Ed-
People are looking for things to become outraged
about.
You hold open a door for someone, and they're
like, "What, do you think I'm
too old to open a door?" Or, "Well! That ladies first nonsense went *out*
decades ago, you chauvinist p*****"
Calling a game 'soccer' or 'football'
will get you punch in the mouth in
certain European pubs.
People will fight to the death over the name of a
river; or a "nation" like
Quebec; or everyone's favorite: "Judea and Samaria" vs. "occupied
Palestinian territories".
Consider this adage: "Opinions are like asses - everyone has one." (And I
don't think this refers to donkeys.) These naming disputes are an
opportunity for people to contribute to Wikipedia who may not have much
else to say. The best way to solve them is to have a quick vote (not a
braindead manual voting system like the one used here) and get on with
more serious matters. The people who then carry on the disputes are the
ones who seek to cultivate outrage, as you put it.
Even though the voting system used was screwed up and took far too long,
the end result ("List of people from the United States") seems perfectly
acceptable. I would suggest a similar name should we ever have a "List of
people from the European Union".
Regards,
Erik