Boston and nostalgia go together like, well, Boston and baked beans. Boston is built on nostalgia, from Bunker Hill and Paul Revere to the world champion Red Sox and Kenmore Square's Citgo sign.

I'd imagine anyone trying to take down the Citgo sign would be like touching the third rail of the "T." But according to Miles Howard at WBUR, local sentimentality is not more important than climate change.

Howard believes the Citgo sign, in theory, should be a blemish for Boston, due to how this company, and other oil companies, have direct ties in the age of climate change. Howard says the iconic sign is illustrative "of the moneyed interests that have not only contributed to global warming, but knowingly suppressed scientific research."

I won't get into the politics of how Citgo's country of origin, Venezuela, went from a rich democracy to a dictatorship on the brink of collapse. But the topic of climate change and the dangers of fossil fuels is inescapable on TV and in the newspapers.

So why do Bostonians love a sign that's emblematic of the deterioration of our air and ecosystem? Howard suggests transforming the Citgo sign into "a raised mural depicting Boston runners and residents heading to Mass General to donate blood after the marathon bombing."

To me, this idea of his isn't going fly with the wicked smaht residents of Boston. Maybe replacing it with a "Yankees Suck" angle could get more positive response.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

 

 

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