Last month, we ran an online-only feature called “The Best Jukebox Bars in Dallas.” One such bar was Lee Harvey’s (aka “The Most Polite Bar in Dallas.” Well, a reader named Jackson left a comment to the story that I’m only just now reading. He wrote:
You write that Lee Harvey’s is “a destination spot for locals and out-of-towners.” Not to quibble, but wouldn’t it be safe to say that cocktails at LH wouldn’t go down well with Kennedy offspring who happen to be visiting Big D? Not to mention the now-fully grown children of the local cop Oswald killed minutes before his arrest in ’63, J.D. Tippit.
To this day there’s no watering hole in D.C. called “J. Wilkes,” and his infamy is a lot older.
Ironic detachment, untethered, can border on cruelty, especially when victims are still around. Try imagining a Middle Eastern joint in L.A. named after Sirhan B. Sirhan, who killed Bobby Kennedy in ’68. Downright creepy.
When Lee Harvey’s opened, I wasn’t offended by the name, but I can remember thinking that some might be. Now, after five years, when I hear the name, I no longer think of the assassin. I think of fire pits and a tiny pool table and brain cells sacrificed in the name of good, clean fun (okay — mostly neither good nor clean).
So the question: is the name offensive?
