Chicagoans got a rude awakening today when they looked at their skyline and saw no Sears Tower. It had not fallen victim to a heinous terrorist attack, nor had it collapsed due to structural inadequacies. Overnight the tower was dismantled, and in it’s place the next morning stood an - ahem- identical looking building. Admittedly, most area inhabitants didn’t notice the difference from merely sighting the building, but once they heard someone call it the “Willis Tower,” they became enraged.
In response to their seething rage, opponents of the new name protested the only way they knew how, by starting a Facebook group 90,000 strong against the building’s new main tenant: A London, England-based insurance broker. One riled up opponent protested calling the name change “absurd,” begging the question, “Would Paris change the name of the Eiffel Tower? Or London change Buckingham Palace? Or New York, the Statue of Liberty?” Said commenter failed to realize that none of those examples acquired their monikers by being the host to capitalist interests - as the Sears Tower had previously been mainly inhabited by the Sears & Roebuck Co. (though they obviously seemed none too concerned about their legacy in 1992, when they moved operations to the burbs).
Our advice..if you’re not happy with the name change do one of two things; keep referring to it as the Sears Tower or throw the word “old” in front of Sears Tower. Everyone will still know what you’re talking about. Failing that, just get used to it.
