Op-Ed in the Orange County Register Supports John Wayne Airport Name and Statue
- John Wayne Speaks
- Jul 7, 2020
- 2 min read
We recently posted an item that described a non-binding resolution passed by the Orange County (Calif.) Democratic Party calling for the removal of John Wayne’s name and statue from the popular airport in Santa Ana. We also linked to an opinion piece in The Voice of OC that supported that resolution. Both calls for the removal of Wayne’s name and imagery cited a controversial 1971 Wayne interview published in Playboy magazine, in which he made comments that by today’s standards seem bigoted.
But an opinion article ("John Wayne Was Flawed, But He Stood for Freedom, Not Racism") published on July 3 in the Orange County Register, the leading daily newspaper in the county, takes a contrary position, defending Wayne. The article, written by Susan Shelley, an editorial writer and opinion columnist for the Southern California News Group, opines that a 50-year-old interview with a man born in 1907 is an unsound rationale to besmirch an entire life and career. And in fact, according to Shelley, the underlying reason that some want to discredit Wayne is not because of any perceived bigotry but because of the actor’s staunch anti-communism. To describe Shelley’s argument further would only serve to undermine her own well-stated position. We urge you to read her piece.
Our opinion: John Wayne made a comment that by today’s standards is revolting, but you would be hard pressed to find statements from anyone who knew Wayne saying that he was a racist. While we do not condone racism or bigotry in any form, we also believe that the tenor of our current times, in which the reputations even of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln are maligned, has caused a sometimes violent over-reaction to any perceived prejudice. Decisions to topple statues, rename buildings, erase history, or put a black mark across someone’s life work because of a single comment should be addressed in a calm, well-considered manner—and not because an angry mob armed with torches and pitchforks clamors at the gates.
Dtrig53, your point about an airport being an odd choice for a naming honor in Duke's case is well taken. And yes, a mesa in Monument Valley would have been an inspired idea. (Maybe it's not too late.) We also read a letter to the editor of the Register whose author said Wayne actually hated that airport because of the noise from the jets as they flew directly over his home in nearby Newport Beach. We've published links to opinions on both sides of the airport naming issue, and we're glad to do so. We're also glad for well written comments like those from dtrig53. So thanks.
So, her position is that although Wayne made racist statements, he is not perceived as a racist well, except by people who perceive him as a racist. And she defends Wayne by saying people don't want the airport name changed because he was racist, but really for his support of destroying careers and creativity via the blacklist in Hollywood. Somehow, writers' and actors' disavowal of past statements wasn't enough. Not aware of any disavowal from Duke on Blacks, American Indians, the blacklist, or Vietnam. Boy, I hope she never defends me.
I'm old enough to have been turned off by Duke's politics, and thought it was a huge mistake to name an airport after him partly due to dislike of…