for the removal of statues and memorials of problematic historical figures. Statues of Confederate generals, known slaveholders, and Christopher Columbus are being removed all around the United States.
A Change.org petition with more than 14,000 signatures wants to take that a step further.
“Columbus is an amazing city, but one whose name is tarnished by the very name itself,” the petition’s creator Tyler Woodbridge wrote. “Its namesake, Christopher Columbus, is in The Bad Place because of all his raping, slave trading, and genocide. That’s not exactly a proud legacy.”
The petition, addressed to City Council and Columbus mayor Andrew Ginther, points out that changing the name to Flavortown not only honors the city’s “proud heritage as a culinary crossroads,” but also honors Guy Fieri, who was born in Columbus.
“He’s such a good dude, really,” Woodbridge added in the petition.
A good dude worth remembering more than Columbus, at least.
The petition gained so much traction, Bud Light offered free spiked seltzers for all residents of Flavortown if the city does go through with changing its name.
As one signer noted in their comments on the petition, changing the city’s name to one honoring an Indigenous figure would probably make more sense. But at the same time, the name Columbus needs to be done away with so badly, residents might as well choose Flavortown.
“All joking aside, Guy Fieri has raised $20 million for food service workers impacted by the pandemic,” the comment reads. “This act ALONE makes him far more worthy of a town named in his honor than Christopher Columbus…If we have to choose between “Flavor Town” and Columbus, I know where I stand.”
In an update, Woodbridge said he was heading back to his hometown of Columbus (hopefully soon, Flavortown) to personally deliver the printed petition to city hall.
Fieri has not publicly commented on his potential namesake.
