There is a family in northeast Pennsylvania who wanted the bakery at their local ShopRite supermarket to make a cake for their son and they were upset that the store refused to put their child's name in the frosting. They went public thinking that they would get some sympathy--all they wanted, after all, was for their son to celebrate his birthday as other children do--but the compassion wasn't forthcoming. Clearly this is one of those stories that necessitates an understanding of ALL of the facts. So here they are: the child's name is Adolph Hitler Campbell. (Pictured in the photo is JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, Adolph's younger sister, and the father.) Keep in mind that "Adolph Hitler" is just a name; nothing more than a unique vocalization that creates a sound that others can recognize as descriptor for, in this case, another person. But most of us don't look at it like this particular name because attached to the sound of Adolph Hitler are some very dark associations.This reminds me that Adolph is one of those names that has been pretty much stricken from the list of options in all but white supremacist communities. It used to be a pretty common German name, and a nice one at that. But the actions of one man ruined it for all of the future Adolphs of the world. Osama is another, unless you run with certain crowds. And while many Hispanics name their boys Jesus, how many English speakers refer to their son by the same name as the being who Christians consider to be the "Son of God"? "Come up here Jesus and clean your room like I told you." That sounds like the start of a good joke. Why does that somehow work in one culture but not another? Nobody thinks twice about Jesus the Mexican taxi driver or Krishna the Indian waiter.
Like the fish that can't comprehend the water that is all around it, most of us miss the chance to see the funny and ironic connections between names and meanings in our own culture. If I said that Bulgarians are prone to naming one another after trees and that Oak, Maple, Hickory, and Pine were particularly popular, most of us would think this odd since we don't do it in our culture. But 19th and 20th century English speakers in both North America and Great Britain commonly named their children after flowers such as Rose, Violet, Daisy, Lily, Iris, and Hyacinth. And along with old school names like Hazel and Hannah and Emma, little girls are once again receiving such flowery monikers.
So below is an article on the unique names that many Zimbabweans give their children. Their creativity is reminiscent of Native Americans and names such as Huata (which means Carrying Seeds in a Basket) or Kaliska (which means Coyote Chasing Deer). Both are from the Miwok Tribe -- who appear to be particularly creative as compared to people who name their children Bob and Bill and Sue.
I guess I'm struck by how many names have some deeper meaning that has been lost along the way, and how often do we find things of other cultures funny and strange when we could see the same phenomenon in our own way of life -- if we were interested enough to look. Check out the article and then reflect on how often you find the names of others odd.
Samuel, by the way, means "one who is heard by God."
246 comments:
1 – 200 of 246 Newer› Newest»It is kind of crazy how once a name is associated with a historic figure, whether good or bad, it is strange to hear a common person with the same name. Not only is it strange to our ears but also at times it can really upset some people. I can understand the food store not wanting to create a cake with the name Adolph Hitler inscribed upon it, because we think of the Hitler that caused the Holocaust. Whether the bakery worker had any family members present during that terrible time, or even if they had not thought about Hitler since their high school world history, I can still agree with them that making the cake would feel wrong. If the child just had the name Adolph than sure they should have been able to get the cake, but I do not really feel bad that they ran into a disagreement. I think it’s a little unfair to the child to have received such a name without having any choice. Later in life when the child learns about that era of history, they may feel uncomfortable with their name. Or perhaps they’ll be proud to have a name matching the man who caused a terrible genocide.
Besides the name Hitler, I don’t think it’s wrong to name people after other figures like Jesus. Although I do agree that for people outside of the culture the name can seem like a strange choice at first. But I believe that every culture has its reasons for choosing names and we shouldn’t judge others because perhaps we think they have a weird name. I was working the other day and had to read off people’s names when their food was ready. I came across some foreign names that I could not pronounce and felt bad that I was unaware of the names. I agree that many people would look at Americans and find some of their names boring and common. I found the one fact interesting about how Bulgarians name their children after trees. In fact, I did think this seemed strange until I continued to read and recall that we name children after flowers. And then there are the people that seem to make up completely new names and we just wonder, “Where did that come from”.
I think cultures that utilize more creative names can be appreciated more for their effort to pick the best-fit name. My parents just picked a few names they liked the sound of and then chose one. But to change or create a name based on a person’s attribute is different and special. I especially like how the one man was named smile because he is never without one. The article told how they believed the name should relate to something and I think that’s definitely a better reason for a name than choosing a name because of how it sounds with the last name or some other reason.
Names are funny, sometimes they can mean a lot to people, and sometimes they pick it because it sounds nice, as was the case for my sociology professor. The name Adolph Hitler has a very negative connotation with it and has a lot of meaning behind it. It was chosen for a reason and I think it’s a terrible name, but that doesn’t mean someone can’t name their child whatever they want. I want to say that if I had to wait on someone with such a name that I wouldn’t judge them, they didn’t pick their name after all. I can’t, and I can understand why the bakery didn’t want to put the name on the cake, even though the customer is always right. The same goes for names from other cultures, especially the ones from the article that have real meaning behind them. Of course people laugh when they hear someone’s real, legit name is Never Trust a Woman, I think it’s funny, but there’s a story behind it and many people can’t say the same about their name. I was named after my grandmother, a very common thing to do in all cultures, but if someone has a name that’s different, I want to know why they have the name they have, I think it’s interesting. I do think that people should consider the kinds of names they give their kids however, people judge and someone laughing when you tell them your name isn’t the easiest way to go through life. Adolph’s parents screwed their kid for life, people will always associate him with racism. I do think it’s selfish to a point, yes there’s meaning but there’s a ton of things you can name your kid that will make their life a little easier. When people don’t understand something, they make fun of it. This country that boasts it’s a melting pot scrutinizes anyone who’s different from them, even with something like a different name. We want everyone to be a Lauren or a Michael or any other bland name out there, and chances are we know more than one person with the same name, and that’s just boring. While little Adolph might piss some people off, for the pure reason that his name symbolizes someone who did absolutely horrific things, his name isn’t Mike. His name stands for something, just like your taxi driver Jesus and your Native American friend Kaliska. I love that people in other countries name their children after trees, after what’s going on in their life, or for sticking it to your jealous siblings and they don’t even know it. Good for them for being creative instead of adding another John Smith to the world.
I can see why the bakery would be uncomfortable writing “Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler Campbell” but I don’t think they were right to deny the little boy his personalized birthday cake. When I hear the name Adolf, I definitely do not think of anything besides the Adolf Hitler who created the Holocaust. However, there are some people who still, to this day, side with Hitler. They truly believe in the Aryan race and despise anyone outside of it. I personally would not want my son to be named after such a man but some people might. This reminds me of an episode of Desperate Housewives where Susan and Mike are naming their son. Mike really wants to name the little boy Maynard after his grandfather and Susan hates it. She thinks it sounds horrible. But to Mike, it was the perfect name because he idolized his grandfather and wanted to name his son after someone he could look up to and someone he could strive to become. There are families today that raise their children to hate people outside of their race and perhaps this family believes that Hitler’s Aryan race was perfect. In their eyes, they are giving their children names to live up to, regardless of what others believe.
I thought it was interesting to read how other cultures name their children. To be named for something meaningful seemed more unique than just picking any old name. It’s creative and interesting. However, what we don’t know, we don’t understand. We hear millions of names that we can’t pronounce correctly and we always feel a little strange when we have to try. And if you heard someone say his name was Never Trust A Woman, most of us would laugh in his face, or hopefully try to hide our laughter. But we only do that because it is not common here. We have already moved from a time where the most popular names were John and Mary to the current most popular baby names of Aidan and Ava. Some celebrities have begun the trend of naming their children very different names: Christie Brinkley’s daughter is Sailor, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have Suri, Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter is Apple and her son is Moses, and then of course there’s Brad and Angelina’s Shilo. In the future, if we all started to name our children for what we think the meaning of their life was, we wouldn’t find it so funny anymore.
I love my name, but my first name was just something that my parents liked the sound of and thought it was a little different and my middle name is just after my mother. I definitely do not run into too many other people with the same name, yet it is not a name that carries meaning with it.
Names really define how one cultural is formed. Most of the times, we can tell what ethnicity one person is just by their name. In a way, it forms the sense of self and connects cultural values. Like the example of Adolph Hitler, it links all the other Adolph to the infamous Hitler. For normal day society, being named Adolph Hitler is totally unacceptable socially. Even though it’s just a name to address someone by, but it will impact the boy for the rest of his life, like finding a job. I don’t think there will be many company that will hire someone named Adolph Hitler as their name. Now, all the kids named Adolph will be affected. So even though name is supposedly nothing more than to address someone by, an action by one man will affect all others with the same name.
Also, most name contains some sort of meaning. For example, most Native American name contains some sort of meanings. For example, my name used to mean snow in the raising sun. However, after some people heard it, they said snow will melt in the sun, so I had to change my name. Now my name literally means good luck. Therefore, in many different cultural, names are more than just names, but rather it has some sore of significance to each different person. Of course in the United States, people don’t usually think names as what they literately mean. Even though every name do have a meaning but when people name their kids, they usually don’t base it on meaning of the original name. Therefore, there are often cultural differences, that sometimes Americans think it’s silly to have very straight forward meaning names.
Therefore, in conclusion, names are more than just what we go by, but it really do reveals what’s our inner self. Actually for my English name, I picked it my self, and I change it every four years. I think it’s ridiculous that we have to stay with the same name for the rest of our life. Furthermore, it’s not even something we picked out for ourselves, but what our parents picked for us. Like the child named Adolph Hitler Campbell, I am sure he did not pick that name, but his parents did. Although it is discriminating to refuse to put that name on a cake, but with recent history if the child does not change his name then he will have many difficult problems in the future. He might change his name in the future, but now he will face many difficulties. And all of these troubles can be avoided if he changed his name. So name in a sense is what your parents define you as, and it will stay with you for the rest of your life if do not want to go though the trouble of changing it.
A name is just a name right? It does not have anything to do with who a person truly is or what they may become, it is only a form of identification so we can make references to a person and know who is being discussed and so forth. This tag provides a shortcut to identify someone without having to say “hey you with the blonde hair and blue eyes and glasses and….”. But a name is really more than just a name. More likely then not there is a meaning attached to it, even if a name is something as simple and common as Sara, whether we consciously know this or not. I know that personally even these types of names that do not actually “mean” something, come to have meaning whether because someone else or many others we know have this name, a celebrity has this name, and/or the historical context of when the name was popular or not popular. For example if one of your best friends is named Sara, than you will probably “like” that name and when you meet someone else who has the same name you will think of that original person. If you meet someone who is named Meg Ryan, than you will think of the celebrity Meg Ryan. Names shape our perception of who someone is, whether we want them to or not. Like in the blog, unless you want most people to have negative feelings toward your child without knowing them, or with knowing them even, you probably should not name them Adolph. The meaning for that name will never become unattached. So though I do find it strange that people name their children things such as Smile and Enough, it really is not that much stranger than naming them anything else. The only thing that I do not understand is when someone chooses to name their child something that already by definition has a negative meaning attached to it; why would you name your child something like Hatred or Never Trust a Woman? Does the parent honestly think that this will not negatively affect the way other people see their child? It just seems almost selfish to me, to name the child because of something that is going on in the parents’ life, without taking into consideration what this means for their child’s life. Reading this article did make me rethink the way that I think other people’s names are funny; I know that some of my mom’s clients have had names that I laughed at such as Annihilation, but at the same time have made me wonder and feel sad for that individual. Maybe I should just respect that people have the right to name their children anything they want, for whatever the reason.
When I hear the name Adolph all that comes to my mind is the horrible Nazi. Would I ever name my child that? No! I think your name is just a label, which has no significant meaning, however I would never want my child’s name to be associated with such a villainous man. I especially would not name him this because of the trouble he would face throughout his life carrying around such an infamous name, even though he may be totally against Hitler and his values. Since I believe a name has no significant value and, the child had no say what so ever in his name, which was chosen for him, I believe the bakery should have created his birthday cake. I do think I would be uncomfortable making the cake if I was the baker but you have to look at it from the child’s perspective too. It makes me sad to think that a child was denied a birthday cake because a name he had no choice in selecting. However, I do not think the parents should have gotten so upset about the denial of the birthday cake because they chose an infamous name for their son and I am sure they had to realize that such a name could spark much controversy in a society where many hate the man who shares the name of their son. Therefore, whether or not the parent’s share the Nazi beliefs I think they should have realized the negative implications that such a name would have on their children before creating such names.
Although, I think a name is just a name with no significant meaning in American Society I think it was interesting to see how in other countries names can be perceived extremely different. I think that how the Zimbabwe culture attaches meaning to names is very unique and special. I think that having a name with a story or purpose is extremely interesting and sets you apart from your peers. I think it would be cool if my name had to do with something special about me besides the fact that my parents like the name and selected it for me. However, although people in American Society may here the name smile and think of it as strange, other cultures may hear the average American name such as Mike or Sara and wonder why you would name your child something with no particular meaning. Therefore, I think that although the names are definitely odd in the Zimbabwe culture I think it is very interesting at the same time.
In all cultures, a name means something different. In American society I think of a name has no significant meaning however, being named after a notorious evil man does cause some extra baggage. However, when one meets this child Adolph Hitler Campbell I think they should take into account that his name was not a personal decision but the choice of his parents and does not define the individual. However, it is neat to see how other cultures can do the exact opposite of American society and create names that have unique meaning behind them! Thus proving that all societies vary in their own individual ways even in the way they name their children.
This was a funny article, but at the same time shocking. I mean, I never thought someone would actually have guts to name their son or daughter “Enough or Never trust a woman” When I read articles like this one I realized how different and similar cultures are and how much more I need to learn in life. After reading this article I was surprised about how people in Zimbabwe and west of Bulawayo named their children, but after giving it some thought I realized it makes more sense than how we do it in America. Every name has an actual meaning and it is not random. However, this does impact the children lives in positive or negative ways. The same happens with the case of the Adolph Hitler Campbell here in America and who doesn’t remember the controversy over Barrack Obama’s middle name Hussein.
It seems crazy how names carry so much with them depending on what a particular person did at some point in time and how much it means to everyone, to history regardless of time. The same happens with specific words or phrases used in certain parts of South Africa, how a simple word can have so many different reactions to different people. What if we could someday think beyond the meanings and live so freely that everything would only be just words and sounds everything would be ok, and we lived in a world without reactions to past or present. Of course, this is just a hypothetically and it is impossible at least for now to avoid reactions to this names like Hussein, Adolph Hitler, and Enough when these have profound meaning to people in their daily lives and if it’s a name from the past that remind us of suffering we are less likely to accept it or let go by without remembering what a person with that name did in history.
Why is it that a name means so much when it really shouldn’t be more than letters that form a word and then sound that later is used to identify a person?
But my biggest question here why would some even think of the possibility of naming their son or daughter these particularly controversial names. I would like someone to help me answer this one please! I mean I don’t blame Barrack Obama’s parents for naming him Hussein because Hussein became popular terrorist way after Barrack Obama was born, so that case doesn’t water. But why in the name of Jesus would some named their son after Hitler? I don’t have a problem with the parents been Nazis and having supremacist believes, but really why would someone do this to their child? Just think how that kid is going tease in school when learning about the holocaust and how unhappy he is going to feel when he finds out that he was named after one the meanest and most hated people on earth. I am still trying to find a good reason for this but I can’t. I mean the named “Never Trust a Woman” is nothing compare to this.
A name in a sense is part of your identity. Some people may think that naming your child Adolf Hitler is the worst thing in the world, but to some Hitler is an idol and they would want their son to be just as idealistic. You must admit you would never forget someone if they were named Adolf Hitler…or Never Trust A Woman. It is much more unique and interesting than your average Katie. These names have a story behind them – most names usually do but I feel that in America to most names are about how pretty they sound or how intelligent they make a child seem. A name is not telling a story, or explaining a part of culture – it is very superficial. We even have books that are published yearly on – the most popular names! At the same time we have many that are named the same names as their grandparents, mother, or father and that means something. It is always embarrassing and sometimes troublesome to try and pronounce names that you do not understand. I feel as if people need to open their minds and be thankful that it is not the 11th Mike you already know. It’s funny how America is very individualistic but at the same time everyone is afraid of name their child something out of the ordinary. You can tell what era the child was born in depending on their name. Most Jennifer’s, Jessica’s, and Katherine’s were born in the 80’s today we see more children being named Jacob or Eva.
Part of me finds it wrong that the bakery denied writing his name on the birthday cake. Mostly because he is a child and he shouldn’t be held responsible for his parent’s decision. Along with this every birthday boy or girl deserves cake. The other part of me is glad that the bakery refused to write his name – mostly because his parent’s need to realize that their views are disturbing…for lack of a better word. I understand that this is America and free speech and all that good stuff exists but things such as racism, sexism, any ism for that matter shouldn’t be tolerated. This idea may seem extreme to some, since this is a very free speech kind of nation. But I think that people like that should have a wakeup call and realize that what they are doing is not right. It’s kind of sad to see this little boy – who is probably not aware of what his name may mean to some people; is going to probably grow up upholding the same believes as his parents…and this is how racism in the world still exists. It is taught. Like it or not they have to realize that, that name offends some people and it is a very hurtful name to others. A name is important, a name tells a story, and we all in a way picture a girl name Susan to be completely different than a girl named Roxy. Perhaps we are the ones putting too much emphasis on the meaning of a name.
My initial thoughts when reading this entry is that ShopRite had the right to deny service to a customer. I just could not believe they actually chose to. That creates a negative association with them and the general public, but this just might be because of my diplomatic business and public relations background. But as I continued to read and read that the child’s name was Adolf my thoughts seemed to change. But why? Why did all a sudden my mind and attitudes change. The fact is that timing and culture play a large part in what is acceptable and what is not. Adolf may have been a perfectly acceptable name prior to Adolf Hitler’s control in Germany. But from that point on the name came to mean something else in others minds, specifically those that lived through the time period and saw Adolf Hotler’s effects. Even though these events took place decades ago, they have a lasting impression in the minds of the world’s citizens. Generations have passed down the stories of the time and children continue to learn about the devastating effects the man had in schools. So this stigma associated with the name will continue for years upon years. Then why I wonder did the family chose to name their child Adolf Hitler. To me it honestly seems cruel, it doesn’t matter that it might be a family name, I think kids have a hard enough time growing up and to give them this added pressure. Names do have deeper meaning and mean most to those that name the child. Names often represent old family members that have passed away and/or phrases and symbols. They also often correlate with the time they are chosen like those that name their children after celebrities and important figure heads within culture during that time period. With that said all of the names are subjective and I believe never meant to offend but to inspire themselves, those that named the child and those that will bare the name for the rest of their lives. I think what it comes down to is we need to be more accepting, we are very judgmental and rarely take context into a situation, we just judge from what it looks like from the outside. Names are not just names, they have meaning so the fact that a family would name their son Adolf Hitler, is alarming knowing the negative social meaning that name now has. The article attached is interesting and makes one think even further. How do we have the right to judge names of other cultures when we ourselves name children after “Jewelry stores and cowboy singers. This must also look strange to onlookers of different countries. I just think names have to be taken also with a sense of understanding an acceptance knowing that there is more to a name and not making quick rash judgments.
Names may only be a “vocalization” that makes a sound, but these particular “sounds” carry much weight with them. With regards to the Pennsylvanian family, I wholeheartedly agree with the store not putting the name on the birthday cake. The family obviously has loyalties to the Aryan Nation, and I feel strongly that a name like Adolph Hitler has no place on a birthday cake. That being said, it is very disappointing that one man can completely eradicate the usage of a name. It’s sad, but I can guarantee that a man named Adolph will be viewed with a certain air of prejudice, humans simply hold longstanding grudges.
I found the Zimbabwean article very interesting. It’s funny how cultures generally view “native” names as normal, and anything outside of that space is viewed as peculiar. I am going to be honest, the names of Never Trust a Woman and Hatred seem strange, but who am I to judge? What their culture is doing is fresh and innovative, a break from the American trend of naming children after celebrities and such. I find these names interesting, if a bit odd. I would imagine that a man named “Wind” would not be taken seriously in an English culture. The names origin may have come from a different culture, but we often apply our own cultural judgment to it anyway.
A cultural phenomenon is a two way street, although we often do not see it this way. One has a tendency to avoid change, and maintain a cultural equilibrium so to speak. We strive for order in within our cultural, everything must be regimented and in its place. As such, when a differing culture enters the picture, it is met with an air of trepidation and wariness. It may be classified as primitive, barbaric, or just plain strange. For instance, it is customary within some native tribes to “file” ones teeth into sharp fangs. Obviously this custom is categorized as barbaric and cruel by Americans, but is it really that cruel? The native tribe views fang-teeth as beautiful, a privilege reserved for only the most alluring woman. To these tribes, an Americans straight and braced teeth is an eyesore. This just goes to show that beauty has many forms in various cultures, and it takes an accepting individual to appreciate a form of beauty not present within ones culture.
Cultures and customs are being interconnected as technology improves and the world becomes more streamlined. It is only a matter of time before cultures begin to blend with each other completely. The naming events in Zimbabwe are a prime example. They have put their own cultural stamp on a foreign culture, putting a unique spin on English names. This process will only continue as cultures exchange various customs.
Just for the record, this blog is awkward to write about. The story was interesting, but responding to it is kind of just like saying, “Haha, this baby is named Adolph Hitler.” I can’t help looking at his parents and thinking they remind me of Borat. “VERRY NICE!” I do not know anybody named something weird like Hitler. One of the most politically incorrect names out there right now is our president’s name. When I first found out his name, I thought it was a joke.
Porn stars… Fathers, if you name your daughter Skye Crystal Lane prepare yourself for the full time job of poll blocking.
Italian people… My family has the tradition of naming their first son the same name as their grandfather. My name is Raffael, my dad’s name is Nicholas. His dad is Raffael and so on. My uncles are practically all Luigi. I have a Great Uncle Luigi Maranello. How legit is that. I’m only ½ Italian, but act like I’m full. You could consider it repping my culture. If I was to name my kids one of these weird coincidental names, it would be Mario and Luigi. I would name my daughter Princess Peach, and name my dog Bowser. And then make my wife legally change her name to Nintendo 64. My arch nemeses would be the Playstations. And we would eat pasta all night long.
This kid named Hitler. Why would you name your kid Adolph Hitler? He probably wonders the same thing. But when he gets older, it will probably be pretty cool to be the only person since the Holocaust with the name Adolph Hitler. It’s like winning the billion dollar lottery, except for the money and all the perks.
I want to meet somebody named Santa Clause. I would fatten him up and dress him like Santa. How cool would it be if he turned out to be the real Santa? Anything is possible.
My teacher in 3rd grade was named Mrs. Butts. In third grade… That was something. Her name was Mrs. Butts. In third grade. In third grade that is like finding the holy grail. Mrs. Butts. That was coincidentally the year that Beavis and Butthead Do America came out. It’s not that funny that her last name is Butts. But for somebody who hangs out with 10 year old immature kids all day. That is too good.
I’ve always liked how on Southpark, the teacher’s name is Ms. Choksondik. The fourth graders do not understand the pun of “chokes on …” They then try to make fun of her name by calling her “Mrs. Makes’me’sick” or “Ms. Chokes’on’bricks”. The teacher then corrects the students in full seriousness saying it is Ms. Choksondik! The creators of Southpark have extremely creative senses of humor. They are great. If you do not believe me go out and watch Baseketball. It’s one of my all time favorites.
Christopher: From the Late Greek name Χριστοφορος (Christophoros) meaning "bearing Christ", derived from Χριστος (Christos) combined with φερω (phero) "to bear, to carry". It was used by early Christians as a metaphorical name, expressing that they carried Christ in their hearts.
That is my name, but I would imagine the meaning behind the name has been lost sometime in the last 1000 years or so. Throughout elementary and middle school, I always had 5 or so kids named Chris in my grade. When you read the meaning of the name, it sounds like a name that should be reserved for the most devout Christians out there. And to have 5 of them in the same grade at one particular school? Hardly unique or “special” in that sense. But that is, by and large, how kids are named in the US. There aren’t many names that bear significance. The closest I see is when a kid gets named after a family member, which I think is great. It serves as a constant reminder of that person and, if that person has died, you won’t forget their legacy.
I thought I could easily turn to Hollywood to find some wacky names of babies, but I ended up getting mixed results. It made the news when Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter “Apple.” I wouldn’t name my baby Apple unless there was some significance behind it, but it’s not the worst one out there. Jackson 5 singer Jermaine apparently named his son Jermajesty. I mean seriously? I think it’s great when a kid gets a name for something significant to the family, or something that holds deeper meaning. But these parents are basically setting their kids up for hell in school.
And this relates pretty well to the Adolph Hitler Campbell story. If the kid were simply named Adolph, it would have caused people to think. It would be one of those things where you’d question in the back of your mind, “Was he named after Hitler? Or did the parents just like the name Adolph?” But since his name is straight up Adolph Hitler there’s no question in people’s minds. They know he was named after Hitler and that will cause some people to get upset. I can see 2 ways of viewing this. One- the parents actually agree with Hitler’s ideology and are using their son’s name to pay homage to the leader. If this is the case, then I think people have every right to get angry and not like the name. Two- the parents see the Holocaust as a major historical event that shouldn’t be forgotten, and are using their son’s name to remind people of that. If this is the case, then I like the use of the name. We don’t like to be reminded of the bad things in our past. This kid’s name will, undoubtedly, remind you of those events like a slap in the face every time you hear it. Those people who don’t want to remember, or feel uneasy about it, will not like the name. But at least the name bears some sort of meaning, it reminds us of a major historical event, and it’s not paying homage to the latest Sex and the City star…
Names are such a funny thing. There are so many creative names. When I was growing up I lived in semi-diverse neighborhoods. Since my dad was in the military, we moved almost every three years. There were some odd names but not too much out there. It was a lot of Ashley’s, Sarah’s, and John’s, until I moved to Philadelphia. When I started school, it was some crazy names like, Lamoneisha, Montaleigha, and Rashadiek, all names that I wasn’t used to. I loved the names but I just wasn’t used to them.
I know names are just a sound that others can recognize another person with but sometimes these names are too much. Knowing that Adolph Hitler was a bad person and that name will always bring sadness, why would someone name their child after him. Although Adolph is a great name and a very popular German name, that is probably what a parent should name their child. To name him the full name is asking for trouble, also with Osama. I could see if they named the child Osama but not Osama Bin Ladden. Even though Adolph was the child’s name the supermarket still should have put it on the cake. I would have probably made a law suit. I believe that is discrimination. The little boy missed out on his birthday cake and it wasn’t even his fault. He didn’t choose his name. His parents should be upset for what they did to their son for the rest of his life.
I absolutely love my name. And I’m pretty sure everyone else loves their name. Usually names come from a certain place. My name came from my mom’s sister and my sister’s name came from my dad’s middle name. Although everyone messes up my name because of the way it is spelled, I still love my name.
I love the names that have meanings to it. Most of the time those names are in the African or Native American culture. My boyfriend is African and his middle name means king and his last name means father’s sun. I would love to name my child with a name that has meaning to it. Most people will remember a name that has meaning to it or a name that you don’t hear that often. A name to me means a lot. It’s not just something that is there for a couple of years, your name is there for your whole life. I know some people that changed their names as soon as they were able to. My namesake aunt, changed her last name to be the name of her real fathers.
Last names, for women, is a whole other thing. Because women change their last names to be the name of their husband, our name doesn’t stay the same our whole life, unless we hyphenate our maiden name with our husband’s name. It is a little sexist because men don’t change their names but back in the old days, when women get married they became their husband’s property. A name says everything about a person. So when a parent picks a name it needs to be a name that was deeply thought.
Today it seems as though it is hard to find people that have names filled with meaning. Usually classrooms are filled with common names like Sarahs, Katies, Ryans, and Michaels. When you hear a name like Adolf it is obviously filled with an enormous amount of meaning and unfortunately for that boy it has meaning that most people are going to be disturbed by.
I like way that Africans don’t just pick out names that they like, but instead they pick names for their children that must relate to something and I honestly don’t think that there names are weird at all. I like the idea that your name can tell others something about you or your life even without meeting them. It is almost like you get to start knowing someone and learning things about them before you even meet them. Even though my name does not have meaning behind it I love my name because it is so different. I have never met anyone with my name before and when I was younger I hated it because it was so different, but I have come to love it because of its uniqueness and I would never want any other name.
When I think of kids with weird and unusual names, celebrity’s children definitely come to mind. Who would ever really name their kids Apple and Coco? Aren’t they just going to get made fun of all throughout their life? I can only imagine how weird that would be to be older and in the business world and having to call someone from another business who had the name Apple. Most people do not like to admit it, but most people are judgmental. When people have names like Apple and Coco you are most likely going to have pre-conceived notions about them. When parents give their children names like this are they just setting their kids up for embarrassment?
A lot of names that are very common to us have meaning behind them, but most are not aware of that. People today usually give their children names because they like them or they are a family name. If you asked a girl named Sara or a boy named Michael they would have no idea what the meaning of their name was. It is a shame that more people do not pick names based upon their meaning rather than the way that they sound.
It is obvious that different generations and names go through different phases. People have been named after flowers and schools, and maybe a new phase will eventually be to pick names based on their meanings. What Africans do with picking names for their children seems weird to most people now, but maybe someday in the United States that will be the thing to do.
I remember hearing about this story a few times. I am still as shocked about it as I was when I first heard it. I definitely sympathize with the bakery for not wanting to write a Happy Birthday note to Adolf Hitler Campbell. Though Adolf Hitler is technically “just a name”, it only brings one thing to mind for me, and I’m sure many others. The Adolf Hitler that lead the Holocaust comes to my mind, as well as they thousands of people who suffered under his “mission”.
There are those who still feel strongly about the ‘superiority’ of the Aryan race, but to name your child after it seems a little bit ridiculous. If a parent has a view on something, let them have it. But I think their child should have the choice of what their view is on it as well. By the Campbell family naming their son Adolf Hitler they have just stolen his choice from him, and promised him a lot of attention from the news. (In a way he may not want as he grows up.)
The saying “a name is just a name” came to mind while I was reading this article. Though this young Adolf Hitler has no connection with the Adolf Hitler we all know of, whenever he introduces himself the older Adolf is who people will think of. Any name could be used to prove this too. If you had a friend who’s name was Brad Pitt, each time that person introduced himself people would immediately think of Brad Pitt.
I found it very interesting to read about all the names used in the article. I can understand why some families would choose to name their child Godknows, gift, of Knowledge, even though it is a little strange. If a momentous thing happens parents feel obligated to name their child with something that will always bring back that memory. One of my roommates name is Angell. One night she told us the story of how she got her name. Her parents had tired to get pregnant for years, and had had three miscarriages. After the third heartbreak they had nearly given up and then they got pregnant again, and nine months later had a beautiful baby girl. They named her Angell because that is what she was to them.
I do not however think it is fair to name a child something like Never Trust A Woman, or Enough. I definitely understand the reasoning’s behind the names but I don’t think the child should have to suffer with a name like that because of a parent’s feeling.
Cultures across the world differ in many ways as a whole, and names are just another way that they can be foreign to us Americans. Names can be odd at times. But they can also be very interesting when you find out the reasoning behind the choice.
There is much in a name. A name means a lot in the case of every person. The naming of child is a monumental event. This event should not be taken lightly. The child will bear this name until death unless they choose to change it. Even changing a name is significant because it depicts that names do indeed mean something and aren’t simply an identifying sequence of sounds. But a name has so much value in every culture even if there is no specific known meaning. No person can justly describe how somebody or how a culture should name their children. But unfortunately people use this liberty in insane matters. But when a person is named in honor of an infamous individual who personally was the cause of the largest genocide then I seek issue.
There is no excuse for ignorance. As previously stated, the naming of a child is a monumental and important event. Most people take the time to thoroughly think of what they will name their child. And in this case, this family is completely ignorant for naming their child after one of the most infamous dictators in history, and consequently hoping for public acceptance. I This name had to have been thought out thoroughly because Adolf is no longer a common name. It is most certainly not the normal John or Ashley. This child’s name speaks volumes and unfortunately this child will eventually receive much ridicule later in his life for his name. A name is not just a name. Dr. Richards may say that a name is just an association someone makes with the particular sound that it creates, but if that were true derogatory words would not hurt. Unfortunately in this situation you cannot just say that the name doesn’t mean anything, because this child’s father named his child with the intent of acknowledging and thusly hailing Hitler. This thought can be proven valid by the acknowledgement of Adolf’s sister. Her middle name is “Aryan Nation“. All I can say is “what the hell“? The Aryan Nation claims white superiority and white supremacy. Aryan individuals are supposed to be the best individuals upon this earth, and all others are subsequently located significantly below them. This child’s name is not just a name it is more than that. It shows that this world is not perfect and prejudice and discrimination still exists.
I personally believe that different culture’s naming patterns are really intriguing. There is much to be said about a culture based upon the way the name their children. “Homemade names”, the title of the article is a little concerning, because who are we to call their names “homemade“. The article even states that there a lot of “Lovemores, Tellmores, and Trymores”. The name is thought of intently just as it is done so in the United States. The Zimbabwean way of naming their children is not funny at all. I think that this way of naming shows the strength of their culture values. Furthermore, the way we name our children is actually funny because now-a-days most parents choose a name on the way they sound and not their true meanings. Names do lose meanings over time and just become a sequence of identifying sounds, but contrarily, some names will never lose their meaning.
As my favorite philosopher, J. Krishnamurti stresses, the word is never the thing; if I am thirsty and say "water, water, water," my thirst will not be clenched. Designating words changes our experience from present and whole to fragmented and calculated; from feeling and understanding, to thinking and listlessness (and conflict and confusion and despair). Labeling disables our ability to see things simply as they are, forcing us to conceptualize all that we take in, so that when we see something of breathtaking beauty, we are often reduced to putting the beauty into mental boxes. (In my opinion, nonverbal communication is where it's at, by the way).
It was recently written to me that,"words are powerful,beautiful, misleading, inadequate...but at times, words are also gifts." I can appreciate this, and words, in the right context. As far as I am concerned, intention is everything. So, the name "Adolf" is simply the name Adolf. The name Adolf Hitler, however, is a symbol of hate, a symbol of division. It carries a lot of weight, more weight than many symbols ever achieve.
I feel sympathy for both the unfortunately named children, and the parents. People aren't born hating other people. "Nazi," "Jew," and "Republican" are not ideas we are born with an understanding of - that just isn't the way it works. From my observations, we also aren't born with any concern about color. Have you ever looked in on a 1st grade classroom in a diverse area? If you haven't, put it on your to-do list. The kids don't pay any attention to racial differences. As they get older, however, they learn about division and the whole "us" and "them" thing from an ever-growing number of sources. Sometimes it's parents, sometimes teachers, sometimes the media, sometimes other kids, and sometimes, it doesn't even have to be said - we are creatures designed for learning and growth - simply seeing the way others react to different types of people can and will shape one's perspective. So, these Nazi parents were clearly reared that way. Ignorance is unfortunate, and seems to run along familial lines. It is my hope that young Adolf Hitler doesn't grow up hating, but it is my fear that he almost certainly will. In addition to the hateful connotation of his name, he will constantly be subjected to alienating glances and judgment. All that the poor child did was successfully arrive into the world. There are all types of people. I like all of the ones with good intentions. We aren't all born into the most loving, selfless, beautiful families. That's just the way it is. But, as one coming from a horrendously broken, consumption driven family, I feel at liberty to say that it is possible to overcome. Growing up with a name like Adolf, or "Aryan Nation" will surely make it difficult, but it's possible.
Finally! The journal I’ve always desired to write! (If you read four lines up it’s pretty evident why) People ask me all the time, “Is that your ‘real’ last name?” What I really don’t get is when I hear the “how do you spell it?” question. On the inside I feel like saying if you mastered first grade you should be able to spell it but, I insist on giving into their confusion. Throughout my life, I have been called numerous nicknames. My favorite one is Cheesy-Pooh which is what my best friend calls me. I think it’s cute and believe me; it has gotten weirder over the years. I’ve always thought that the more taboo a name is the more uniqueness a person is. So far, my theory has been proven true. I met a girl in college named Love and my next door neighbor’s daughter name is Rain. The two of them are perfect for their personalities because Love is so kind that you instantly fall head over heels for her and Rain is a spoiled brat who cries a lot. In the past, I’ve always made jokes about foreign names that come from various countries like China and India. I can remember watching the movie Meet Dave starring Eddie Murphy and laughing hysterically at the part when he said that the most common name on the planet was Mi Chung. I thought it was funny because in western culture nobody would ever name their child that. We think that names such as “Mi Chung” are abnormal and hard to pronounce. Sad, but so true.
I for one have had a couple laughs from names in the African-American communities which are referred to as “ghetto names”. I have met a couple of La Shondas, Takiras, and those aren’t even the worst of the worst. In fact, I used to mock uncommon names so much that I would personally thank my mother for naming me something that people wouldn’t stumble upon because my last name was bound to give me hell for the rest of my life. This particular blog, however, made me quit laughing (at least for the meantime). Why did we put so much emphasis in the meaning of names? I say that the bakery should have put that baby’s name on the cake no matter what! He’s obviously not the Adolf Hitler we all know and hate. This same issue arose in class one day while talking about Obama’s middle name, Hussein, and the reason he was blamed for being a terrorist. When is it logical to begin to associate those who share the names of our villains in history automatically as evil-doers? It’s merely shameful that our names illustrate the predictions that others cast upon us. I am aware that the reason why I find unfamiliar names humorous is because the past has brain-washed me into thinking that only Sarahs and Toms get ahead in the future. That’s why the article in Zimbabwe gave me a pinch of happiness to know that this epidemic didn’t spread everywhere across the globe. (Random thought: I thought the cutest one was Lovemore, so genuine.)
I really do not understand why, even if they are the biggest advocates of white supremacy in the world, any parents would give their children the names Adolf Hitler and Aryan Nation. It is almost cruel to the children to make them go through their lives with names that people will automatically judge them for having. I remember talking to my mom about this particular family shortly after they were in the news for the birthday cake incident. I think it is really interesting that bakeries refused to write Adolf Hitler on the birthday cake. I mean, it’s not the child’s fault that his parents are ignorant assholes, and I bet he was pretty sad when he couldn’t get the cake he wanted to celebrate his birthday. The sister has it a little bit easier because at least her first name, although a bit strange, does not come with any sort of association with negative things. I really wonder if little Adolf has any friends at school. My parents would never let me hang out with a kid named Adolf Hitler because they would not want me to go over to his house or carpool with his parents or even let his parents pick me up to take us to a movie or something. Then again, in a way, it is nice to already know in advance that the parents are white supremacists so that people already know to avoid them without even having to get to know them.
I have no idea why anyone would want their child’s name to be something like Smile or Godknows. I know Godknows has a good story behind it and everything, but I mean come on. You changed your kid’s name to Godknows?! What is wrong with you?
In regards to the name Jesus, I always think it’s weird even when Hispanic people are named Jesus. I mean, it’s not like the son of God is called something different in Spanish. It’s still Jesus.
It is interesting to me that words in general have associations with them. Like on the first day of class when Sam was talking about curse words. Why is it so bad to use words like “fuck” and “shit”? It seems to me that people should not be offended when people use words like that in normal conversation, especially when they use them to incorporate a stronger sense of emotion into the conversation or something like that.
It’s also funny how words can cut into people. They can hurt. But they’re just words. I think it’s fascinating how people can get deeply hurt by someone saying a simple sentence. When you think about it, words are some of the most powerful tools we have as human beings.
This was an interesting article but shocking at the same time. I can understand why the bakery would not want to put the child’s name on the cake but I don’t think they had a right to do that. I’m sure if I went into Wal-Mart right now and ordered a cake and told then to right the most outrageous thing on it they would. I mean why wouldn’t they? You are paying them for the cake. I understand how many may be appalled that someone would name their son Adolf Hitler, but like Sam said it was a common German name. Growing up I think it was pretty much drilled into our heads that Hitler was such a horrible man who did horrible things so many may be offended that someone would name their son that. However, I do also believe that some people name their kids because of their culture or beliefs; like the example you made in the original post, Jesus.
After reading this article I was shocked to see the names that some people give their kids. Then again I don’t think it should surprise me seeing the society we live in. I see a lot of celebrities naming their kids weird names like Apple or Rocket. Now, you or I may find that’s crazy but others may think it is normal. On the other hand, I don’t see why a name can be such a BIG deal. Just because someone’s name is different doesn’t mean they are a bad person or whatnot. I feel like people that name there kids something so controversial, like Adolf Hitler is asking for attention. Why else would you do that? I mean now this little boy has to suffer because his parents decided to name him Adolf Hitler. I understand that is just a name but look at what Hitler did. He is a man that is hated my many. I think it is selfish for the parent to do that to a helpless kid that was named that.
I know that different cultures have names that they like to pass down from family to family but I just don’t understand it sometimes…maybe its just me but why would you do that to your kid? I just think its all about the attention you will get for having a controversial name. Some names are interesting and new but others are just wrong and shouldn’t be given to kids. There is definitely a difference between an interesting name and a cruel controversial name.
I just feel bad for this kid when he grows up and has to deal with people teasing him and making fun of him. I can’t imagine the life he has ahead of him. Not to mention I saw this story on CNN for days! So unfair!
In response to the “What’s In a Name” blog, I would like to pose some food for thought. In my group this morning, we discussed this blog somewhat. We talked about the cake incident and how the ShopRite bakery refused to put the name Adolph Hitler on a cake. We looked it up and found that Walmart actually did make the cake for the family after the fact. I feel that the name does bring up negative emotion, and it is understandable for someone to be uncomfortable making the cake. Even so, I think they should have made the cake. Just because you don’t like a name doesn’t mean you can discriminate against it. Isn’t it illegal not to hire someone on the basis of his or her race, gender, and sexual preference? What makes it legal to deny someone service based on his or her birth name. These parents, obviously have a whacked out sense of humor, but their child is named Adolph Hitler, and he deserves to have a birthday cake like any other child. I understand that the same issue would probably arise with the name “Osama Bin Laden” or “Saddam Hussein.” Consider this: How many Bob Johnsons and John Smiths do you know? What if one of these people committed a serious act of violence against a large group of people? Would everyone else with the name suddenly be evil and not entitled to service at a bakery? I know our society is big on names, but we need to be realistic here. If it is not practical to judge someone on the basis of race, it should not make sense to judge someone on the basis of their name. Like Sam pointed out, most people would think it was a joke if someone named their child Jesus. For some reason, though, it is perfectly common in Hispanic cultures. While names can carry a significant and valuable meaning, we cannot let a few unusual names, Hitler or not, increase discrimination in this country. In response to the homemade names link in this blog, I find some of the names absolutely awesome. I would love to have a name that means something other than what my parents thought was pretty. Isn’t this the nature of nicknames? When I was younger, my family called me “Noodle” because I practically lived on pasta. In high school, my friends called me Beasto because I’m 6’ girl with a size 13 shoe. Nicknames, in my opinion, are so popular because they say something about the person they are referring to. Therefore, I like the concept of naming in Zimbabwe. This also reminds of the past, when people’s last names were based on their trades i.e. Blacksmith, Cooper, etc. The conclusion that I’m trying to make is that names are significant, but should not be used as another way to discriminate. Don’t we have enough of that in this country?
While I agree that it may just be a name, I feel as though they named their children that to get the reaction that they did. Do I thinking Children’s Services had any right to go into their home and take their child? No. I do not understand how that decision was justified. Child Services should have thoroughly evaluated the atmosphere in which the children were living in before they up and went in to take the children away. That is going to be quite a hefty lawsuit. Should the parents receive any sort of repercussions for this decision to name their children the names that they chose? No. It is up to them; the children will have the ability to change their names when they are older if they so wish. Just because they named their children the names that they did does not mean that they are imposing the ideas of Hitler on their children. It does not mean that they are teaching their children the ideals of white supremacy. It may, but we have no way of knowing without proper evaluation. Are the children enrolled in an actual school setting? If it were the case that they were being home schooled, then we may start to worry. Again these details were not released right away. This just shows how effective the media is in only giving certain details of the case; everyone is so quick to judge without getting all of the information. Yes, I have to admit that I was a bit taken back that this family chose the names that they did; who wasn’t shocked? Maybe Hitler himself would not have seen anything wrong with this. I’m not saying it is wrong; however, there is a stigma that will always be associated with the name Adolph. And Aryan Nation? Well.. yes that is somewhat alarming to me. Again, I do not know why the family chose the names that it did, therefore I cannot judge. They are just names. However, I do think that the children will receive all forms of criticism while in social settings. I can only imagine what will happen when the history lessons are introduced to the class. Could you imagine the label that these children will receive, or the criticism by not only the student but the teachers as well? Even the parents of their friends may be skeptical or forbid their children to socialize with these children. I have to be completely honest, I do not know that I would want my children to go over this family’s house for a play date. That may make me sound ignorant but it does make a person wonder. While my dad has a friend names Adolph, his middle name is not Hitler. However, I believe that when people hear the name Adolph, they automatically associate the name with Hitler. I think this is a natural association. Unfortunately, I do not believe there will ever be a time when the name Adolph will not carry such a stigma. One thing that really puzzles me is why both of their children are named in someway after that terrible time in history? But again, have they really done anything wrong here? They are just names after all. Or is there an ulterior motive? We really have no way of knowing.
First off, I think it is wrong for anybody to give a name to a child that is meant to define them instead of them defining their own name. Giving a child the name Adolf Hitler almost defines him as an anti-Jewish person before people get to know him. Obviously, before Hitler came to power and began his genocide this name would carry no weight. However, now the name Adolf Hitler is known all over and tales (both true and speculated) have been heard by the entire educated world. It is clear that now this name, although only a combination of sounds, has come to mean something bad, wrong, and regretted in this world’s past. When people meet this child they will feel like they already know about him and who he is just because they know his name.
I must take a small break here to address the issue of the birthday cake. By naming their child Adolf Hitler, his parents have in a way honored this man and what he did. Is it right to bring a message to anyone that indiscriminate killing should be honored? No. I believe the people who made the cake should have just put Happy Birthday Adolf on the cake, so that a child who did not pick his name still has his cake and it sends the message to the parents that they do not approve of such a name in a place where Hitler’s actions are so reviled.
Getting back to names that define people – yes, I feel they are wrong; people should be able to define their names. If a child is named Sally, she shapes that name. She makes the name Sally fit her, she does not morph herself to fit the name Sally. An example: I strongly dislike the name Justin because I knew two Justins who were trouble makers and not too bright and so I think of the name Justin unfavorably. Those two boys defined the name Justin for me. My mom likes the name Justin because Justin is a very successful, cheerful, bright coworker of hers. He defined Justin and made the name fit him – he defined Justin for the people around him. Unique names like Lakeisha or Kiara, etc. can also be defined by the people they are given to.
However, with a name like Adolf Hitler, it is almost like that person is already defined – the name is defining them. With a name like Hatred (from Zimbabwe) – people already know something about you just by hearing your name – they know there was some kind of hatred going around when you were born. I feel like there should be no stock in a name. It should just be something to address someone by. It should not tell you anything about somebody or who they are. Our names stay with us throughout our lives and who we are is constantly changing. A name that starts out defining who we are is not easily compatible with this constant changing of ourselves. However, a name that lets us define what it is also lets us easily change ourselves and our own definition of that name and even how others see and define it.
I can understand why the Campbell’s ran into some trouble in getting their son’s name on his birthday cake. To be honest, I had the same shocked reaction that I’m sure the people at the bakery had; however, by the time I was finished reading the article and the follow-up article on the people of Zimbabwe, my perspective changed significantly. It goes without saying that there is an automatic tendency among all of humankind to attach meaning to a word, and that meaning changes not only across cultures, but within cultures as well. I don’t know what the Campbell family was thinking or what beliefs and emotions they have surrounding Adolph Hitler and the white race, and I probably won’t ever understand. They are obviously very different from the more negative emotions and thoughts that those people at the bakery had, or else they wouldn’t name their child that, assuming they love and care about their son.
When looking at this topic from the other side, people who name their children names that I, and most of others, consider to hold more positive thoughts and emotions, it seems like a very sweet and charming idea. For example, to name your child Hope or even Rainbow, when others hear those names, a more positive picture comes to mind. But when you’re from a culture like ours, sure those names are nice and sweet for a pet pony or dog even, but as a name for a child? A human being? It seems a little bit silly. These are the thoughts that came to my mind, initially. It’s a result of the culture that I was raised in. But when I open my mind and see a person named “Rainbow” through the eyes of a person from Zimbabwe, from a person of a different culture, the name means something entirely different. It is symbolic of the sunshine after the rain, a very positive idea.
That being said, I would never name my own child anything of the sort, in part because although the meaning of the name may mean one thing to me, it might mean something entirely different to the child’s peers and the rest of society, or even the child himself, which would potentially set the child up for a life of humiliate. Adolph Hitler Campbell, for example. To be honest though, because I was born and raised in a particular culture that (unless you’re a high-status celebrity) does tend to raise an eyebrow at names like ‘Apple’, I would have a hard time naming a child something that carries with it an entire set of emotions and thoughts in itself. I think it’s nice to let a child create their own identity for themselves, independent of what the name might carry with it.
It is astounding what a name can mean to different people. Reading the story about Adolph Hitler’s birthday cake, I can understand both the bakery’s side and the family’s side. That name is known around the world as nothing but evil, and instantly hearing it the brash German ruler comes to mind. I can see his face mentally in my head. I even think why would anyone want to name their child that? The world does not want a bunch of Hitlers running around. Think about how the child will feel when they learn about the previous Adolf Hitler and his leadership during the Holocaust. His classmates will surely have some thoughts as well. Obviously, it is not the poor child’s decision, and different cultures have different reasons for naming their child whatever it is they please. An American would most likely never name their child Sitting Bull after a Native American ritual (a made up example of course) and a Native American would most likely never name their child Bob. It is the difference of cultures we have to keep in mind when judging a name. I can see plain Adolf being acceptable in Germany. I admit that when I hear certain names I can come up with a particular ethnicity I feel that name comes from. For example, my friend has the last name Chen, as soon as I heard it I knew she must have been of Asian descent. Maybe our names are what make us a part of our own culture and are more important than we think. Personally looking at all these different cultured names, many of them have a strong meaning behind them and I respect that. It is a shame that tradition has lost its touch in areas of the world. It makes a person more interesting. American names are sometimes plain and meaningless, if you think about it, it makes us seem lazy and insincere. Maybe that is why celebrities these days are going towards “Apple” or “Suri”. I would never guess those to be American children and I would be interested in hearing the meaning behind those names. I ask my mother where my name came from and all I get is “I had a friend with that name I always thought it was pretty.” I can look it up of course and find my name means warrior woman, but my parents did not even know that! These other people have stories behind their names, a real reason and that intrigues me. I will no longer laugh when I hear a different sounding name; this blog post has enlightened me to want to know more of what’s in a name. If the future holds more meaningful names, we may not find it so funny anymore, so future parents I suggest thinking a little bit harder about little Bob’s name.
Names vary all over the world, culture to culture. A common name in Africa will likely get odd looks and confused expressions from people of the North American culture. This is simply because people in their own cultures grow up around similar things. These things they then develop or are labelled as the norm or correct way to go about life. In the United States we grow up around Bobs, Katies, Kristens, Bills and Marys. All of these names are common and no one dares to bat an eyelash in surprise when they are mentioned. Growing up in an Italian family where Katies and Bills were shunned I never thought twice about the names of my sisters and other family members. To me my sisters Santina and Carmelina and my cousin Paulie and Susanne were, well normal. My name too, Bernadette, clearly was fine also. This of course all changed when I entered the main stream of elementary school. All of a sudden I was surrounded by 2 Katies, 3 Kristens and 2 Johns just in my first grade class. There were multiples of names everywhere I turned, and I just didn’t get it. Weren’t names supposed to be exclusive? I thought. I had never once come across another Santina or Carmelina or a Bernadette in my early life. I quickly began to realize that it wasn’t the Johns and Katies that were weird, it was me, my name, Bernadette. Because of this I hated my name as a kid, my other peers were surprised by it and everyone I met thought it was a weird name. It wasn’t until I got older that I learned to love my name. I love the fact that my name is unique and take pride in the fact that I’m not just another Katie. My name and the names of my sisters have meanings to them, we were all named after other older relatives. Our names were not just pulled out of baby book, they represent others that lived before us. However, this isn’t always a positive thing, sometimes that person before us could be someone who is detested perhaps among millions. In the case of the baby Adolph Hitler Campbell his name is associated with the historical Adolph Hitler, which has many negative connotations surrounding it. In this case the name in which our society has a whole grew up around was always associated with bad things. This makes sense then when someone has a similar name that they too will be subjected to the similar associations. Although this is not “right” because the baby is in no way associated with Hitler he will not be able to avoid the negative associations surrounding it. This just goes to prove that names are only “normal” or “acceptable” if it is the norm of the certain culture or society. When people veer off of that path they are in turn subject to discrimination.
If I worked at that bakery, I would not have been comfortable with icing the words “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler” onto the cake either. No, I don’t think the Campbell’s should have been denied service, but at the same time I think they’re idiots to try to appeal to the court of public opinion. In a world of über-sensitivity in regards to race, who would come to their aid? Even if they agreed that they were wronged, there are few people willing to speak up on behalf of such extreme white supremacists. I can’t imagine them thinking that they would get any sympathy.
So, “what’s in a name?” I would say a lot. You can tell a lot about someone from their name, especially heritage. I have a friend named Kasia Wasilczuk, she is obviously very Polish. You are not likely to find a Nazi named Isaac Goldberg. This little boy Adolph, he is clearly being raised in a family that supports white supremacy, and as a product of such an environment he may very well be proud of his name. I am not saying that I approve of it, but I recognize that a name is more than just a series of sounds we use to identify one another. Names are often things we are expected to live up to.
At the same time, names can be very misleading. My last name is Dutch, but I’m a full-blooded Korean. In high school I got a lot of strange looks—when teachers called out “Gabrielle Gort” they often did not expect me to raise my hand, they expected something more along the lines of “Eun-Hee Kim.” On the first day of SOC 119, Professor Richards sent around the list of recitation periods and asked us to write down next to our names what race we labeled ourselves as. I looked down the list and consciously thought “Wow, I think I’m the only minority in my recitation period. Interesting.”
I liked the linked article-- I thought it was funny, but more importantly I liked how it related the disconnect between cultures. What we think is weird or bizarre does not strike other cultures as strange in the slightest. What I found especially interesting was that even other Zimbabweans did double-takes at names like “Enough,” and “Hatred.” It makes me wonder how much of our culture is accompanying the spread of English. With English being the Lingua Franca, how much of our thought processes are proliferating along with our language?
In regards to the poor guy named “Never Trust a Woman,” I definitely would not want to advertise my name to people I had just met. Imagine trying to get a date.
People have the right to name their child whatever they desire. It is in the constitution to have freedom of speech and the ability to pick and choose without the government interfering with that freedom. I feel that this family did nothing wrong in naming their child such a controversial name but they should also be ready for the controversy that will accompany it. Choosing a name with such a long dark history is surely a way to provoke others around them and they should not expect others to respond to the name in the friendliest ways.
After reading this article I had a discussion with my oldest sister who is currently a medical student working in her labor and delivery rotation. After telling her about the article she proceeded to tell me some of the strange names she has recently encountered. I was shocked to hear of a mother naming her two new born twins Kilo and Cocaine after her drug habit. I realized that not all people in the world realize the impact that the names they give to their children will have on their future experiences. With the name Cocaine or Adolf the expectation in life is not set at a high level. I would hardly expect anyone named Adolf to be a CEO of a fortune five hundred company.
I have nothing against the name Adolf or the parents that chose to name their child that name but I do think that it is close to one of the stupidest names I have ever hear of for a child. I feel that with so many other names in the world that there is no point to making a child’s life harder by naming them something controversial. This child will always be on the defense about his name and must always defend himself against people holding prejudices against him when the child doesn’t even know why he is being attacked. This little boy did not live though WWII and will have no idea who Adolf Hitler is or why his name has such a negative reaction in people. I feel as if these parents are trying to set their child up for failure.
Even though I feel that this name choice is a poor one I still believe that the parents have every right to make that bad choice. The government should not be interfering in this family’s life. The parents are taking care of their children and even went to get a birthday cake for little Adolf’s birthday. I feel that the name choice is the least of American citizen’s problems and should be left alone. It is true that other cultures such as the Hispanic population name their children Jesus and that has not made news recently. As a catholic I should more outraged over that use of a name but in reality it is a name and it makes sense for a name to be used as a name. The name Jesus does not give the child any special powers and I feel the same about the name Adolf. It does not give the child any extreme hatred for Jewish people, it is just a name and that is all.
My first reaction to reading that very interesting article was that I literally laughed out loud. And to be honest, who wouldn’t if they weren’t in that culture. The names are just flat out weird and almost all of us don’t understand why they would do this. Even after and explanation of why, we still just don’t get it because it’s not what we do. After I read it the first time I sat there and started thinking if my parents named me something like that it could possibly be mistake. Who knows, in our culture its just not what happens or goes on. We name our kids after jewelry companies and pop stars. To the people in Zimbabwe that is weird and not understandable. They would be dumb founded just like I was when I first read that article. Then I started thinking a little differently. I said how cool would it be if my name was joy, or happiness. I would love it if my name was actually a representation of what I wish upon other people. Not only would it reflect my character but my name in it of itself would wish something I truly wish for others just by saying my name. I mean think about it, so I did. Then I read the article over again and it started to make sense. Trust me the article wasn’t clear to me the second time but I did understand what was behind the name. Not just seeing the name and laughing, but really seeing why this name was chosen and how appropriate it really is. I personally find this very fascinating. Just knowing that people in another culture so different than mine, name their children something that can be so beautiful. Also, this only occurs because of the cultures we live in, not because of our race. It is very interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes and I tried to do this while reading the article and finally it clicked. They name their children that way solely because it’s their way of life, for no other reason do they do this. Of course it can be an inside joke but if it wasn’t their way of life the inside joke would just be an inside joke. The way of our life is jewelry and pop stars and such. I saw the connection and made to let me understand the article I was reading.
Just to touch upon the boy in the beginning of the blog, I think that it’s ridiculous that his name couldn’t be put on the cake to celebrate his birthday. I mean it’s his name, it’s not like he is actually Adolph Hitler. Also, thy denied this child to celebrate his birthday they way he wanted it because of what his parents named him. That’s not his fault whatsoever. Let the kid have fun. What is in a name? the real answer is depends where you are from but he lives in Pennsylvania. Just because he is named that doesn’t mean he was named that for a reason like in the culture of Zimbabwe.
First off I believe there are some names that people should just not name their children. We are still in a time where World War II is remembered vividly and the name Adolf Hitler is a name that is looked at with horror. It is one thing if the parents wanted to name their kid just Adolf. But the fact that they named their son Adolf Hitler and then gave their daughter the middle name Aryan Nation is just disrespectful. Adolf Hitler caused the death of millions of people in Europe and around the world. Because of him a world war broke out. Having named your children these names it shows that this family has clearly not learned from the past and they are most likely white supremacists.
As a side note, their kids will most likely have a hard time growing up. The parents cursed their kids for life. Every school in America teaches about World War II. Other kids will notice that their classmate has this name and they will probably get teased, pushed aside, get looks of disgust, or somehow become angry or eventually need to change their name.
With that said, I find the names people of other cultures name their children interesting. I like that some have deeper meanings and that some are as blunt as the name. It would be boring if everyone in the world named their kids the same thing.
There are also many traditions that different names come from. In the Jewish religion, a baby is named after a dead relative, usually a relative that meant a lot to their family. I personally have the same Hebrew name as my great grandmother who died in the Holocaust and am honored to carry on her name. I in fact have two names. I have my Hebrew name and my English name. I am also proud to say that my name means present or gift.
A tradition with names that personally bothers me is when you name your child after yourself. This is seen a lot in the Christian religion. I mean I went to my junior prom with George the fourth. Doesn’t that get confusing. I mean, when his mom yelled George, how did he know if she was talking to him or his father? And when his grandfather was there it just gets even more confusing. And what about the other sons or an elder daughter. It’s like they are never looked at as an important child, the only important one is the one named after the father. I once heard of a family that named all the kids the same name. I just don’t know how they made it. Nicknames only get you so far.
I have always wanted to name my children (if I have any) less common, yet normal names. That way, they don’t have the same name as 15 or so other children in their school, and also so they do not get picked on for having a very unique name. I consider my name to be one of these less common, but still socially acceptable names: Victoria/Vicky. I really liked being the only Vicky in my school, and I know my sister liked being the only Stephanie in her grade as well.
If I had been an employee at the ShopRite bakery, I would definitely not have frosted “Adolph Hitler” onto the birthday cake. The family could easily have asked the bakery to put just the name “Adolph” on the cake which is much more acceptable, but since they asked for “Hitler” too, they were pretty much asking for problems and controversy. Clearly these people value Adolph Hitler, the awful figure who lead the Holocaust, because they also put the words “Aryan Nation” into their daughter’s name. I am utterly confused as to why on Earth parents would do that to their children; it’s just plain mean! If my child came home from school one day and asked to have a play date with his new friend Adolph Hitler Campbell, I am pretty sure I would not let him! In my opinion, that is just setting your child up for a bad future filled with name-calling and plenty of teasing and bullying. I may sound superficial for saying that, but it is definitely true. I used to be friends with a girl named Penny. She is a very sweet girl but I would never want her name in this day and age. It is a very “old lady” name to me.
I find celebrity baby names to be hilarious! They even devoted a whole VH1 program to the craziest celeb baby names. Some of the ones I remember are Coco, Pilot Inspektor, Reign Beau, Audio Science and Jermajesty. I always think of these children and how they can easily be made fun of when they go to school, but then I realize that they will probably go to a fancy private school with other oddly named kids of celebrities, so they are all in the same boat.
The names discussed in the article are extremely strange in my opinion, but at least that have an interesting meaning to their bearers and/or the families. I never, ever wonder what someone’s names mean. I really like the name “Olivia” for a girl, but according to babynames.com, it means “Elf army.” That meaning is as weird as it gets, but most people probably don’t know that, and the meaning would never keep me from naming my daughter Olivia.
Nothing is really ever what it seems. Even a joke, a look, or even a body gesture is made to have some meaning to it, whether it made directly or indirectly each action is made showing some significance. Some people choose to be ignorant and say well “words are just merely words”, but this is completely untrue, words are used as tool to gets points across, and to the majority of the community the mean something. So getting to the blog post the names of the children (Adolph Hitler & JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell) are just simply inappropriate. They names weren’t just randomly chosen out of a hat or randomly generated, they were given to them with a purpose some meaning behind the name. Being a parent and naming your children something like that is completely irresponsible. First of all without getting to know the children their names already give the community the impression that they are poor, ignorant , trash. Second of all the children are born in to complete ignorance and racism ( this is me assuming their parents are neo-Nazi’s because of the way the named their children). Since you are a product of your environment these children really have no chance at a normal life, they will be constantly questioned just because of their names and mostly likely have a racist attitude because of their parents. Now I’m not saying that being born into ignorance necessarily means that you have to be ignorant but chances are if that’s all you know your going to act that way. I think this is why racism will never die; hate, just like genetics is past down from generation to generation. Once formed, people usually take notice of how you act and these people are usually the closest to you. Peers, family, and friends notice this and chose to accept this or not, since your around them so much you may involuntarily give off body language or say a comment that isn’t very proper. These people may pick up so mannerisms and once again involuntarily pass them people. It’s a vicious cycle and in my opinion can never really be stopped. Words, thoughts, mannerisms all have an impact on how people perceive and once again isn’t that what racism really is. Words really mean nothing coming out of someone’s mouth, its just how others perceive them. So in this context you cant really say, “ words are nothing more than a unique vocalization that creates a sound that others can recognize as descriptor” to you, your words may mean nothing, but to others it’s completely different. Maybe if it were just you living and everyone else were just a mindless drone you could say anything you want, but you are not. Your in America and as much as you don’t care; other people do so for community’s sake let’s try and be morally correct and keep those opinions inside.
The Shoprite supermarket in northeastern Pennsylvania had a right, as a businees, to deny the Campbell's a birthday cake with the name "Adolph Hitler" inscribed on it, and I totally agree with and respect their decision to do so. It is of my opinion that anybody who would name their child after Adolph Hitler is an absolute degenerate, and I really don't care if they couldn't get a birthday cake. They should have thought about things like birthday cakes and Christmas cards before they named their child after such a tyrant. Who wants to get a Christmas card that says "Merry Christmas from Joe, Jane, and Adolph Hitler"? I can appreciate the argument that a name is just a unique vocal arrangement and that it's the meaning behind it that really matters, but the Campbell's are living in the United States. The United States sent so many men and women into the war and I'm sure it isn't appreciated by veterans or relatives of war heroes that people like the Campbell's are playing games naming their kids after ruthless dictators. Our culture in the United States is not one that welcomes such names. I could see naming your child after a flower, or even a tree (trees and flowers never hurt anything), but not a ruthless dictator like Adolph Hitler. This is by far the oddest name I've ever heard of someone naming their child, and certainly surpasses Gwyneth Paltrow naming her child "Apple" or Courtney Cox naming her daughter "Coco." I actually like apples and chocolate. Who doesn't? One thing that this article does make me think about, though, is how cultures differntiate themselves from other cultures by the names they choose for their children. Like the article about names in Africa, there are people named after vitrues like trust and knowledge and planets like Jupiter. In the United States, people probably wouldn't name their child Pluto because people would think of the goofy dog and not the planet. This is one way African cultures may use names to differentiate themselves from other cultures, such as American culture. I understand that other cultures feel that unique names are effective ways of keeping their culture different from others, but not in the case of Adolph Hitler. The Campbell's are a part of American culture, and in American culture, names like Adolph Hitler are simply not appropriate. Appropriate names don't offend people, nor do they get banned from being placed on birthday cakes at supermarkets. I am not suggesting, however, that people get government approval for the names of their kids; that would a horrible idea! I'm just simply stating that anyone who decides to name their kid after Adolph Hitler, is an absolute degenerate.
In today’s day in age, parents are naming their children in a unique way. In the 1920’s, names such as Dorothy and Walter were amongst the most popular baby names. I guess we can say that names seem to be going in and out of style much like the fashion industry. Today there is a multitude of names that it is hard to find some of the same names twice. In a classroom there used to be several children with the same names and they would begin identifying children by their first name and the first letter of their last name. Yet today, we are more surprised when this does occur. There are such a variety of names in the world that peculiar names such as Apple face scrutiny. But when I think of that poor child and the life of challenging situations that he will have to face, I am disheartened. Although the parents may support the work of Adolf Hitler, they should have put the safety and concern for their child above their humor. If they truly wanted to name their child after Hitler, they could have easily named him Adolf Campbell. I did not think that the addition of Hitler as a middle name was necessary.
On the other hand, I did not think that it was right for the bakery to refuse writing the child’s name on the cake. Once again, they could have simply wrote, “Happy Birthday Adolf!” In today’s society, names are very unique, much like the list of Zimbabwean names. Yet there is a major difference between unique names that are meaningful and unique names that are meant to catch your attention with no purpose. I strongly believe that these parents named their child Adolf Hitler because they either found humor in it or they wanted to see the attention they would get for such a radical action. If the parents wholeheartedly named their son Adolf Hitler because they view him as a leader and support his actions then I believe they have the right to do so. Yet I do think that many people today, including celebrities, name their children peculiar names in order to get attention, rather than give them a meaningful start at life.
Unfortunately, something as radical as naming your child Adolf Hitler is going to be stuck with this child forever. What if the boy learns about the Holocaust and decides he doesn’t support what Hitler did like his parents do? Does the name have the same effect? I think it comes down to the child. When naming children, it should be meaningful. Most parents name their daughters by names that are pretty, such as flowers and many sons are named that resemble charming and strong-like qualities. But to name your child after your beliefs, that they one day may regret? I say why take the chance. Upon being born into the world, that child is already facing challenges surrounding a birthday cake and icing. Can you imagine what sorts of challenges he will have to face in his future?
If I were the baker at ShopRite, I would be pretty shocked that they wanted their child’s name, Adolf Hitler Campbell on a cake, and I would probably think they were joking. But I would go on and decorate the cake because I’d know I had no idea what their reason would be to name their kid that, and nor would it be my place as a baker to say.
But the fact that the parents chose that name is a little annoying to me, though I support their right. I read some more articles on the story, and the father, Heath Campbell, said he chose the name because he liked it and knew no one else in the world would have that name.
I think if this were the case he should have changed his own name to Adolf Hitler Campbell. The parents have subjected their kid to livid attention overkill for the rest of his life, starting before the kid could even speak for himself. I am a tremendous advocate for freedom of choice and speech, but I think people should sign their name to their own ideas, not bring an innocent kid into something he doesn’t have the capacity to understand yet. Honestly, I believe these parents are trying to prove a point (and unnecessarily dragging their kids future into it), trying to be different, and doing it all for attention. This case is a prime example because, after all, who puts someone first, middle and last name on a birthday cake? They really wanted to paint the whole picture here.
Anyways, I love hearing all kinds of different names, including many of the Zimbabwean ones that would be unheard of in the United States. It is a reflection of culture in many cases and that’s a great way to pass something on. It brings a story to a person’s history and makes them feel closer to the people who named them. My name, Laina , is rare, and I’ve only met 2 people who spell it the same way as me. It took me a while to grow used to people attaching my middle name to it (Jo, after my uncle) because it sounds like some Hawaiian-girl meets country-farmer (or maybe plumber now). Either way, my mom said she wanted to name me Raina but my grandma stopped her because “people will tease her and say ‘Raina Raina, go away!’ ”. I used to get red and embarrassed at the mere thought of dodging such a name, but I’ve also grown relaxed about it over time, thinking, it is what it is, and I’d much rather pass up the chance of running into everyone with the same name as me. Besides, I like knowing how my mom decided on my name, and being named after another important family member. I suppose we only have names so we can refer to people without confusion of [points] “No not her, her. No her, that one.” Personally, I don’t see why any parent would want to refer to their child as “Adolf Hitler”, but the choice is with them.
The article about Zimbabwean names was really interesting and entertaining, but it was mostly because many Americans would find its contents humorous. I agree with the parents’ decisions to name their children something which conveys a significance, but can you really punish a child for life by dooming them to ridicule? Sure, if those types of names are common in Zimbabwe, people won’t say much, but what happens when those children grow up in this globalized world and leave their birth country? People will laugh.
Worse than names such as “Never Trust a Woman” and “Hatred” though are the names of these poor children from northeast Pennsylvania: “Adolph Hitler Campbell” and “JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell.” If these parents were German and liked the name Adolph, then I would not have a problem with it, but clearly they have chosen their children’s names to carry on their ideas, which unfortunately have an extremely negative connotation that is strongly connected to unparalleled prejudice. Even if these kids grow up to be part of Aryan Nation groups, they shouldn’t have their fate decided for them by their parents’ lack of sensibility.
I think it is great when parents want to give their kids names that are unique and allow the child to standout, but there is a definite line that gets crossed all too often. Learning to socialize and go to school is difficult enough without adding the extra mockery that will certainly come along with a name such as “Adolph.”
As a personal example, one of my friends had a group project with a girl named Brighten. This name is unique and sounds pretty cute actually, until you learn that her last name is Early. In my opinion, there is absolutely no excuse for sticking a child with a name such as Brighten Early! It is just unfair.
I do like Dr. Richard’s example of English speakers naming their children after flowers. It is really interesting to compare to trees or shrubs because they are all plant life, but if someone was named Redwood, I think that most of us would think that was odd. So why don’t we find names such as Violet and Rose strange? I think that 1) these are a better choice because flowers are seen as beautiful objects, so it is more appealing to think of someone being named that than other plant life and 2) many of us grew up hearing names such as these so we have never though much of it. It is obvious that era and location have a huge effect on what we see as strange or just a normal thing. Many of our grandmothers would find the name Petunia common, but the chances of seeing that name on a 5-year-old’s school bus name tag in kindergarten this year are extremely slim.
We need to remember that some people grew up in places where their seemingly odd name is not only acceptable but also ordinary. But when it come down to it, parents have the power to choose their children’s names and those names will affect much of their young lives if they are extremely abnormal.
A name is an important decision placed on parents; it is something that sticks with their child throughout their entire life. Since it is such a crucial decision, “nice” parents chose a good name that will avoid embarrassment and teasing. No one wants to be that kid on the first day of class that the teacher terribly says incorrectly. However, I feel as though Americans don’t put as much thought in the meaning or significance of name before they chose it; rather it is common for Americans to pick a “cute” name or keep a name in the family.
My mother named me Michele, after God’s angel Michael. Michele means “who resembles God.” My name seems as if my mom somewhat cared about what was the “right” name for me, and if she didn’t then she did a great job going with the flow when I asked her. On the other hand, I do not understand what thought process went through the minds of the parents who named their child Adolf Hitler. Do they idolize Hitler? Are they German? Do they hate Jews? Those are all valid questions. I feel that it is disrespectful to mankind that those parents named their child Adolf Hitler. However, I do think that they should have the same rights as any other customer and be able to print Adolf Hitler on their son’s birthday cake. It is not their son’s fault that he has been so unlucky to have parents that would name him something that cause so much hate and sorrow in the lives of many people.
In many places around the world, people sometimes chose names that convey a particular meaning. Zimbabwe is one of those places that tend to have unique names. For instance, the sick infant in the article survives and his parents change his name to Godknows. I feel as if that example would be considered “odd” or “weird” in America. Don’t get me wrong there are weird names of people that live in America too, such as two students in my mother’s kindergarten class named Female and Babygirl. Unique names are more common amongst people of any other race that white Americans. The closest I have seen to a unique name in Caucasian Americans, is a month of the year, but, what message does that convey?
So what does this mean now, am I going to name my children something outrageous but meaningful to try and change the way of life in America? No, I’m fine with plain Jane and keeping things low key. I don’t want my child to hate me for naming them Beach or Wedding. I think those are words that should stay in Webster’s Dictionary and not be placed on birth certificates. It is very creative of these countries, such as Zimbabwe, to make up these names for their children; however, it is not my cup of tea. As for the parents naming their child Adolf Hitler, I hope they realize the horror and racism that their son is going to encounter throughout his life. If they think it’s going to stop at a silly birthday cake, they are terribly mistaken.
It never ceases to amaze me at times the names some parents come up with for their children and beyond that, some peoples ignorance never ceases to amaze me as well. For a person to not write a little boys name on a cake whether it was the name of a mass murderer or not is beyond me. First off, is that even legal? I mean I guess when I think about it they have no duty or obligation to serve that customer, but I mean come on! It’s a name! And who doesn’t need a little extra money these days? To think that this person felt so strongly about a persons name to refuse to help that customer is ludicrous. I’m sure everyone has come across dozens of peoples who’s name they either couldn’t pronounce or once they heard it got a few laughs out of it, but I could never imagine caring so much about a persons name to act in that manner. I think there is seriously something wrong with a lot of people in today’s society. Do they not have enough things to do to keep them occupied throughout the day or what? I bet the person who refused to write the boys name was just lazy and was just about done for the day and didn’t want to bother decorating another cake, cause seriously WHO CARES?! I may be coming across as extremely negative but things like this annoy me. Sure the person could have thought this person believed in the same things Hitler did and didn’t want to associate with someone with those beliefs. But what if the boy’s parents just genuinely liked the name Adolf Hitler? This clearly must have been too much to fathom for the person working. So instead of keeping their thoughts and opinions to themselves they felt the need to deny this person service, merely because his name was the same as someone the worker clearly didn’t like. Now I could see if the person walked in with a swastika tattooed on his forehead and wanted a cake that had obscenities written all over it, but the family simply wanted their son to celebrate his birthday with a cake that just said their sons name. I do at certain times hear someone’s name and think, “what the hell were their parents thinking?” But like that New York Times article showed people all over the world have different reasons and meanings behind names and in essence these names and meanings are what part of what makes each one of us unique. And really if you think about it names aren’t the only thing that’s weird. I think all words are weird. The way some words are spelled sometimes baffles me if I take the time to sit and think about it, but maybe that’s just after a few too many doobies…
Shakespeare questioned the significance of a name in his story of Romeo & Juliet when he said a rose is a rose by any other name. He was right when he indicated that what matters is what someone is, not what they are named. On the other hand perception is everything and clearly, the perception of someone named Adolph Hitler can only be negative. So, I ask: What kind of parents with what kind of values would choose to name their children after a man and his followers who were the equivalent of evil incarnate? While I recognize that the issue presented in the news story is a difficult one, as a Jew I am totally offended and find it repulsive that anyone would want to name their children after Nazi war criminals. In this society and in our culture, we name our children after ancestors or living relatives who we wish to honor. We want to carry on the name because we are proud of who it represents. Names may also have religious or historical significance. We also may name our children after flowers, perfume, pop divas and stars because we have a good or pleasant association with the names. We look in baby name books and pick out names we like. We do not pick out names for our offspring that will stigmatize or ostracize them.
The parents who chose to give their children unpopular German names live in the United States. They do not live in small tribal villages in Africa. They do not live in remote corners of the world where names are given to children which we may find amusing and highly unusual. So I ask again, why did they do this? Why would they want their children to incur scorn, ridicule and possible alienation upon hearing their names? Why would they want their children to be associated with such horrible wrongdoing and to have them start their lives fighting an uphill battle to prove themselves? Were these parents so desperate to be different or non conformists that they were compelled to choose names that society associates with hatred and wrongdoing?
What was the point these parents were trying to make? Even if the family had no connection to the atrocities committed during World War II and no feelings of remorse or anger or hatred for the Nazis, it is difficult to believe that these parents could be so naïve to think that their choice was nothing more than an innocent attempt to rejuvenate old and once common German names. If the parents of these children are neo-Nazis and support Hitler’s views, does the naming of the children constitute freedom of speech? Do they have the right to do this? I suppose the answer is yes. Should they have done this? The answer is no. The enormity of the weight that is carried with the name Adolph Hitler was certainly not lost on the parents. As noted, the children will have to walk around with names that could possibly invoke suffering, taunting, teasing, and bullying. The question has certainly been raised as to whether these parents committed child abuse. The State in which they live thought so when it took the children from the parents while investigating the situation.
Parents spend a lot of time thinking about names for their children. Baby names aren’t usually just picked out of a hat. While they have the freedom to name their offspring anything they like, responsibility should dictate that parents don’t inflict hardship, disgrace or humiliation upon their loved ones. Maybe for the sake of the kids under this circumstance, conformity isn’t a bad idea.
I found this article quite interesting because it really shows the differences between cultures. I also think that it clearly displays our American stereotype of everyone being the same, meanwhile thinking that we are all that. It’s as if we are not okay with uniqueness between one another. I’m pretty sure each of us have friends named Bill, Sue, Bob, etc. But who of us really has friends named ‘Godknows’? We find humor in these names, but when you really think about it, shouldn’t you be laughing at the child who’s name was picked out of a random book? Everyone wants a name with meaning behind it because it gives you some sort of meaning from the very beginning. Having the same name as millions of other people relates you to all of those people. However, wouldn’t you prefer to stand out with your own name and meaning? Then, you have a name and you have a meaning.
There are some parents that pull out the baby books, and others that choose their child’s name because of the meaning behind it. For me, my siblings and I are named after family members. Yes, most of them are very common names, but there still is meaning behind our names. My name is pretty common, but I have a nickname that I am called by for the majority of the time. My parents received the name after my Dad’s sister and it’s stuck with me ever since I was born. However, I’m white and it’s a technically an Indian name. So basically, whenever I tell people my nickname, I get a double take. “I’m sorry, what is it?”. I agree that it’s a different name, but is it really hard to understand the concept? Why does it matter what the name is? Shouldn’t it just be the reasoning behind your name?
In response to the birthday cake scenario, I tried to picture myself working at the bakery and having the family come up to me asking for a cake with the name Adolph on it. At first, I would probably think they were kidding, except that it was a pretty crude joke. I decided I wasn’t really sure where I stood on the issue. On one side, it’s his name. His parents chose it, and he had no relations to the world’s connotation of that name. It’s his birthday, and the boy should have a right to get the cake with his name on it. Meanwhile, his parents could have a very significant reason for naming their son that. However, on the other side, you have connotations for almost anything. If you even think of a name of a person you just don’t like, for most of us, we would still never name our child that name, and that’s just because of the connotation it has. Since we know of so many people that were affected by one man, Adolph Hitler, we immediately hate the name, and possibly even dislike the person. I guess I think the boy should get his cake because in his world he has no idea what his name has relation to. But, I do hope the boy is not affected terribly by the name his parents chose to give him.
I just want to speak in relation to the video with the song about Obama and some of the comments made throughout this blog. Without question the pictures and video are offensive to Barack and obviously to some black people as well. But no matter what, racism will be there and people will make these jokes, whether they are thinking it, joking privately, or making it public. Many white people believe that blacks love watermelon and it just so happens, that one white man photo shopped this picture of a watermelon field in front of the white house. And many more things have been said as well that are not shown here. When it crosses the line, and is just morally wrong is when a Republican party participates publicly in the act as well. I mean looking at the videos is one thing, but sending them around to your co-workers working for the Republican Party is just absurd.
Well another thing I saw on the Internet in relation to these little jokes was a made up quote of the day that stated:
There were 1.5 million people at the inauguration yesterday. Only 14 of them missed work. HELLO!
Now what do you think of that? I mean there are people that simply do not want a black man heading the country. That will never change and these jokes are something that the black community including Obama must deal with. It may not be morally correct in all ways but there is nothing we can do.
At one point in the blog, it states that there must be some sort of truth behind these jokes. I absolutely agree. When someone makes a racist joke or even a simple joke to his or her friends there is a degree of truth behind it. Or else the joke would never have come through their mind. When we see the song state: Obama is not a real black person or else he would not be in the white house. There is truth behind that. If we had the stereotype of a black person running for president, odds are the country, as the commander in chief would not elect him. That even brings us back to the question. Is Obama really black? I personally do not think so. He may appear dark colored but his mom is white and his dad is from Kenya. Nowhere in their does it shows that he is the percentage black.
Overall, these jokes are meant to show how certain people feel about Obama. But there is nothing anyone can do. No matter what, no human being can stop the racism occurring in the world today. We must laugh them out and go on with our lives.
Names are something that parents have free reign on. When you have a baby there is no rule or regulation that anyone can make about picking your child’s name. You are given the chance to name your child whatever your little heart desires. However, some people take this a little too literally and you end up with children like actress Gwenyth Paltrow’s little girl, Apple. In my opinion, I am glad that my parents stuck to the overall norms and didn’t get to crazy with my name. I would not have wanted to be named after a fruit, let alone any type of food for that matter. I also would not have wanted the attention and constant questions from other peers, “why is your name so weird?” You are setting your child up for a very long, and complicated school attendance, in which they will undoubtedly be taunted to kingdom come because of a cute name decision that you decided on in previous years. Yea, well it may not be that cute when they are applying for jobs after college and they have to put Apple on their job application.
Now, in the case of the little boy named Adolf Hitler Campbell, I can see both sides of it. Would I name my child that? Probably not. Even if I wanted to give him a historically influenced, German name, I probably would not choose that specific one due to the many negative implications that would be compared to that poor little boy. In this specific case, I really do not know what was going through the parent’s minds. They knew outright that their son would be questioned and probably made fun of because of his name throughout his life. When it comes the time to study World War II in school and they are talking about all of the destruction and prejudice that came from Adolf Hitler, they did not think that their son may be targeted by his very influenced, judgmental classmates? I mean please. I live in Pennsylvania, and am of German ethnicity, but still naming your child Adolf Hitler. You cannot tell me that they did not do it just to prove a point and get people’s emotions bubbling.
On the other hand of things, I do believe that a name does not serve any indication of someone’s personality, attitudes, etc. Yes, it may give some a quick indication of an individual’s ethnicity or background, but other than that it can not be considered a clear indicator of much of anything. Therefore, should it really matter what anyone is named? As far as I am concerned a name is simply something that helps to tell you apart from someone else. Simply something that helps you to communicate with someone and get their attention. I do not think that people should read that much into someone’s name, whether it be Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden, or Apple.
Even though this article, What's in a Name?, makes a good point, I do not agree with the writer at all. If I was the ShopRite supermarket, I too would not write the name of this child on the cake. I think that it is awful that the parents titled their son this name. The author of this article points out that some names in one culture might seems silly in another and yet it’s really not out of the ordinary at all, but with this name you can’t make that comparison. The fact is that the parents named their son Adolph Hitler Campbell, not Adolf Mark Cambell or Adolf John Cambell. I would have sympathized with the Cambell family if they just named their son Adolf for then it would have lessen the impact; many do understand that Adolf is a common German name. It’s not that this German name only affected Germany and their own culture; Adolf Hitler affected many countries around the world. This name brings great grief and resentment not in just one culture but many. Once again, it would be a different story if they named their son Adolf Hitler Cambell living in South America, but I just find it wrong to be living in America and name your son this, where so many people in America are generations passed down of survivors of the terrible havoc that one man created. Seriously, what was the point of naming their son this? Growing up how do you think this little boy will feel when on the first day of school the teachers asks- “Adolf Hitler Cambell- are you here?” and he has to answer “present” with so many astonished eyes on him. Our country is far from healed on this subject. It’s not easy to forgive or forget the horrific stories, emotions, and feelings when such a terrible thing has happened in our history. Naming you child after a tree or a flower is not nearly the same thing as naming your child the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, also called the Nazi Party. Naming you child “coyote chasing deer” is definitely not the same as naming your child after a man who is also responsible to thousands of deaths. In the end the author writes “I guess I'm struck by how many names have some deeper meaning that has been lost along the way”, I agree that many names have lost their meaning and that is why some people have names because of the way they sound and not the meaning behind them; but one name that I believe will never lose its meaning in many, many years to come is: Adolf Hitler.
I think it is really interesting how we can associate one or two words with something good or bad. Just the name Adolph Hitler is spoken and people I think tend to think of the man in charge during the Holocaust. I think it brings up a lot of negative feelings because people associate Hitler with the Holocaust and blame him. I can understand the bakery store not wanting to print the name on the cake because the owner could have had family that was part of the Holocaust and it brings up very negative feelings. I feel that it is his right to want to refuse to print the name on the cake. I can understand the parents naming the child Adolph but I don't understand why they would use Adolph Hitler and insist that the whole name be put on the cake, it sounded like Hitler was his middle name and they weren't asking to have his first, middle, and last name on. Just his first and middle. The name may have meaning to them but sometimes I do not understand why parents name their children as they do. I have started to notice it a lot in today's society with our celebrities. The celebrities are trying to be unique so they are using names like Apple, Pear, Coco, and Sunday but when I see these names I just question what were the parents thinking. Maybe that's wrong? I liked the article about the names they use in Zimbabwe. I thought it was so interesting how they had names usually that referred to them or what had gone on around their birth. I found it interesting how they now all use the English words for these names too. I think that is good to use names that refer to you and what was going on in your life but I am not sure I agree with names like Smile, Godknows, Hatred, Enough. It could just be that I am just kind of use to my culture from where we all have very similar and maybe sort of boring names. When I find a unique name I also wonder how the parents picked the name. I think names are fascinating. However even though I said our names might kind of seem boring I think they are interesting when you look at what they mean. For instance my name my parents chose for me was Jessica which means in "he sees" or "God's Grace" or "God's grace is with you or god is watching you". This was very fitting for my parents to chose because when they found out my mom was pregnant with me during their first year of marriage it had been right after my dad's father had passed away. My mom should not have really been able to get pregnant at the time but she did and they feel that I was a gift from God and my grandfather to have in place of him. So I think picking a name that means a lot to you is a great thing to do. It is really a way to express yourself and I really like that the Zimbabweans do it I am just not sure that I would ever want the literal meaning of something as a name. But it is all in what you like and you feel is right to you. I feel like we should have the ability to name our child whatever we like but realize that at times they might be treated or not understood perfectly because of their name.
Names originate from a variety of sources. Some parents concentrate on how a name sounds; their mission is to find one that has a nice ring to it. Some parents want their child to enter the world with a strong name. Other children are named after their relatives. It’s funny how some names come and go, popular for a particular decade or so. Not many birth certificates today are featuring names like Agnes and Ruth, but maybe these names will become popular again in the future. With the recent Hollywood baby boom, celebrities are trying to think out of the box and often choose “creative names” for their children. It’s fairly common for a tabloid to feature a story on the name of a celebrity couple’s new bundle of joy, focusing on uncovering what caused them to name their daughter Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin) or their son Pilot Inspektor (Beth Riesgraf and Jason Lee). Even race can come into play. Some people might think the name Jamal wouldn’t suit a Caucasian child.
Unfortunately, we don’t get to choose what we want to be called and a name is something we’re most likely stuck with for life. Parents should really think about the fact that their children, who they usually want the best for, will deal with his/her name on a daily basis. I felt that the parents in the article took this responsibility lightly. Names are classified as proper nouns, and proper nouns fall under the much broader category of words. Language has developed beyond denotations to the point where many words also have connotations. The parents should have known that Adolph Hitler would be frowned upon by others because it’s almost impossible not to think of the negative associations, including the Holocaust and Nazi Party. The name Adolph may have been popular before the tragic historical event occurred, but now we live in a different world. Also, these parents consciously chose both Adolph and Hitler. No one, maybe except the parents, is going to think of a boy in Pennsylvania about to celebrate his birthday when someone says Adolph Hitler.
ShopRight should have still made the cake to the parent’s specifications because they’re a business and making cakes comes with the job, although maybe an employee would have felt uncomfortable with the task. I wouldn’t blame them for asking for some proof, but they have to deal with the general public, including parents who named their son Adolph Hitler. I’m not sure what the parents were thinking when they agreed on the name, but their son is the one who will always have to deal with others people’s reactions when he goes to school, applies for a job, or even simpler things like filling out forms in an office. There is more to us than just the title we’ve been given. A name our parents find strong or creative doesn’t mean we’re going to be a strong or artistic individual. Just because we’re named after Aunt Mary doesn’t mean we’re going to make her proud. Let’s just hope in this case this family gets used to homemade cakes and raises a son who doesn’t live up to his name.
I am not really sure how I would have reacted had I been the person behind the bakery counter when little Adolf came in for his birthday. It would obviously be a shock, but he obviously wasn’t the leader of the Nazi party during World War II. This small child is not the same Adolf Hitler who was responsible for the elimination of anything not-Aryan. That being said, while I would not personally name my child in such a way, I guess there’s really nothing wrong with that name. While it may have certain negative connotations, a name means as much as your eye color, perhaps even less. I mean Gwyneth Paltrow named her child Apple. As far as the names of Zimbabwe are concerned, I think names that have a meaning are kind of cool. Most American names do have meanings in other languages, or at least are derivatives of names that mean something, whether or not that was the initial intention of the parents. I’ve met people who are named after Greek gods and goddesses, and I think that all of this just builds character. In today’s conformist society, it is hard for people to really stand out. If you apply for a job as a white male with no disabilities or previous military service, chances are you are the majority. But, what if your name is Jupiter. That will at least get a recruiter to look twice. In a sea of Mike’s, John’s, Bob’s and Dan’s, a “Godknows” would certainly catch one’s eye. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter. I definitely think that picking up girls would be quite more fun with a name like “Sears Hardware.” It’s an ingenious way to use marketing and advertising at no cost to you other than the sanity of your child. Also, one could argue that the meaning of your name could provide motivation to do something meaningful with your life. It would be interesting to see a “Godknows” become the leader of the Bloods or the Crips gangs. And, while I would certainly find it a bit odd to see such names, I think that if they are as common in Zimbabwe as our traditional names are in America, than what are we even debating about. Getting back to the name of Adolf Hitler, yeah, maybe there is something wrong with the parents for naming him that. Unless they randomly stumbled across the name in a book, completely oblivious to its connotations, clearly they knew that it would cause a rise in today’s world. Perhaps they are anti-Semitic, maybe even anti-American, or maybe they are testing us to see how much we rely on first appearances. Whatever the case, let the kid have his name on the cake. He’s probably going to change it to “Godknows” when he grows up anyway.
When I first heard the story about baby Adolph Hitler I was completely appalled. I think it is horrible someone would even consider, let alone actually name their son after someone who did such repulsive things. Adolph Hitler will forever be remembered in our society in a negative way. Why name a child after that? The way I see it, when you name a child after someone, it is because that someone was important to you and you admire him or her. Adolph Hitler is not someone who should be admired, and in my opinion, naming your son after him is the same thing as paying him tribute. A man who is responsible for the death of thousands of innocent people does not deserve any kind of tribute.
It doesn’t matter that the name “Adolph” is a popular German name. They didn’t just name him Adolph; they added the Hitler in there. If the child was just named Adolph Campbell, I do not think it would be a big deal. A cake that says, “Happy Birthday Adolph” does not have the same effect as a cake that says, “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler” does in our culture. You cannot believe that his parents honestly named him Adolph Hitler because they thought it sounded pretty. The Campbell’s had to have realized what they were doing to their son, and now an innocent child must pay the consequences. How is that child going to feel going through school and learning about the evil man he is named after? How will he feel reading the name Adolph Hitler in a textbook, knowing he was named after this man who did awful things? How will his teachers look at him and the rest of his family? This child will face prejudice all because of a name his parents gave him. I strongly believe that it was cruel of Mr. and Mrs. Campbell to name their son Adolph Hitler.
Yes, a name is just a name, but when you name your child something that means something to you, that matters also. It says something about you as a parent. If you are paying tribute to Adolph Hitler by naming your son after him, what kind of person are you? I really like the idea of giving children names that mean something. As long as that something is positive. It is wrong to name a child something that our society finds offensive, the child will be treated unfairly because of it. I don’t really know how I feel about the Zimbabweans naming their children things like “Hatred.” I just don’t see the reasoning behind naming a child a word that has a negative meaning. If you want to name your child something that means something, great. If you want that something to be something unique, that’s fine too. But naming your child something negative in my eyes is wrong.
I found this entry very interesting. Names are a funny thing if you think about them. Like who came up with them in the first place? I mean I understand the reference to biblical figures with some names, but who decided to name their children after seasons of the year or moods they are in? I am curious to how different cultures developed different ways to name their children other than religious beliefs. I’ll be honest and say that some of the names made me laugh, however in the case of the family naming their children after Hitler was just strange to me. I understand that a parent can name their child whatever they want. And the names are changing more and more each generation. I mean celebrities are now naming their children “Apple”. However, names have to do with the culture of the parents and every culture is different. In our culture, it is not the norm to give our children names that symbolize terrorists and terrible leaders. We name our children after people we love or a symbol we want represented. That is why we name our children after our parents or after a loving action or beautiful flower. Yes, a word is just a word, but just like obscenities, it has a meaning and a picture painted and a repercussion. Naming a child Adolf Hitler gives credit to a man who destroyed a country and discriminated against anyone different than himself. I remember reading about these parents and they named their other children after other similar leaders and ideas. They find this humorous, but in our culture, there is nothing humorous about it. In fact several people would find it sick. No one has the right to take those children and change their names, but it is not normal in the United States. In other cultures, like Africa, they name their children based on situations or conditions they are in upon birth. This is normal for them. They wouldn’t name their children how we name ours. Now although they are beginning to name their children in English, just out of cleverness, they are still basing their names on their cultures. In Spanish cultures, it is normal to name their children Jesus because they look at the word in a different way. Parents in the United States may find that it is disrespectful to name a child after the son of God, but rather name their children something like “Christian” to represent their beliefs. So if this family was from Africa or Spain, maybe it would be ok for them to name their children in the manner they decided, but in the U.S. they should expect to receive criticism.
Your name is probably one of the very few things that will accompany you through life from the day you are born until the day you die; and although it is changeable if truly desired, it is most likely given to you whether it is just chosen out of the blue or actually has a meaning. In the case of the little boy named Adolf, I feel bad that he was given a name with such a negative connotation. However, I do not agree with the bakery’s decision to refuse to personalize the boy’s birthday cake, especially because the innocent little boy didn’t even choose his own name. The bakery has no right to penalize Adolf and not give him a cake. First of all, they have no knowledge of his family history and for all they know, maybe Adolf was the name of the boy’s grandfather who lived a courageous life. Although Adolf may not be the most desired or appreciated name, I’d say that in today’s world of countless Sara’s, Jon’s and Matt’s I have to give the parents some sort of credit for giving their child a name with meaning. Having a name with significance creates uniqueness. Even though one may share the same name with someone else, there is a different story behind each name with a meaning. I thought that the article in the New York Times was really interesting. Even though some of the names were just random words, the fact that they have importance completely changes the perspective of the situation. It was also interesting to read in the blog about how in certain cultures there is a trend of naming children by the names of things such as flowers or trees. I have cousins whose names are Hazel, Iris and Lily and even though I am not sure if these specific flowers have a meaning to my Aunt or Uncle I always thought it was neat characteristic that runs in their family. I have also noticed a trend of a whole family having the same initials, therefore naming all their children by a name starting with the same letter which clearly displays not only meaning, but also a sense of unity amongst the family. The meaning of a name is something I’ve thought about before and it makes me upset to say that my name has no meaning or significance behind it. My parents always tell me the story about how they picked out my name last minute, and when the nurse asked my mom how she wanted it spelled, she of course picked out the most uncommon spelling, something I now have to correct every time someone questions it. Although I like my name and don’t intend on changing it, I think that I would appreciate it much more if it had some importance to me.
What's in a Name?
Reading about the situation in which a man named his child Adolph Hitler, wanted it written on a birthday cake, and then had the bakery refuse to process the order made me laugh a little. This almost reminded me of a bit Sam does in class referring to the meaning of the names we have for objects. It you don't know what I'm talking about, it's when he talks about why "fuck" means "fuck" as a negative word and why it is fine to call a pen, a pen. And then what if the names of the words were originally switched, and you said, "What the pen, man, give me my fuck." It just makes me think, why do we put such emphasis on certain words, when all they are is a group of letters combined in such a way that we recognize them as something of significance.
The bakery refused to write the name Adolph Hitler on the cake, most undoubtedly, because that name is significant of a man who created genocide of the Jewish Population. He is seen as harsh, cruel, and a murderer. The name represents white supremacy. In printing this name on the cake, they probably felt that they were sacrificing their personal values and morals, or supporting his (the father of the child). Something else that I find amusing about this situation is, why did the father have to go and name his child "Adolph Hitler" in the first place? I know, I know, words are just words and really have no meaning until we assign meaning to them. But really, why would you want to name your child "Adolph Hitler" when the name carries such a negative cloud along with it. I guess you would only do it if you were completely crazy, or if you in some way idolized the man for what he did. Either way, I don't think it's fair to send an innocent child through life with such a name. All of the hundreds of thousands of names to pick for your son, you choose "Adolph Hitler?" The article In a Land of Homemade Names, Tiffany Doesn't Cut It in the Bulawayo Journal supports this idea with the statement by saying, "Quite frankly, these names amount to a form of child abuse." I agree.
I find it pretty interesting that in some cultures, names come as a result of the circumstances present when the child is born. In comparison to Western names, which are commonly picked as a result of what is popular at the time and what sounds pretty, or unique, picking a name on the basis of a situation is pretty neat. It gives true significance to the meaning of the name for each person. Just think about it, I was conceived at our beach house in Monterey Beach, NJ. So maybe my name would have been "Beach" or "Seashore" or "Ocean," if I had been born into a different culture.
While reading this blog, I kept thinking of all the bizarre celebrity baby names that we always hear about in the media. I mean, Nicholas Cage named his kid Kal-El after Superman, Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple, and weirdest of all, Jason Lee named his son Pilot Inspektor. It kind of makes you wonder what these celebrities are on when they think of baby names. I think it’s a little ridiculous the bakery couldn’t even print “Adolph” on the cake for a birthday. What did the bakery think…that the kid was Hitler reincarnated? The situation was blown out of proportion. However, it makes me feel like the parents should’ve seen it coming because the name “Adolph Hitler” is connected to such an awful event in history. I started to remember this kid who used to go to middle school with me. Everyone always thought he was Spanish, but his middle name was Hussein. After September 11th, people would make fun of him and act like he was a terrorist or he was related to Saddam. It was so absurd. When it comes to names we aren’t familiar with, we like to judge right away. We all become victims of this, no matter how open-minded we are. I come from a very Hispanic town. In school, the names of most of the Hispanic kids “sounded Hispanic”. They were hard to pronounce and whenever non-Spanish speaking students would try to say them, we’d butcher them and everyone would laugh. If we really paid attention and listened to other cultures, we might be more appreciative and see how beautiful names can be. Here in America, we are so used to the traditional names that we hear every day. One of my really good friends is Italian. Her name is Allegra Margarita. Since it is such an uncommon name to Americans, most people like to associate her name with the allergy medicine or an alcoholic drink. In reality, it is a really pretty name. In Italian, Allegra means happy and in music, it means fast, whereas Margarita is a drink, pizza, or in Spanish, a daisy. The names in Zimbabwe at first made me confused. My first thought was “Why would someone name their kids that?”. Then I realized that my reaction was exactly what the whole blog was about. Cultures use names to describe their children. We should see names as beautiful and not strange or weird. We often are ignorant when we hear things that are uncommon and new to us.
So the answer to the question what’s in a name? I think that or names were given to us by our parents for a reason, whether it’s for the meaning, because of a person with the same name, or because they just always liked the name. It’s what we make of our names that matters the most.
I was definitely a little surprised to read about the young “Adolph Hitler” and the story about the cake. I was not surprised, however, to read that the store would not write his name on the cake. Personally, I don’t blame the store for not wanting to do this – that particular name has terrible connotations associated with it and it isn’t something that a business would want to be connected with. The family who named their child by that name should have considered how that name could affect everyone their son came into contact with. A lot of people were really affected by the era of the known Adolph Hitler. I understand that everyone has a right to name their children the names that they choose, but for the child’s sake, I feel that this name is especially something to reconsider. It could really affect the child’s future in a negative way.
On the other hand, I really love the way that other countries name their kids based off of things that have meaning. I think that it’s very neat, and something that I would consider doing in the future. I would like to know that my parents put some thought into my name instead of naming me what about 56 million other people are named! However, of course I feel that some of the names that I read in that article are pretty different. To be named out of spite or amusement for the other members of a family is almost selfish in my opinion. But, I do think that it is nice to see the names of trees, flowers, etc. It’s different, and that’s okay. It’s another country’s culture and there is nothing wrong with that. Sure, it may seem outrageous to us and almost funny, but in a sense, they are thinking the same thing about American names. For all we know, these kinds of names may be the norm even in our country in just a few years. And people will look back and laugh at the names we had chosen before. The cycle will always continue in this way.
In any case, I almost wish that more creativity was put into names for children here in our country. Regardless if I really like certain names from other cultures, it is almost inspiring to me that these people take the time to be creative in ways that we do not. Even though it’s a shame that many people judge others based on their names or cannot even pronounce a name correctly, it’s still an interesting way to approach the naming of a child – to give it meaning, and not just throw out any old name that comes to mind. I know what it’s like to have my last name mispronounced and even though it drives me crazy, I’m still proud of it.
When this story about Adolph Hitler Campbell first hit the news, all I could think was are these parents for real? Even if these people weren’t white supremacist (which they openly stated) or neo-Nazis (which they pretty much gave away with their previous order of a swastika cake which Shop Rite also refused) and there was a legitimate reason to name their child Adolph Hitler, it would still be absolutely ridiculous. Kids have a hard enough time as it is fitting in and worrying about what people think of them, and too add insult to injury this kid’s name is Adolph Hitler. I was discussing that exactly statement with my mom after we watched this on the news, and she said to me that he will probably be home-schooled, by his mother and grow up a white supremacist, neo-Nazi which sadly, I cannot argue with her about.
Names are so interesting to me. My friends and I fight constantly about what we want to name our children, and who cannot name their kid so and so because that is “our” name. Although we fight, it will be a given when we get older because each of us, being that we are all Jewish, will name our children after our family or husband’s family. In the Jewish religion it is customary to name a child after a deceased relative, I was named after my father’s father, Henry Martin and I am Mallory Hope Liebhaber. I absolutely love my name; I wouldn’t change it for the world, but if I delve deeper into it, it probably isn’t a name everyone would want to have. My first name means unlucky or unfortunate, second name being hope and my last name, in German, means to have love: unlucky hope to have love, thanks mom and dad. When I read the article about Enough and Hatred, I felt like I could somewhat relate because my name has an indirect meaning that would cause people to go, what were they thinking?
It’s very interesting to me that name stir up such deep meanings, not only in Zimbabwe, but in the United States as well. If you met someone and her name was Vanna White, would you not picture her as spinning letters on Wheel of Fortune? Or how about Jay Leno, would you think of that big chinned, New York fast talking, talk show host? Maybe the next time you meet a Britney Spears she will be a shaved head superstar, or maybe she will be a nurse in your doctor’s office. I guess this is the reason why President Barack Hussein Obama’s middle name caused a lot of distress to some conservatives (and also liberals) pre-election…
When Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin decided to name their child “Apple”—after the usually round, red or yellow, edible fruit of a small tree—I am sure many people probably paused to question whether these popular celebrities had lost their minds. However, upon taking part in an interview on Oprah, Paltrow substantiated this name with some basic reasoning: “It sounded so sweet and it conjured such a lovely picture for me – you know, apples are so sweet and they're wholesome and it's biblical – and I just thought it sounded so lovely and … clean! And I just thought, ‘Perfect!’”
We all know that America is a free country and every individual has the legal right to name their children whatever they want; however, is there a point when parents cross the line? Should parents be allowed to name their children after fruits or animals, or other inanimate objects? I would argue, that yes, parents should have the right to name their children whatever their hearts desire.
My belief about naming carries over to other countries as well. As described in the article “In a Land of Homemade Names, Tiffany Doesn’t Cut It,” people in western Zimbabwe have been known to name their children to convey a specific meaning, and not, as is common in the West, the latest fashion. I believe that here too, if a parent wants to name his child “Never Trust a Woman,” for example, he should have the right to do so.
There is, however, a big difference between having the “right” to name your child whatever you want, and having the decency and respect to name your child something that at least, isn’t offensive in relation to the country you live in and the cultural norms of that country. Childhood is hard enough, without having to worry about whether or not people will make fun of you because of your name.
In the case of the family that named their children “Adolph Hitler Campbell” and “JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell,” I think these choices of names are absolutely ridiculous considering the associations they portray in the United States and around the world. A name like “Apple” may be a little strange; however, “Adolph Hitler Campbell” and “JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell” are just downright offensive. If the parents of these children are trying to make a statement by naming their children as such, well congratulations; however, there are so many other mediums for making a statement. Wear a shirt, paint a picture, or carry a sign… but don’t name your child something that will likely cause them to experience discrimination and hate from others.
In addition, because children have no control over what their parents will name them, I believe that in America they should continue to allow children to legally change their names. I do not know what the laws are regarding this issue in other countries, but I believe that children in other countries should have this right as well.
“What’s in a name?” you ask. After reading the blog about names, I asked myself the very same question. Being a member of the Jewish Faith, I can very clearly see why this particular bakery chose not to write the name Adolf Hitler on a little boy’s birthday cake. Although the name itself is just a name, and clearly this little boy has no idea the connotation that his name carries with it, it is the principal of the matter. The name Hitler hits close to home to many people. Why these parents chose to name their son this is just beyond my comprehension. I guess it is hard for me to understand this concept because I have a very generic name, a name that I happen to like very much. Although my first name doesn’t carry much meaning with it, my middle name was the name of my great grandmother who I loved and respected very much. I am proud that I am able to have her name. I find it very interesting to read about the names used in other cultures and for what reasons these names were chosen, especially the ones mentioned in the Zimbabwean article. While reading the names such as Hatred, and Godknows, I couldn’t help but laugh because those names are so uncommon here in the United States. After I sat and thought about it for a while, I realized that our common names such as Bill or Dave probably appear comical to other cultures. These generic names, names that may not have any meaning behind them, are just chosen out of pure likeness of the sound the name brings. I truly feel bad for the child mentioned in the beginning of the blog. Once he is high school age, he will most likely be teased and bullied as a result of his name. I personally think it is the parents who deserve that kind of torment, not the innocent child. Names are a concept we often don’t think much about here in the United States. However, for other cultures a name might be the most important thing. It is interesting to stop and think about how cultures differ so much from one another. Although my feelings about naming one’s child Adolf Hitler will never change, next time I hear a name that sounds strange or funny to me, I will definitely stop and think about the meaning behind the name before I judge.
It’s funny that this was written about this week, because within the last few days I was watching a show on the history channel about the family of Adolf Hitler. It featured Adolf Hitler’s half-brother, Alois, who lived in the United States during WWII and his relationship with the United States Government and also with his brother. It was made very clear that he was not proud to be related to Adolf and wanted to help the United States in any way he could. One such feature was a letter written to the president. However, the documentary made a point to state how strange it was that when Alois had his first son, he named him Adolf, making his name Adolf Hitler. Throughout his childhood, he learned to lie about his family line, and said that he was not related to the Adolf Hitler. The documentary stated that Adolf Hitler, the nephew, had four children, all of whom changed their names and then also never had children. The documentary guessed that they were trying to kill the bloodline. I didn’t find this strange at the time, but after reading this last blog, I started thinking about names. In fact, my mother’s side of the family was deeply involved in the Italian mafia, with the last name of Prandini. However, a generation before my mother, the name was changed to Prandy, in an attempt to erase that part of our history. Now, I understand that it is a much smaller scale than that of Adolf Hitler, but it is the same idea none the less. People are ashamed of a name, a “a unique vocalization that creates a sound that others can recognize as descriptor for.” It seems like naming a child is one of the biggest parts of the entire process in American culture. The name needs to be perfect in every way. However, the blog and the article show that perhaps we do not actually give as much thought as we think. While African societies give their children names that portray something having to do with their day of birth or their line of birth. We simply look at a list of previous names and pick out which one we think sounds the best with our last name. Or maybe we name it after an ancestor or relative. And maybe in some cases, we name it after a celebrity or public figure. But how well does that really reflect our child. It does seem strange that people are named Enough, or Answer, or Learnmore. But the only reason it does in fact seem strange is because it is alien t our society. Maybe if we put more thought into names, these very thoughtful names in Africa would not seem so strange.
I recently was in an airport with 13 other girls traveling to a conference. Aside from the color of my skin (which was slightly darker than the rest of the girls), I fit in with everyone else just fine, kind of. While we were getting tags put on our bags, the concierge called my name out in front of what seemed like the whole airport. Of course, all the other girls in the group became extremely worried and began to talk among themselves as I made the long trek to the front of the line. Should even bother to mention that I hardly knew anything about these girls and now, I was the center their attention. I knew my bag was small enough to fit on the plane so I had no idea what was going on. But then I remembered. We were traveling just after the inauguration. It was official, we now had a president who received more death threats than did any other former president elect. And my last name is Mohammed. As in Osama Bin Laden, as in terrorist central, as in the most common first and last name in the world, as in on the first day of school my 9th grade teacher called me by my last name and then said Asalamalekum, as in I always get calls from the local mosque, as in I recently had a telemarketer tell me I could save money buying a special calling card for when I contacted my family in the motherland of Pakistan, Iran or Iraq, as in IM NOT EVEN MUSLIM NOR ARE ANY OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS.
After the concierge had the attention of what seemed like everyone else in the airport, he then proceeded to tell me (and them) that there a TSA security alert out on me and that he would need to see my identification for clearance purposes. I really wasn’t surprised. This stuff happens to me every time I fly. Like the time when my mom and I were waiting in a dark room for over an hour and almost missed our flight while the flight attending was “checking with her manager to make sure everything was okay with our tickets.” Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to get blown up on a plane so taking any measures to prevent that our good with me, but security does come at a cost. And because my last name is Mohammed, it costs people like me.
Maybe the father of Adolph Hitler did have malicious intent. I can understand the grocery store’s concern at not writing that name as some local news station would probably pick the story up and spin the store as hating all Jews or something like that. However, my last name is Mohammed and I have no known immediate connection to the religion or people it is often associated with it. While parents are used to passing along common names to their offspring and everyone seems to be named the same thing in America, I’m not sure that we as a society are in a place where we can choose crazy, different names for our kids. Different names also come with a one-dimensional way of thinking. If we can’t pronounce it, the name is considered weird, and if it is after someone else (like Mohammed), we assume they have direct ties to that person/culture/religion. And from a kid who hears stupid jokes about her last name all the time, those assumptions can get old…fast. So maybe we should just stick to the common names.
Immediately after reading this article, I thought to myself “who would honestly name their child Adolph Hitler?” Adolph Hitler is known throughout history as the racist German Nazi ruler who was responsible for a mass genocide. The connotation of Adolph Hitler may mean something else in another language, but here in American it means “Nazi”. I can understand where the people at the bakery are coming from when they refused to write the name on that cake. They most likely took the name offensive and refused to make the cake because they felt as if they were being attacked. When it comes to naming a child, I believe that the name should have a positive connotation. For example, like stated in the article, names like Smile, Jesus, Lovemore, etc. are all used commonly in the countries where they have originated and are not found to be any what odd or uncommon. These same names might be found to be a little strange in the United States, however when people hear them they are under no circumstance threatened or offended. Here in the United States, we tend to hear the same names over and over. I can assure you that I’ve have never met someone with the name Mike or Ashley and then have thought to myself that they’re name was odd. Just as these names are common in our culture, these same names of Smile, Jesus, and Lovemore are common in other cultures. I believe that it is up to the parents to name their child, but I also feel that parents should put into consideration of whether or not their child will be willing or not to live with that name for the rest of their life. I’m sure that when Adolph Hitler Campbell grows up and finally discovers who he was named after, he will question why his parents would ever put the connotation of Adolph Hitler, the German Nazi, to their son’s name. In cultures, like the one of Zimbabwe, parents take into consideration what is the best fit name for their child, so that when they do grow up they will understand why they have that name. I think it is very creative and meaningful how they name their child, compared to how some Americans do it by just naming their child after their favorite celebrity. In other cultures, a name can say a lot about a person where here a name is most often the time just another common name. Another thing is that when I meet someone for the first time with a unique name I am more likely to remember it then I am if I just meet someone with a name I have heard hundreds of times before. Instead of Americans poking fun of people with uncommon or unheard of names, I believe we have a lot to learn from other cultures that actually put meaning behind their children’s names.
Reflecting on “What’s In a Name?”
After reading the article about the family who wanted to put their son’s name on a birthday cake, and reading the article linked to that blog, I have my opinions. I think that if a parent wants to name their child Adolf, then there should be no actions taken to offend the child, in the sense that he cannot have his name on his cake. It is not his fault. However, because the parents added a middle name, which combined reminds people of an evil man, the child was refused service in a large chain supermarket. Our Soc group talked about this specific topic and there were many different opinions. I would agree with those who believe that the child should not be punished, although the parents should realize that due to a child’s name he or she will be restricted. I think that if a child has an unusual name, he or she is likely to be questioned by friends.
Strange names are common, depending on why or how the parents decided what to name their children. In Zimbabwe, every name has meaning, whether it is what the weather is outside or a certain quality the family is feeling when the child is born. The article linked to this blog contains rather humorous ways that parents have decided to name their babies. In the article, a family loses their first-born and therefore, names all children after something of a joke. Therefore one child’s name is Hatred, another Praise. I couldn’t imagine if my name was Hatred and my sister’s name was Praise. I would feel like she got the more positive name and therefore, I would be treated as the one in the family who would carry the traits of my name: hatred. Although the parents of these children consider this to be an inside family joke, I would not appreciate receiving a name like that.
The final name in the article was Never Trust a Woman. That unfortunate boy may never have a girlfriend because of his name. If a boy introduced himself to me as Never Trust a Woman, I may laugh at first. Obviously, one should not judge a person solely by their name but when first impressions are made, a name is the first thing one says, automatically giving that person an identity.
It is interesting to see how unusual names come with a story within the family or some belief among ancestors. After becoming more interested in this topic, I went to Behindthename.com and typed in my name. Knowing I have no relatives with the name Ashley, I typed it in just to see what my name means. Apparently my mom chose my name because it was popular the year I was born. I graduated high school with multiple girls who shared my name. My name actually means “ash tree clearing” or “from the ash tree,” and was more commonly given to boys in the United States until the 1960s.
I loved reading this blog entry--it hits so close to home for me. My first name is Shantay, and my middle name is Kyrel. Those names might not seem overly unusual, but for someone who grew up in a small, rural town in south-central Pennsylvania, it can seem like a curse.
When I was a child, I absolutely hated my names. First of all, no one would ever pronounce or spell them right (and in fact, they usually still don’t). They are pronounced exactly how they are spelled, and vice-versa--for some reason, though, people tend to look too far into it and over-emphasize the pronunciation so they end up saying them with some kind of French accent. I can distinctly remember wishing I had a “normal” name, like all the Jennifers and Elizabeths and Brittanys around me, and I was so mad at my parents for wanting to give me an “exotic sounding name”, as my mother referred to it. This feeling left as I grew older, though, and I began to embrace my names as something that made me unique. I was proud of them, but I didn’t really think too much about the meaning behind them or how others perceived them until I showed up for my first day of college and met my new roommate, who said to me, “Wow, you’re white?” I love being able to surprise people.
Having said that, I can understand how some of the people in Zimbabwe get frustrated at their “unusual” names--I’ve dealt with strange reactions my whole life; some are good and others are bad. And while I can see why people would react badly to meeting someone named “Adolf”, “Caligula”, or “Pol Pot”, why do people in English-speaking countries think “Jesus” sounds weird? We have more than enough Marys and Josephs, so what’s the difference? It’s funny how in one culture, a name can seem perfectly normal, and in others it can have a totally different connotation. I guess the choice of names all comes down to what is and is not the cultural norm, although now that I am older I am all for names that break the standards and make people do a double take.
I think parents should try to consider all the possible ways in which a name will affect their child’s life before they sign the birth certificate, but at the same time I know that, given the chance, I would probably give a child a unique name (even though when I was a kid I swore I’d never put someone through that) just because I know you learn to appreciate it as an adult. I love the Zimbabwean names; they’re just so different and awesome. I wish people would give their children all kinds of crazy names--lets name people after the gods of Greek mythology, brand-name foods, the characters in “Star Wars”, sports cars, etc. It would definitely make life more interesting and fun.
I think this is a very interesting topic to discuss and one that I had thought about in the past. I had recently heard about the parents who named their children Adolf Hitler and JoyceLynn Aryan Nation, and I thought it was ridiculous then, and even after reading the New York Times article, I still think that it is absolutely absurd.
By reading the article, I gained a little insight on where people get their names, especially in places such as in Zimbabwe, but that does not make the Campbell’s decision to give their children those names right. I think that naming your children is one of the biggest decisions you can make in their life and the Campbells made an incredibly irresponsible decision in naming their kids to represent such as terrible person and time in history.
I agree that certain names mean important things to different people and that it is not right to judge someone’s name without fully understanding the facts, but I cannot find any reason to support naming your child Adolf Hitler or JoyceLynn Aryan Nation. Another name that I recently heard comes to mind when I think about ruining a child’s life is Shithead. Yes I typed that right. The name, pronounced sha-tade, is spelled Shithead. The woman defended her choice by saying it was an old African name, but who really cares about that? All people are going to see when they read her name is shit head. Poor little Shithead is really going to have a tough childhood when the other kids call her name on the playground.
I understand that parents want to name their children after meaningful things, but I think that woman could have found something that was equally meaningful and less ridiculous than Shithead. My name is Michelle Jean. My dad’s name is Michael and my mom and I share the same middle name. My parents were able to give me a meaningful name without ruining my life.
I think that parents really need to put more thought into their child’s name and how it could affect their future. Would you want to go to a doctor named Shithead? Or how about a lawyer named Adolf Hitler? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Maybe I am being overly cynical, but whatever happened to names like Mary and John? I am a fan of original names, but some people take it too far. Growing up there were always five Michelles in my classes and at the time I wished I had a more interesting and different name, but after hearing the names of the Campbell children and reading the article about Godknows and Hatred, I commend my parent’s choice more than ever. Maybe you need to be the parent to fully understand where a name comes from, which is why I don’t comprehend how anyone could name their child Shithead. I guess there is a possibility that Shithead is going to be the next most popular baby’s name and who knows, maybe someday I will decide to name my child something equally as ridiculous. I think Dumbass would be appropriate.
In this day and age of globalization, people need to learn to cope with things that they don’t understand or anything that is unusual to them. One of these things is a name, which in many cultures can be what we think of in the United States to be funny. Names like “Enough” and “Godknows” are strange to us. But why is this? It is merely because we have never heard these words used like this before so it is strange to hear. It is like if you were to see someone wearing a cup on their head as a hat. This is also considered very strange. However, if since the beginning of time, another man invented the “cup” and decided to wear it on his head and drink out of a hat instead, today we would see everyone walking around with a cup on their heads just because this is the normal thing that happens. If you were to translate the word enough into another language and then name your child that, I bet anyone who does not speak that language would question the strangeness or validity of the name merely because they have never heard it and do not recognize the word. However, if you were to tell them what the name really means, they would think it strange to name a child that. This leads me to another point. What is language anyway? Back in the day when there was no globalization, like in the time of the Native Americans prime where they consisted of tribes and smaller social units, everyone spoke the same language and was on the same page within a society. However, nowadays it is not uncommon to hear multiple languages in one day that you cannot understand. This is strange because if I am talking to someone who cannot understand me, am I really saying anything? If no one is around to understand what I am saying, I am not saying anything at all. This means that to have language, other people would have to be able to understand what I am saying. This also means that language is relative so the fact that you name your child whatever you want should not be strange. If enough was not an English word and it was not in the dictionary, people would not think it strange to name your child that. In fact, if it was not in the dictionary, it could potentially be a very popular name like Jesus in latino countries.
If I was a ShopRite cake decorator and I was asked to write “Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler” or “Happy Birthday JoyceLynn Aryan Nation” on a cake my response would also be no. It baffles my mind that the parents of these two innocent children would give their son and daughter such a notorious name that leaves us with an unpleasant memory. I was born into a Jewish family, but I truly do not believe that this is the reason I find the fact that these people gave their children these names- straight disgusting. I would be equally as turned off if these ignorant people named their child Osama Bin Laden.
This child is going to have to live life and go through school with the name Adolf Hitler. It is going to be an embarrassment when he has to learn about the holocaust and come to the realization that he was named after the man responsible for the genocide of over 6 million innocent people. This is cruel to do to your child no matter what your beliefs. I do not think it is as big of a deal to name your kid Jesus. If you believe that your child is worthy of the name, so be it.
It is quite funny that in our society we are blind to the underlying meanings of names. So many people have names like Rose or Violet, which are in truth types of flowers. To most of us, it seems strange and humorous when people name their children names that are not familiar to us. I think it is exciting to meet people with unfamiliar, new names rather than meeting a Matt, Susan, or Mike. It is so fascinating to me and I wish I knew more people named “Godknows or Lovemores.” An interesting name that I found in the article was Hatred. I know I would not want this to be my name, but then again it is part of this Zimbabwean culture that you name your child relating to something that is going on when they are born. My favorite name is the article is Enough, the last of thirteen children, which I found to be very humorous.
It is hard- because we do have the right to name our children whatever we like. Our country does entitle us the freedom of speech. But there comes a point where we have to draw the line. It is clear what is inappropriate and offensive. Giving your child a name that is out of the ordinary like “Godknows” is one thing, but dumping a name like “Adolf Hitler” on your poor child is just truly unacceptable. Although “Godknows” is an eccentric name and will make people turn heads, it is completely acceptable and I’m all for it. On the other hand, a name like Adolf Hitler will always be remembered as the man who killed many of our relatives and tried to rid the world of anyone who did not belong to the Aryan race. All in all, I think these parents are ignorant and just plain old stupid for putting their children through this unfair treatment and maybe should have checked a baby book – they definitely would not have found “Adolf Hitler” in there.
I think this article is extremely interesting. My first thought about the ShopRite incident was that it was completely unjust. I guess I can sort of understand why ShopRite felt that it is wrong to write his name on the cake, but it’s just a name! That little boy was not Adolph Hitler, the German dictator that just thinking of upsets many people, he is Adolph Hitler Campbell – a young boy whose birthday it was and probably has absolutely no relation to the other Hitler. I think that this is probably a pretty controversial issue and that this particular post/blog that Sam wrote will have completely mixed opinions. Anyways this leads to realizing that it is definitely very true how in different countries, cultures, or simply just families some names are not accepted. Once again, it’s just a name. If you really wanted you could just change it. But you have to also take into consideration that the child doesn’t choose their name, its parents do, and they usually selected it for a reason. Maybe it was your one of your grandparents’ names, one of your parents’, a random name they picked from a baby book of names, or maybe like some of the people from Zimbabwe it signified the type of day it was when you were born. Regardless, there is some reason behind it. It’s funny to see though how outlandish (to us) some of the Zimbabwe people’s names actually were. It would hard to find an American with one of their names, for example, “Smile,” “Godknows,” or my favorite “Never Trust a Woman.” We would probably not believe someone if they actually told us their name was “Enough” or any of the others listed in the article. Why do we not accept some of these names? What’s so great about the typical, common names like Mike, Joe, Brittany, and Jessica? I guess it’s an American thing. Like Sam said it’s interesting to see the deeper meaning behind names. The Zimbabweans gave names that were literally how they felt; whereas most Americans give just typical names. But what I find interesting is that most Americans don’t choose baby names because of what they mean. It usually is because of someone in the family already has that name or because they simply just like that name. For example, my name is Jennifer. No one in my family is named that but my mother and father choose that name because they simply like how it sounded. I googled the meaning of my name and it actually means “fair-skinned.” My mother was born and Peru and my father was born in the U.S. but is of Italian heritage and both are fairly tan, so it’s kind of ironic that they chose my name, Jennifer, meaning “fair-skinned” when I think I turned out pretty tan. I guess different countries and cultures have different reasons for why they name their children what they do.
To begin, I hope the baby naming books the Campbell’s checked out are now off the shelf.
In all honesty, what type of reaction did the parents actually expect from society?
When most people sit down to brainstorm names for their newborn, they think of older relatives, people that have positively impacted their lives and perhaps influential people in history. For the most part, the name attached to their new son or daughter is often one that invites happiness or pride. I honestly cannot begin to imagine the thought process of the couple that named their child after Hitler. It actually disgusts me if you want my honest opinion. My jaw actually dropped upon reading the blog.
I cannot begin to fathom what the couple would say to justify their taste in names for their child. Even if they support or have reason for giving their child such a title, society certainly will not. For a child living in America, this name is certainly not appropriate. Yes, we invite diversity into this country and maybe the name John was not suitable for this child, but by no means was the name Adolph Hitler satisfactory.
On another note, the parents must realize the affects this will have on the child. From the moment his peers learn about history, he will forever be teased and judged in the classroom and on the playground.
Similarly, but on a much lighter note, in a past episode of Desperate Housewives, main characters, Susan and Mike Delfino become parents of their newborn, Maynard. Susan struggles giving her child such a name because of the potential nicknames she thought up for the boy. Friends and family of the child would undeniably shorten his name to either “May” or “Nerd”. This frightens Susan because she would never wish such embarrassment for her son. On the other hand, Mike does an honest job of supporting what we learn to be, a quite worthy name. It was once his grandfather’s who during his life succeeded in opening the first interracial school in the south. In the end, Susan realizes the importance of giving her son a name that represents a figure he should only hope to match up to be. In the case of the Campbell’s, I cannot imagine Hitler as an individual that you would hope your son to amount to.
It saddens me that the parents would consciously and willingly give their child such a name knowing society’s expected and fitting reaction. I personally would have trouble not negatively judging an individual after learning he or she possesses such a name. The supermarket’s refute to writing the name on the birthday cake is only the beginning of a rocky road for this child and his family.
I believe every person is given their certain name for some type of reason, weather it is to be named after a family member or if it just simply has meaning of any kind. Although I do believe the baker should have put the child’s name on the birthday cake, it is astonishing to me why anyone would think to have their child share a name with one of the most evil and hated people in the entire world. There must be some meaning behind it, but what is it? I thought this article was really cool and quite inspiring to learn about how some of the Zimbabwean people received their names. As ridiculous sounding as some may be, I think that as long as there is true meaning behind them then that is just enough. Like it was stated in the article, “You cannot just name someone out of the blue. It has to relate to something.” So why would someone want to carry out the name Adolph Hitler? It is a mystery to me.
People have been mistaking my name for my entire life. I was given the name Maxime to be named after my great grandfather, Max. My mother at first came up with the name Maxine with an “n” since I did in fact come out to be a girl. But then my father decided he liked Maxime with an “m” much better. This name had more meaning behind it. In Hebrew, his native language, Maxime with an “m” means charming in English. When I tell people what my name is they automatically assume that it is Maxine with and “n” because that is just the more common name in America. Not only do people very commonly mistake my name with an “n,” they just can’t seem to pronounce my name correctly either. One of the funniest misunderstandings of my name that I have gotten is for an entire year my 9th grade history teacher called me Maxim. Yes, as in the porn magazine. My classmates would deliberately call my name out loud correctly so she could hear it, but it still somehow got right by her.
I do believe that one’s name is another basis for our identity. It is sometimes very clear just from a person’s name to figure out what at least part of their background is. Very often you hear a name and will be able to easily identify where the person is from, especially from their last names. For example I have a friend whose name is Giancarlo Massaro whose family is clearly of Italian descent. I have another friend whose name is Noah Silverstein, a clear Jewish sounding name. I think it is really fun and quite interesting to hear unique sounding names and what the meaning is behind them like the very many I read about in the article.
If I were the employee working at the Bakery where I was asked to put the child’s name “Adolph Hitler” on the cake, as much as I don’t personally agree with the parents giving their child that name, I would have still followed their request to put the name on the cake. It is not my business whether those parents named their children Adolph Hitler or Bob Dylan; it is their child, their decision, and I don’t have any right to question it, especially if they are complete strangers to me. I am only there as a store employee, not a judge or a prosecutor.
It’s funny that when a person’s name is associated with an historic figure, it is always weird to hear a regular person who isn’t a public figure with the same name. For example, I have a friend whose name is Jesus and people constantly make jokes at him saying he is the savior and everybody should bow down to him. It might not sound too hurtful, but I think it is extremely offensive and unnecessary. Though someone’s name does define one person from another and it is an important part of their life because it has been with them since the day they were born (unless you legally change your name), I don’t think people should be judged based solely on their names.
I do not think it is wrong at all to name someone after a historic or public figure. I feel like every person has a reason for choosing their children’s names, whether because there is a tradition of naming their child the same as past generations, because they want to name them after their favorite celebrity, or because they just like the sound of the name. It is understandable that people outside a culture would think a certain name was odd, but it is not understandable to automatically put a label on a person because of their name. I’ve come across plenty of unusual names in my lifetime, and yes I admit that I have laughed at a few names, but not once did I ever think about giving a first impression of a person just because of their name. I judge people by who they are as a person and how they treat me, which is the respectful way to judge someone.
Though some would also make fun of this and think it’s weird, I personally love when I hear names that were just made up from their parents. If a parent wants to name their child Peach because it is their favorite fruit, then props to them for being creative with picking a name. Although I would feel bad when the child eventually gets older and people would make fun of the name, it shouldn’t really matter what they think and they shouldn’t let that affect them. I have many friends who hate their names and wish they could have been able to choose their names when they were born (which obviously we all know could never happen), but they should be proud of their names because it is their identity, it has been with them their whole lives.
Sam’s blog brought about a lot of questions in my head as I was reading along. I have lived in so many different states during my life, and I have heard some plain Jane names and some off the wall names that made me stop and think for a minute. I know different cultures think certain features are beautiful and other cultures do not, while I am realizing that some names in some cultures are acceptable, while in other cultures they seem odd and unpronounceable. The child in the American classroom with the name Mark, never has to worry about his teacher mis-pronouncing his name or chopping his name up so badly that he couldn’t even recognize his own name. But the child who is from a foreign country or has immigrant parents like the name “Paignaiota” which is the name of my Greek friend from back home. She has cut her beautiful Greek heritage name down to Patti, because she thinks it is a waste of time to try and teach we ignorant Americans how to say her name, because truthfully they’ll never get it right. Names such as these seem to be looked upon differently because no one wants to open up to different cultures and accept the difference in our society that exists today. As referenced in the article provided at the bottom of the blog, you can’t go to a page in the name of the best baby books and find a name that is known as truly beautiful in another country. Rather, so many of my friends, family members and neighbors try to be creative by choosing the last name of a president. My second cousin is named Kennedy, not only does she have no realization of what her name is, who knows what political party she will identify with when she becomes of age to make those decisions of her own. Rather she will always have the name of a memorable president that her parents weren’t even alive to see in office as her birth name. I also babysit for a family that names their children very oddly as well. The daughter’s name is Montana, and you can bet no one else in her 7th grade class have the name as well. She is definitely lucky in that aspect that she is never confused with another classmate, but explaining her name everywhere she goes gets kind of annoying, as you can tell by her expression. Her father used to play football for the University of Montana and I know you’re probably thinking oh that’s where she was conceived…but no. They wanted her name to start with an M because apparently to her parents it’s a strong letter, and Montana popped into their minds. Although some may find this name really cool and unusual, it often comes to my mind if maybe Montana wants what America calls a normal name such as Ashley or Katie or Michelle.
Names seem like such simple things that you are given before you can even speak a word. Even though it is not in my culture to name children names such as those in the article provided, it seems like the smart way to name a child. You aren’t referring to them as the last name of a president or a random state, you are giving them meaning that they can be “one who is heard by God” etc.
I found the article In the Land of Homemade Names, Tiffany Doesn’t Cut it, to present an extremely interesting matter. I’m sure at one point or another we can each say that we’ve heard a name that made us think that the parents were being downright cruel or ridiculous. However, this article forces you to look at it from a different perspective. I’ve never looked at it from a person from another culture’s point of view that maybe the names we give our children are silly to them. Many of us are named after relatives who play significant roles in our lives, movie stars, the Bible, songs, or television shows. This is common among American culture, but the same cannot be said for others around the world. In Zimbabwe, children are almost always named after significant events that took place and each always contains a meaning behind it. Although some names such as Godknows, Hatred, Gift, and Energy may seem off the wall to our culture, these names are common to their own culture. After taking the time to actually reflect upon common names in our culture, I can see how we become hypocrites when we make fun of such names. Aren’t we doing the same thing when we have names such as Hope or Faith? Many of us are named after months of the year, flowers, lakes, or professional football players. What may seem normal to us might be completely strange and foreign to others therefore, we have no right to mock other people. The people of Zimbabwe can just as easily criticize the names we give ourselves. To them, we may look as though we lack a significant meaning when choosing our names. With all this being said, I think we need to accept other cultures around the world. It’s unfair to pass judgments against the name of a child when they may have completely different beliefs and reasoning for the names chosen.
This article also brought to my awareness how greatly cultures vary from place to place. The names given to children in other areas of the world are just one of the fascinating differences compared to other cultures. I found the unique and deep meanings behind each name to be incredible. It is as though each name given in Zimbabwe’s culture tells its own personal story. People have criticized these names because they say it provokes judgments from others, but in reality the meaning behind their names serves as their own unique individuality. How many people of our culture can say they know someone by the name of Wind, Destruction, or Jealousy? These names are unique and unlike any other names we are used to, but that doesn’t make them something that should be mocked or criticized. We must be accepting and open to other customs and values of people all over the world because we too have our own customs and would not appreciate being ostracized for our practices.
What’s wrong with naming someone Adolph Hitler? Are many people not named after others that parents admire or have some sort of tie to? I do not condone naming one’s child Adolph Hitler, but who are we to say what someone’s child should or should not be named? Names are a personal choice that define who and what the family surrounding that person is. Maybe the family of Adolph Hitler is part of a supremacist white community and they feel the need to honor the Adolphi Hitler that killed millions of Jews. I for one, would never name my child Adolph Hitler or Saddam Hussein or any name that could have some type of connotation pertaining to mass genocide and dictatorships. However, at the same time, the naming of a child is a personal choice and if the name reflects the ideals and beliefs of the family, then that is the family’s business. I myself am one of seven children with, for the most part, Irish-American or catholic names. Joseph, Conor, Catherine, Amanda Cecilia, Emily Christian, Meredith Helen; all named after saints. Then there’s me: Travis. Where did Travis come from? Maybe I’m making a stereotype, but this sounds like a typical southern, red neck, country name. I’ve asked my parents and they don’t even know where it came from, I guess they just liked it. Maybe they just ran out of names, I don’t know. Whatever the reason, for all of the other siblings in my family, my parents decided to name my siblings after Catholic saints. This reflected their beliefs and ideals and clearly their religion played a major role in how they chose names for their children. Personally, I don’t think many people would have a problem with the names of my siblings, but why is there a problem if people choose to name their children after English words or their own beliefs? Of course, naming your child after one of the biggest murderers in the history of the world is quite disheartening, but that is the choice of the parents. Likewise, in Zimbabwe, naming children descriptive words is also part of their belief and has been around for a very long time just as naming your child after someone in your religion or a personal hero has been around for a while. These are traditional ways of naming your child and they will continue to be ways of naming your children for the rest of eternity. People may not agree with the names we choose for our children or how we name them, but in the end it is the choice of the parents and the family to name children and no matter what name they choose, it is their personal choice.
I as much as much as the next person appreciate a good name. I grew up knowing about eight Samantha’s and at times wish I had a more unique name that would better distinguish myself. At the same time, I rarely ran into the situation where I had to correct someone on the pronunciation of my name and can’t remember being teased, with the exception of being told “Sam” is a boy’s name. By giving your child a name that you believe describes them, the parents that gave birth to them, or their background is a great way to make them just a tad more special in the world, but at the same time can have deleterious effects. I would think a child named “Never Trust a Woman”, from the article “In the Land of Homemade Names”, would not have initial luck with the ladies upon introduction. At the same time, a person with the name, Justice or Honour may come across as very strong or proud, even if they do not have the personality to match. I think a name helps define you as a person, which is why many people have nicknames as they grow up. Peers often label one another by a distinguishable trait, such as Shorty or Smiley. While I appreciate a solid name and one that makes you stand out, there is a line that needs to be drawn from unique to humiliating and making a mockery of a human being. Children cannot pick their names, so it is their parents that should show their own child some respect and not name them something as ridiculous as “I’m With Him.” I prefer the old fashioned way of making you stand out by not hiding behind a name and making your voice and personality known.
Also, I believe in treating each person equally regardless of their ethnicity, background, and especially of their name, in regards to what occurred at the Shop Rite supermarket is not completely out of line. Any store can refuse a customer for whatever reason; especially if they were to think they were about to service a customer with ill intentions and what at the time may have seen demented. I put myself in the shoes of the worker asked to write “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler” and would think if anyone came in with that request that they were pulling some kind of ignorant prank, or worse, praising someone who by most is seen as one of the worst figures in history. At the same time, if someone came in asking a profane statement full of cuss words and inappropriate images, you would not expect that to be provided to the customer either. While the parents had great intentions of giving their children unique names, they at the same time should have fully considered what the consequences would be, and also considered the difficulty their children would run into as they grow. Just as words in the English language all have negative connotations, so do certain names. If you are willing to subject your child to such uniqueness, be prepared that they are going to be treated in their own unique way by others as well.
I can understand why the bakery would not put “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler” on the young boy’s cake. It is obviously extremely offensive to not only people who are of Jewish decent but for the majority of society who finds historically known Adolph Hitler’s action detestable. However, on the other hand if someone named Adolph Hitler or any other name that is shunned in today’s society was given that name because it is a family name then to me it becomes at least more understandable and expectable. I wonder though if it was the name Adolph in itself or the Hitler or was it a combination of the two that caused the baker to turn down the business. The reason I say this is because, if it was only one of the names that upset the bakery then I have to wonder if the bakery is also affendent at our president who’s middle name is Hussein. One part of this story that questions me is why were the parents of this child requesting the child’s first and middle name to be written on the cake? I know personally for me and for my family and all the birthday parties that I have ever attendant only the person’s first name is on the cake. So then why, especially when the child has such a controversial first and middle name, would the parents who knowingly know their child’s name is controversial, request to have both names put on the cake? The only thought I can come up with is they were deliberately trying to piss the bakery off or they were deliberately trying to get the attention of the press.
After reading, the article I was curious to find out what my name meant, so I looked it up. It is of Greek origin, and its meaning is "ice". It is from the 19th century coinage. A transparent quartz gemstone, usually colorless, that can be cut to reflect brilliant light. After reading what my name meant, I have to admit I was a little bummed it did not have a more significant meaning. However, I do like the look of the stone. Then I started to think about why my mom chose my name and that does not have any significant meaning either. I was named after one of the main characters from the hit television soap opera series “Dynasty”.
Then I started to think of my last name, which I love because it is a strong Italian last Name, Marigliano and I love that it identifies me as Italian because I am proud of my heritage and because it has a beautiful sound to it. While thinking about this, a conversation over Christmas break that I had with my dad came to my mind. See I was adopted, by my aunt and uncle and my dad (uncle) asked me why I never decided to change my name to his last name Carilla. My first response was you never asked, he told me he wished that I would have approached him of the idea when I was younger. I explained to him that while I thought of the idea, I loved the sound of my last name, even though he also has an Italian last name. He replied by saying, that while my last name sounds nice why would I want a name that represents a lot of people who are seen in a negative light, when I could have had a last name that came from someone who raised me and loved me. Up until that point, I had not even thought of how a simple name could represent so much meaning. Ironically, my last name is also a town in Naples Italy that is extremely poor and polluted. However, I still love the sound of my last name and I do not think that I will be giving it up, even if I get married. I will create a good meaning to my last name. Although, I do feel bad that my dad seemed hurt that I never acknowledge his name.
After thinking of this, I thought about all the weird names that were in the article and how that all came from a meaning and although many of these names are strange from my view point really who am I judge them because at least their name has substance to it.
Though I may be biased because I do not live in a place where it is normal to call someone “Enough,” I agree with the people from the article who said that it takes away from the child’s identity. I do not think that there is any way that a father who names his son “Adolph Hitler Campbell” is doing it for any other reason than to make a statement. I find that parents should think about their children before they think of themselves, after all, the children are the ones who are going to have to live with the name. The man from the article who named his children in English for no other reason than to fuel an ongoing family feud was thinking of no one but himself when he did it. I think that it is incredibly insensitive for a parent to name a child based on something that is going on at the birth of the child because the child still has the rest of his life to live with the name that was given at birth. I think that there should be an important reason for someone to have a certain name like being named after someone or having family importance. I also think that it is alright for parents to name their children simply because they think that it is a pretty name. I do not think that naming your child Hatred is a respectful thing to do because the child has to live with that name for the rest of his life. I understand that the point of this blog and article is to show that whthere is no difference between a word and a name but there must be a line drawn somewhere. My mother’s name is Rose, but I think that it is still associated with both the flower and a name in society. Hatred, on the other hand, is associated with one thing and one thing only, just as Adolph Hitler is. Whenever people hear a name, they do not think to themselves “well it is just a combination of letters that are assembled together that make a word that is associated with this person,” because that is not how people think.
I just want to add something, in the event that anyone else reads this and wants to comment on it, a friend of mine teaches at a school in the city and has a student named “Le-a” pronounced not as “Léa,” but rather as “Ledasha” where the “-“that is between the “Le” and the “a” is actually pronounced as “dash.” When I heard this, I had no other reaction than “were those parents serious?” Just something to think about on the topic of parents choosing names…
Choosing a baby’s name can be a very stressful situation for parents because they want to pick the prefect name that will fit their baby’s personality or even choose a name that has significant meaning to their family. I mean this is going to be the name that the child is going to have throughout their life and no parents what to give their child a name that they will be teased and tormented for through grade school. But honestly this couple in eastern Pennsylvania that named their son, Adolph Hitler Campbell and their daughter, Jocelyn Aryan Nation Campbell, did not take into consideration how these names will affect their children’s lives. When the children are in grade school and they are learning about WWII and the Holocaust how do you think the other children in the class are going to treat them? What happens if there is a Jewish student in their classroom I think that they will find this very offensive? I think that I read this story once before and these children were actually kicked out of school, because of the complaints that they got from parents because of their names. Then what happens when these children are obtaining a job will the interviewer take them serious with names that have such a negative meaning? And maybe the employer will not want to hire them because they may lose some of their clients because the clients may feel offended by the employee’s name. The names that the parents gave their children are going to cause their children extreme hardship throughout their life by trying to show that they personality does not signify their names.
I find these names very offensive and I feel that by the parents calling their children these names was a joke to them and they did not take the name picking process seriously. I mean is there no laws or anybody, such as doctors or nurses, which prevent parents from placing names like these on a birth certificate? I know that Adolph was once a popular German name and I would not find it offensive, however, I feel that since the parents went out of their way to name their Son, Adolph Hitler, there was a hidden motif instead of just picking Adolph. I have no problem with parents calling their children the common, popular names in their culture such as Muhammad, or Osama, or Saddam because there are not naming their children strictly after the bad political figures. I mean by not knowing these parents but only knowing the names that they gave their children illustrates to me and most likely other American citizens that the parents believe Adolph Hitler was a positive role model and felt that what he did to 6 million people was acceptable. I know that it is horrible judgment to make but I just cannot understand as a parent why would you name your children such offensive names and have your children have to deal with your decision for the rest of their lives.
First of all, let me just say that it is horrible that a person can even name their child something such as Adolf Hitler. Although it is just a name, it does have a very negative connotation that goes along with it, and for good reasons. Think about what the man did. Think about the genocide that he had take place. Although I know that it is not possible, because just as professor Richards said - a name is simply a group of letters placed together that makes a sound – there should be rules placed against naming children after people in history who have done such things. Also, Aryan Nation? Why would you even think of something like that? It’s not even an actual person’s name – or it should not be at least. It’s one thing to let someone change their name to this if they have that type of outlook on life once they legally become an adult, but it should not be allowed while they have no choice in the matter. Like others have previously said, what happens when these children are placed in a setting such as a history class where these topics are being discussed? How uncomfortable would you feel if it was you? I know I personally would probably walk right out of the room so I didn’t have to deal with it. Even that wouldn’t help, though, because then I would be placed in a situation later with other kids making fun of me for leaving, or even just asking why I left. It would just be a bad situation all around. I am not trying to say that it is wrong to name children after famous people, because it is not. I am simply saying that it is wrong to name them after people such as Hitler and the Aryan Nation with ideals like them. It almost seems as if this is the parents’ way of trying to force these ideals onto their children before they know any better.
Now as for the rest of the story. It is hard for me to say that the person who would not write those names on the cake was doing something wrong. I believe that you should be able to have anything written on a cake, especially if it is actually your kid’s names. I think that they should not have straight up denied them their cake, rather they should have asked for some proof or something that showed that that was really their kids names. Imagine how upset the children probably were when their parents told them that they didn’t have their names on their birthday cakes because of what their names are. Actually, I guess that was probably a good time for the parents to explain to them about situations that are sure to come.
What's in a name? A lot. A fuck load, in fact. Names carry much culture, and their significance is hard to diminish. They carry the burden of history, and they carry the feelings of society and its individuals. The name of a favorite restaurant can make your stomach growl. When uttered, the name of a lover can alter blood circulation around your chest and perhaps in your pants. The name Washington can arouse patriotic feelings in many Americans, as can "9/11." On the other hand, uttering those numbers can strike fear or pensive sorrow in others, or perhaps feelings of hatred. There's a lot behind names, especially the big ones. True, these meanings can be objectified as social constructs, but objectification does not diminish their importance, as any sociologist would understand. We as humans are creatures suspended in webs of significance that we create ourselves, as a great anthropologist once said. That's how we do, so to speak. In our own cultural web here in the west, the name Adolf Hitler has become synonymous with evil, extreme intolerance and genocide. After hearing the name, a Jewish friend of mine (under the influence) split his knuckles open on his fridge in a bout of rage. I've seen German citizens break down in tears upon hearing it. Post-WWII Western culture has taken Hitler to be perhaps the ultimate icon of evil on a grand scale. As such, I believe that no self-aware, self-respecting Westerner - especially of German origin - would name his/her child Adolf Hitler in blissful ignorance. However, I can see someone doing this with an iconoclastic motive in mind, aiming to challenge these sorts of preconceived notions and the weight behind such a name, questioning whether we should hold on to our depressing, decades long relationship to it. Such a parent would be a wildly radical one. Unfortunately, iconoclasm is simply not the case here. Clearly they belong to a movement reviving feelings of teutonic-Aryan racial/cultural superitority. They're neo-Nazis. But the fact is, they have a right to name their children what they will. Nothing's stopping them on legal grounds. Frank Zappa took advantage of that (Dweezil and Moonunit Zappa). But what they can't expect, I think, is for people to respect them for it. If they're going to be outrageous, whatever the message, they have to accept the consequences be they "right or wrong." They cannot expect people to react to this name the way they would to Mike or Dave. For them to feign ignorance as they have, claiming that they simply want their child to have his name on a birthday cake like other kids, is deplorable. Poor kid. He's going to have the shit kicked out of him later on, whether or not he deserves it.
ach! gewisse Sachen sind einfach kompiziert.
I really liked the article on the names of people in Zimbabwe. I think it is great when someone names there kid for a reason, and not just because it sounds good. My name is Matt, I have a friend named Andy, and my best friend is named Rick. These are all good names, but they don’t mean shit. Now if I was named Small or Happy, two things that I was as a child, that would really be cool, something that I could be proud of. For example, the truck driver named smiles. I bet that if I was there, saw him a few times, I would give him a nickname, and it would most likely be smiles or something like that, because its pretty obvious that he smiles a lot. All that this causes is for us to call people by their nicknames. My one friend, named Matt, has long blonde hair down to his shoulders, and he is roughly 6”2’. My friends and me call him Thor (he really does look like him). Thor is a better portrayal of him then Matt is, it explains more things. Because of this, I have no problem of people with names like Enough, and Godknows. Now lets look at the picture at the top of the blog. The parents are obviously a bit racist against anyone not the Aryan race (by the way that little girl is a perfect Aryan). With a middle name of Aryan Nation, she really doesn’t have many outs to change her views. Her brother is also screwed, with the name of Adolf Hitler. I know the parents have the right to name their kids whatever they want, but the name Adolf Hitler is just unacceptable. As I said before I don’t care what people are named, as long as the name isn’t hurtful to more then 2 billion people, and I think names like Oblivious and Hatred do not offend 2 billion people. But if you walk into a room full of strangers, with no one talking and you say “Adolf Hitler” and then sit down, everyone is going to hate you, or at least think you are crazy or a complete asshole. Hitler is probably the worst person ever to live, and to give your child that name is just not right, no matter your feelings about him. These two kids are bound to be complete racists, and they never had a chance. Also, their only friends will be each other, because no Mom or Dad is going to let little Jimmy go play with Hitler and Aryan Nation after school. I fully support the cake people for not writing his name on the cake. Parents are suppose to try and give their kids the best life possible, but unless these two kids change there names, they will never be accepted into society.
I absolutely love the Zimbabwean’s technique for coming up with names. Although it may seem funny and random to us, it is this randomness that makes it so unique. It is so much better than our approach to picking our children’s names. I swear the thing that I hated most when I first came to Penn State was keeping track of all the new Katies, Sarahs, and Samanthas. And every semester I have to learn a dozen more of each. The same thing goes for guys’ names. I can’t even begin to count the number of Dans, Robs, and Mikes I know. I come from a family with very unique names. I have a kind of love-hate relationship with my name. I love the fact that it is different and links me to my Irish heritage, but the fact that no one can spell and or pronounce it gets kind of annoying. (Although I don’t blame them, the fact that it is spelt nothing like it’s pronounced doesn’t really help.) Not to mention the fact that it is the same as an Irish singer. For as many Katies I have met, I bet I have answered, “No I was not named after the singer” double that number. Luckily most people my age don’t even know who she is, but I can’t even imagine what it was like for my parents having an infant with the same name as a crazy bald lady who burnt up a picture of the pope on national television. When I read the blog about Adolph Hitler Campbell I felt like I could kind of relate. I’ll never forget last year someone wrote in my senior year book, “Maybe someday you’ll meet the real Sinead O’Connor.” While I’m sure they wrote it just to be funny, I couldn’t help but think, “But I am the real Sinead O’Connor!” How many Katie Smiths do you meet in your life? And who is to judge which is the real Katie Smith? When I read about poor Adolph Hitler Campbell I realized he has it probably a million times worse than me or anyone else with a name twin. Obviously the Campbell Hitler is a completely different human being than the German one, but I believe it was wrong of the parents to name their child that. They couldn’t have just lived with Adolph Campbell, and leave out the Hitler? That man slaughtered millions of innocent lives during WWII. There are people still alive today that lived through the terror of his concentration camps; seriously, show a little respect. To go back to the Zimbabwean method of selecting names, I feel that this is much better. Stop following the crowd and what’s popular according to some book. I hope to someday give my child some unique name that they can feel proud of.
We actually talked about this article in my recitation today, and I found it very disturbing that these parents would name their children names that hold such profound meaning. However, the article in the blog portrays a view that is overlooked by our American culture. The fact that it is acceptable to name your child “Funeral” or “Hatred” in Africa is part of the African Culture. Doing so in America would most likely be questioned and looked down upon. Thus, naming your child “Adolf Hitler” in America will perceptibly cause a stir. I personally feel that the cause of this extreme fanatical response from society is due to our ignorance to other cultures. I feel if we as a whole were more aware that this is common in other parts of the world, maybe it wouldn’t be so indifferent, after all we are country full on minorities, that’s what makes us America.
As for the parents… I feel that the parents could have named their children these names for two reasons. Yes, maybe they have some sort of sickness and child services should be involved. Maybe the way America is interpreting the situation is correct. “These people are crazy” and why would any parent in their right mind give their children names that hold such powerful meaning that is looked down upon.?! Of course that’s what the majority of Americans are going to think and maybe its true. But it’s funny how so many other options are ruled out because of the simple fact that we are ignorant and assume that our culture is the only culture. This act does not follow the American Culture therefore, these people must be nuts! What if this was an act of change. What if these people wanted to make a statement. A statement that indicates we shouldn’t judge if we don’t know. We don’t know this family or their story. Maybe they are Jewish and Adolf Hitler would obviously not approve of his name being portrayed on a “Jew”. Maybe for this family, these names hold a special meaning that is not what we think it is. Maybe it is their way of getting back. Too often we judge without knowing. No, we don’t know if these people are Jewish but my point is trying to untie the blindfold we all sometimes hide behind when we “don’t know” something. We jump to conclusions. Isn’t this class suppose to be based upon looking passed the surface. Opening our eyes and open our minds to change. I think this family is a good example of how narrow- minded we all really can be at times. Obviously we are all going to be struck by these names and automatically assume these people are crazy! But do we know their story? Why would it be acceptable in Africa but not in the U.S. when this country is suppose to adhere to minorities and accept all forms of culture., yet in reality we accept nothing but ONE culture.
Also, why do we get so worked up about it? Its not me, they aren’t affecting me so why is it such a big deal. Another example of how much we criticize in this country before we even get a chance to sit down.
Growing up with the name Diandra (pronounced Dee-ahn-dra) has always been a little interesting. When I was younger, I hated when people would pronounce it incorrectly and I would always rudely correct their errors. Mistakes have ranged from Diandria to Doreen and Deirdra. Seeing as though my sisters, Marissa and Alexa, have common names and therefore have never experienced the frustration I endured when meeting new people, I questioned my parents’ motives and wondered why I wasn’t named something like Nicole or Jessica. With age, however, I realized just how lucky I was to be unique and have a name that is different and one of a kind; a name that set me apart from the Sarah’s and Stephanie’s of the world. Now, I appreciate that fact that most people will probably only meet one Diandra in their life and I, therefore, become more memorable and my name makes a greater impression on people. Though, to this day, I still find myself having to correct new people I meet, which is still an annoying process, but it’s kind of funny to see what people come up with when they attempt to pronounce my name.
Consequently, upon reading the blog entitled “What’s in a Name?” and the New York Times article “In a Land of Homemade Names, Tiffany Doesn’t Cut It”, I easily understood why these people have such unique and different names because I have a personal experience with an irregular name. Ok so maybe my name doesn’t have some definitive and inspirational meaning like Knowledge or Godknows, but I appreciate the value behind a name that stands for something and is out of the ordinary. On the other hand, not having a common name amongst society causes a rift between cultures. People who are not accustomed to hearing names other then John, Ben, and Susan, are caught of guard by a name like Energy or Rain because their culture does not normally encourage such exotic names. In my opinion, having a cool name that stands for something makes you different and feel more like an individual. Therefore, I support the use of unique baby names.
However, in the case of the Adolph Hitler Campbell, I do not in the least understand the concept behind it and the thinking of the parents. When someone in history stands for something horrible such as dictatorship and mass murder, their name forever remains embedded with the harm that they caused. When Adolph Hitler Campbell has to tell people his name growing up, he will receive the same reaction from every person: confusion and disgust. Why would an innocent person want to be associated with an evil villain? I would love to hear what the parents have to say about their choice in their child’s name, and would then recommend a good psychiatrist for them to see as well as a nice adoptive family to send the kids to. I truly believe that people who use the gift of a name to stand for something evil is wrong, and that people should instead choose a name that offers purpose and individuality.
Some people names are funny and when they tell you their name at first, you laugh but names have meaning, a sense of identity, a tag. A name is what you have to live with and grow to love, but as for the names Adolph Hitler and Osama, those names have a negative connection with “negative people”. This is why I think the bakery didn’t want to write the name Adolph Hitler on the cake, but the people in the bakery didn’t know the reason of this name. I think the family should have gone public with this case because I feel that it was ridiculous and if the family pays for the cake then they should get the cake however they would like it. I honestly believe that people can name their child whatever they want to name their children because this is a free country and it’s not a law that says what you can name your child. In certain places, such as in West Africa people are named by the days they were born and that is common. In the American culture, I think a name is just a name that doesn’t have any meaning or purpose, in most cases. In other cases the name you have is probably the name of your grandparents or your parents or someone in your family. I know people who were named after liquor such as Alize and Hennessey. I also know people who names was so hard to say but the mother put two names together, like the mother and fathers. Those names are interesting to know what’s behind them. I always wondered why I was named Ashley instead of another name, because all my friends had “ghetto names” and I wanted a name like theirs. My mother told me she wanted me to be able to find a good job, or not get made fun of and at the time Ashley was a common name. I love my name but sometimes when I look in the mirror I don’t think I look like an Ashley. I think the names in that article were what I would call “ridiculous”. I couldn’t see myself telling people that my name was “Never Trust A Woman” or even writing it on a piece of paper or a job application, but to each own. If that was my name I would change my name just because no one will ever take me seriously. Famous people name their kids all types of names just because, which is funny to me. Their kids don’t get made fun of because they are famous but if they were not popular they would get made fun of. Names are sometimes confusing but if you have a meaning of why that specific name then that’s good.
I think there is a lot in a name. This is the term that one will indentify with for the rest of one’s life. There is a line in one of my favorite movies that relates to this. In the move “Where the Heart Is”, a pregnant teenage mother is shopping in a Walmart. She becomes friends with the photographer working there. He asks her what she is going to name her baby. She replies she might name the baby Wendi. He turns down the idea and tells her to “give your baby a strong name. A name that means something.” She ends up naming her baby girl “Americus.” I think this idea is true- that parents should name their baby something strong and meaningful. But I think it is also true that so often- especially in America- parents name their babies common, socially acceptable, and fad names. There are so many Kaites, Justins, and Amandas. In older times, and even today traditional Christian names were the fad- John, Matthew, Catherine, or Anne, etc. You know the saying- “Tom, Dick, and Harry.” So names that seem funny to us in other cultures are actually most likely just a reflection of that other culture. The article in Zimbabwe interested me. I don’t think parents should name their children odd things just for the heck of it- but I do like the idea of giving a baby a meaningful name- or a name that has to do with their birth. I believe names can also be stereotypical. I read a book once that talked a little about how a person’s name effects their life and status. It examined the question if a foreign name or a name that pertained to a particular race or culture effected one’s status in life. For example- if a Shaniqua or a Shannon were applying for the same job- who would have a better chance of getting hired? Shaniqua itself is a stereotypical black woman’s name. But what does this matter? Should this matter? I must admit I unconsciously make judgments about names myself. If I see a foreign Asian name on a class roster I almost automatically assume this person is an Asian student with a heavy accent and then find myself surprised to see a regular “American kid” who speaks perfect English with no accent. I am not saying this is right or wrong- I am merely pointing out that this if a fact of how American society often works. I remember the controversy of a European couple who wanted to name their baby “4real.” The government would not let them name their baby that name with that spelling. The couple said when their baby was born that the miracle of life was really for real and it was a major impact on their lives and they wanted their baby’s name to reflect that. I’m not wild about parents naming their babies things like “4real”, but again I agree that a child’s name should mean something. I will admit though that I find it rather odd when celebrities name their children odd things like “Apple”, “Suri”, “Shiloh”, or “Rainbow.” I personally am against parents naming their baby something like “Adolph Hitler.” But I’m not sure a bakery has the right to deny the child’s name to be written on a cake.
When anyone says the name Adolph Hitler, what is the first thing that pops into your head? Of course it is going to be a malicious man who created a Holocaust, because the Holocaust was such a horrific event. I am in agreement with the bakery because I do not think it was appropriate for the parents to name their child after something that is still offensive (which it very well should be, especially to the Jewish community or people that had ancestors that were involved in this time) to many people. It is unfair to the child (who couldn’t get a birthday cake to celebrate his first birthday) that did not have a say in his name but the parents knew that they would run into difficulties when they named their child that in the first place. Out of the millions and millions of names they could of chose why would they choose one that as soon as their child enters school; teachers, other students, parents, and the rest of the community would look at this child and make automatic assumptions about him and his family. I understand that names are just a vocalization but when it is associated with an event that killed millions of people, it just isn’t right. My opinion would be the same for any other names that are connected to devastating events or leaders of these events. Many cultures come up with names that have a special meaning behind it which I think is very unique. But these cultures are not naming their children with offensive names, even if they are extremely different. I think many celebrities and people in the United States are trying to break out of the normality of names that most people in the United States name their children, and even though the names they come up with are tremendously odd, I do not care that they are named that because they are not associated with a person that brings back past events that were so devastating. Basically, I feel that if a parent thinks it is appropriate to name their child Adolph Hitler, than I do not think they are ready to be parents because for the rest of that boy’s life he will be humiliated by his name, get false judgments about him, and be teased. What parent in their right mind would want that for their child? I think the parents deserved to be turned away from that bakery. After reading the “In a Land of Homemade Names, Tiffany Doesn’t cut it” I think it is very interesting to see what other countries do name their children. The names they come up with have meaning and symbolism behind it which is really cool. So my final words are, why would anyone ever want to name their child something that already has a negative connotation to the world? But that is their decision but then they will need to deal with the consequences, but as for everyone else that is naming their children Smile, Enough, Hope, Sara, and Jason, etc. why not? Why not be creative and have some sort of positive relation to a name?
While reading this article I experienced a wide array of thoughts and feelings towards the incident over shoprite refusing to provide services because of the history and symbolism behind a name. I do not understand how any person who has the slightest idea of Hitler’s ideologies and involvement in the Holocaust, would actually choose as the name for their child. Although I do not know the meaning or origin of the name Adolph Hitler, I think it is completely inappropriate and wrong on many different levels to name a child after this horrible symbol Hitler represents.
Hitler was one of the leading powers and influences during the Holocaust in World War II. It was because of this man that led to the mass genocide which killed about six million Jews. How could any moral or ethical human being choose to name their child after such a corrupted historical figure and constantly be reminded and repeat the name? Not only do I not understand what person would name their child after Hitler, but there will be many long-term consequences and issues created for the child named after Hitler. As a young child, many of the other children’s parents may not want their kid associating with someone named Hitler, and may get bullied once children get an understanding of the association the name has. Fast forwarding towards the future of the young Hitler, he would most likely have problems getting accepted into colleges or even getting a job because of the horrible association that goes along with this name.
As a person with a Jewish ancestry, I have an enormous connection and emotional tie to young children and families that suffered in the Holocaust. I have never had such strong feelings of hate or promoted the death penalty upon anyone other than Hitler. In my eyes, Hitler symbolizes the epitome of a person with a cold heart and purely evil intentions. It is a personal offense to me and a threat to my identity if I were to ever hear a mother call their child Hitler or hear someone being referred to Hitler on the street.
Although I do not think people recognize or research the meanings of names, I think the name Adolph Hitler should not be allowed as a legalized name throughout the world. This name carries both the shame of the actions and behaviors done by Hitler and his followers, along with reminding those that lost loved ones or those that barely survived this horrific mass genocide.
On one hand a name is just a bunch of letters put together to form a sound in which a person uses to identify with… but it is important to think of the value and associations a name such has Hitler may carry. A name can carry way more weight than one may think, even if it is not as apparent as the name of Hitler.
Since high school, I have been rather involved in the Jewish community in my hometown. I worked as a summer camp counselor at the local Jewish Community Center for a few years and absolutely loved it. The bonds I formed with the kids I worked with still exist today and I have been fortunate enough to still get to see them and babysit them. All of my friends that I continue to hang out with from high school are Jewish. Seriously, every single one. I’m a “practicing” Roman Catholic, so I’m dubbed their “honorary Jew”. I am the center of a lot of gentile jokes, but have learned to love it.
With that sad, I find it very interesting to hear the reactions of my good Jewish friends when things occur outside their community that directly affect them; things such as a family naming their child Adolph Hitler and Aryan Nation and it being all over the news. I brought up the topic with one of my best friends a few nights ago. He’s really passionate (as most of my Jewish friends are) about the Holocaust…his grandfather is a survivor. The story definitely hit a nerve. By me just mentioning the name “Adolph Hitler” I could hear him get angry, uncomfortable and really fired up. What our conversation eventually boiled down to was the fact that this poor child is going to get made fun of and laughed at for the rest of his life. He is put in one of THE WORST naming situations I have ever heard about. I completely agree with the New York Times article in that naming your child something with a negative connotation is a form of child abuse. The parents are basically imposing their views on their children – something I have come to really dislike because my parents did it to me. They are saying Hitler was okay, an Aryan nation is okay, in theory. When I thought, would I let my child play with little four year old Adolph Hitler? Absolutely not!
I find it interesting, yet somewhat sad, that certain words and names have come to mean things they shouldn’t mean. Like Sam said, Adolph used to be a great German name, I know I have deceased relatives with the name. However, if you name your kid Adolph, now, post-Holocaust, prepare to feel backlash.
Going back to the Times article, I enjoy how the reporter pointed out that people do get laughed at because of their names. I have a friend names Justin Case…isn’t that just hysterical? In today’s society, names aren’t the only thing we get laughed at about. We get laughed at if we’re too short, too tall, too fat, too skinny and the list goes on. I guess what really hits home for me is that you have little control over your name, so why are we making fun of them?
In reality a name is just a name. It is simply a compilation of letters that form a syllable or two that may sound good to some when they speak it. Not all names come from actual words from languages or actually mean something, so where do our names really come from? I don’t know, but I know that our names can unfortunately affect a few aspects of our lives. Names can definitely cause us to be discriminated against. For example, if a girl is named Latoya then it is automatically assumed that she is black. I didn’t even write a black girl when I mentioned the name, either, but you probably assumed it was a black girl as soon as you saw the name. Anyway, a girl with a name like that may turn in a resume or application and never get a call back because of her name. The employer may believe the girl is going to be lazy, loud, or simply “ghetto” and have poor business skills. It is not the girl’s fault that her name is Latoya, but it is her parents fault for naming her that. If her parents cared enough to not want their daughter to be discriminated against then they would not have named her that. No matter what, the girl is attached to her name and any prejudices that her name may have.
Having the name Adolph Hitler, however, is much worse. The boy who has that name will not only be stuck with a name that has prejudices tagged to it but also much hatred and killing. The child will confuse most people because the child may look nice and innocent but as soon as you find out his name he turns into a dark image to you. It is the parents’ fault of course, so they must have a reason for naming their child that. The only reason most people would think though would be because they are white supremacists or that they love Adolph Hitler. Either way, the parent’s beliefs are basically thrown upon the child because their child is like their walking proof that they do not think every race is equal. If they thought every race was equal and that Adolph was wrong then they would not name their child after him. No one names their children after a person they think is bad so they have to think Hitler is a hero, or at least a good man. I understand they have freedom of speech but you still should consideration for your child. Why would you want your child to be associated with a name or symbol that people hate internationally? It is cruel to put something so heavy on a little boy’s shoulders.
The name thing is interesting. Some of the names did seem quite hilarious to me, but I guess in a sense, it kind of make more sense to name people on the basis that the people in the article were named. My friends just had a baby yesterday. They sat around for months thinking about what they should name their baby. At all family gatherings, including both Thanksgiving and Christmas, we sat around the table after dinner searching through baby name websites while each person put in their two cents about what the baby should be names. Just like in the article, while the suggestion of one name seemed glorious to one person, it seemed funny or silly to another person. In fact, the new happy parents decided after Christmas that they wouldn’t share the chosen name until after the baby was born. So, yesterday we found out that the baby’s name is Gage. I chuckled because I like the name, but my friend’s parent kept remarking over Thanksgiving that they would call the baby Gay Gage. This really reminded me of Hatred from the article. Who really cares what your name is anyhow? It’s only a word for what people will call you to get your attention. And I love the celebrity names. The gossip magazines go crazy of the names of the new celebrity babies, and people love to chat about Apple, Suri, and the rest of them. How did they come up with such crazy names?! Who cares? Let the people name their kids whatever they want.
When I was really little, I wanted to have triplet girls and name them Faith, Hope, and Grace. I might have been about ten years old when I told an adult my fantasy, and the adult looked at me, laughed hysterically, and told me that only a redneck would do that to their children. I didn’t really get it then, and my feelings were just hurt. I felt stupid, but looking back I realize that it’s the same thing they are discussing in the article. I would want to name my triplet girls something they bring to my life, like faith, hope, and grace. The Africans had names based on thing similar to this, like what happened on the day they were born. It isn’t silly. It’s logic. I do, however, have to say that I can see why the cake makers wouldn’t put the child’s name on the cake. If someone wants to name their child Adolf, that is perfectly fine. But to make the middle name Hitler is just absurd. There is no reason for someone to put those two names next to each other unless they are trying to start trouble. That poor child has to go through life with a name that mirrors a person who hurt so many innocent people. It’s appalling on the parent’s part. And what’s even more appalling is that they thought they could publicize their inability to get the child’s name on the cake to gain sympathy. We’re trying to get passed racial differences, not keep them going.
A name is not just a name anymore. A name is a representation of other things in life; past people, items, or different types of beliefs. It is kind of weird that a kid’s life can be ruined as soon as he is born. His name will follow him wherever he goes and he will have a difficult time living a normal life. The child whose name is Adolf Hitler is never going to be given a shot. I feel that the parents should maybe be prosecuted because it is just not fair to the child. The child’s life is ruined before it really even started. No one is every going to give him a fair chance or like not judge him just because of his name.
If I had been the bakery worker at Shoprite there would have been a zero percent chance I wrote the name on the cake. I myself am Jewish, and I feel it would be disrespectful to myself if I were to write the name. Even if I was being threatened to be fired I still would not have done it. And the child’s sister as well, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. Like are these parents trying to make their children’s lives miserable. It is just not fair to anyone. These children do not know who Adolf Hitler was or what the Aryan Nation is. However, once they learn what it is they will probably be embarrassed. The kids have there name follow them wherever they go. There are many people throughout the world and United States are very racist. But, I feel that like many people will not go out there and give these ludicrous names to their children.
I was extremely interested in reading the article on different types of names. The article has a lot of truth to it as well. There are a lot of Hispanic children named Jesus, but it is very rare to find a white person with that name. I also do not have a problem with people naming their children after very inspirational people. Also I though it was very interesting to see how names changed throughout the centuries. You will not really find anyone named after a flower anymore. However, 30 years ago this was a very popular tradition. Names evolve throughout centuries, and in about another 30 years the types of name that people are given will be very different from names today. After reading the article though I realize names should not really mean anything about the person. They should not represent the person or be used to judge them in any way. A child cannot not choose their name but unfortunately it is given to them. The only thing a child could do is change it if they pleased.
I actually heard about this story a while ago. I read it online somewhere. The first thought that came into mind upon reading it was, why those parents did that to their child. Now for the rest of his like, unless he decides to change his name, he will forever be associated with Adolf Hitler. Not because they are alike, but because that is just how people are. It is what I thought of the first time I read it, I immediately thought of Hitler, and subconsciously linked their names together.
I can understand though why the public is reacting the way they are. Adolf Hitler was a horrible person who inflicted horrible things on harmless innocent people. So I know, that I will forever think of Adolf Hitler in a bad way. So if I hear that name all those things flood in to my mind. So for people associated with the Holocaust I can imagine they get a flood of emotions. Like, why would these parents name their child after such an awful person? It might mean they are condoning what he did. I am not sure of the back story of the naming, but honestly what went through their mind. I just think of how much scrutiny this poor child is going to go through. I mean they already are, and he is a child. As if growing up isn’t hard enough, but growing up with the name Adolf Hitler is going to be excruciating.
On the other hand though, it is just a name, apparently it was a very common name in Germany. So I kind of have a flipped opinion on the other hand. Like just because this child’s name is Adolph Hitler does not mean he is at all like him. It does not mean he will grow up like Adolf Hitler. It does not mean he will condone his actions. More likely than not he will grow up and be sickened by the Holocaust. It is just a name. And all because of Adolph Hitler we associate Adolph with bad. But before him, there were probably a lot of Adolph’s who did amazing things. But that is all ruined now.
And the fact that the child is no reason to remove him from his parents, which is what happened to him and his sisters. I can understand that if the parents were of some danger, but on the shear fact that they named him that is not justified. I mean I can understand that to name their child that is cruel, but that does not mean that they will not care for them with all their heart, and provide for their children. So removing them from their custody is not justified to me. After all, it is just a name.
I am kind-of mixing a response from “When do we cross over the line” and “What’s in a name?” because I think that my emotions are driven from the same place with both. To me, things are offensive because you let them offend you. I think, obviously, that there are many things that should be left unsaid but in most cases, because of the beauty in freedom of speech, they are broadcasted wherever. If someone wants to yell out the most horrible words you could imagine, it is their choice. It is your choice to listen to this person, and to let them get to you. In this case of “what’s in a name,” obviously, there are major problems. Without a legal name change, these children will suffer from the cruel public. They will be singled out for their strange names, without a doubt. Though this is most unfortunate, who are we to say that a parent cannot name their child as they please? What is offensive to you or I may be completely acceptable elsewhere. This is not to say I support this family’s decision to name their child Adolph Hitler and Aryan Race, rather to say they should be allowed to. A name is a name. A word is a word. I also think that, although it was silly of them to think they were going to get sympathy from the public, it is not all that outrageous that they would try. Clearly, the parents have a severe complex, so their reality is distorted. In their world, they are two parents being denied a service that everyone else is able to receive. In our eyes, they are seeking to be a disruption and social blunder causing offense. So, after I read this blog, my feelings were more confirmed. In the case of ShopRite, I would think it would be a lawsuit to be waiting to deny this family service based on name alone. Could they be denied service based on race alone? Or sex? Once again, this is not to say I would support their decision, or even that I would allow my own personal company to provide a service. I am just saying, legally, they have every right. And another thing in response to other people’s postings. Someone said, it is not okay to name your child Hitler, but Jesus is fine. Don’t you think that an atheist might be “offended” by the name Jesus? It is such a double standard. So, my final word would be that what is in a name? Nothing. Though these parents have made an extremely peculiar decision with their child rearing, we don’t know the whole story. Furthermore, I am sure that plenty of Sarah’s, John’s and Elizabeth’s in this world are experiencing equal or more abuse than these children. It is social services’ responsibility to deal with situations like these, but it is our responsibility to not get offended by them.
There are many people in the world, and everyone is given a name at birth. Why should I have graduated high school with 15 Michael’s, 10 Megan’s, and another 10 Chris’s? When you meet someone with a name that is out of the ordinary or unusual, it makes that person memorable from the first time you are introduced. Some of these names are beautiful in their uniqueness; others are more difficult to see the beauty in. It is a little tough to understand why some Hollywood couples would name their child Apple or Blanket, but if you ever met them you would surely remember them. I would definitely not consider myself a fan of some of the name choices I have heard in my life, but I think it’s interesting nonetheless.
I come from a family of three boys named Kevin, Danny, and Shane. My parents weren’t really going out on a limb with those names, but sometimes I think it would be cool to never meet someone with my name. No one ever hears my name and says, “Hey, that’s pretty cool. Why did your parents chose that?” I’m only speaking from one side here though. Some people don’t like to stand out, which is fine, but with a unique name it’s a little hard to hide in the corner on the first day of class, when everyone introduces themselves. In my opinion, people with different sounding names should appreciate their name and be thankful they are called something that makes them stand out.
Sometimes I think parents might take this too far. As for the parents from northeast PA with Adolf Hitler and Aryan Nation, that isn’t right, and it’s just a way of forcing their beliefs on their children. These parents obviously didn’t think about the consequences of these name choices. A child named Adolf Hitler will not be able to go through life like normal kid growing up. Even if by some miracle these kids don’t grow up to anti-Semitic racists like their parents, everyone will look at them that way. If you meet someone on the street named Aryan Nation, I don’t care how accepting you claim to be, your first thought will be that this has to be some kind of neo-Nazi. It is a shame that some names, like Adolf, have a negative connotation to them because it just happened to be the name some parents decided to give their little German son before he did some of the most horrific things in history. Overall, I believe people with unique names should appreciate them, and others should appreciate them as well. After all how often do you meet a Smile or a Jupiter? It’s always nice to hear a name you’ve never heard before.
In various cultures, there are many different reasons why people are given the names they are. In America there are two different routes you can take. One is going with a “traditional” American name like John or Mary or going with whatever you think your heritage is. In my family, we did the second option. All of my families have very Italian, very “grease-ball” names such as Rocco, Salvatore, Vito and yes, Joseph. My mother is the exception with what is considered an Irish name, Patricia. The only reason she is named this is because her birthday is St. Patrick’s Day. However, when Italians in our neighborhood criticized us, my grandmother would say St. Patrick was Italian. Then you have myself with the middle name Maria. It is typical for all of the girls in South Philadelphia who are Italian to have that middle name. There is not much thinking outside of your culture. You will never find any Irish person I know with a name like that. They all have names like Emma, Kelsey and Curran. It is unheard of for any culture to do something different. Even my best friend has what everyone in America would consider an unusual name, and that is Lizandra. In her country of Portugal it is seen as normal. This being said, I feel there are names that will always have a stigma to them. It is unheard of for any Christian to ever name their child Jesus because it is seen as disrespect. However, we do name our children Mary and Joseph. For the Hispanics it is different for their culture, so it is ok. I also remember hearing the story about the family with the children named after everything that has to do with Nazi’s and Hitler. Even though Adolph was once a nice, common name I do not think it should ever be used again given the circumstances. What that man did affected the world. Therefore it should not matter what culture, heritage or nationality you are. He discriminated on all people. I think the same should be said for all dictators who tried to rule the world and kill thousands of millions of people. The same can be said for Italians and Benito Mussolini. Benito was probably once a nice Italian common name and now it holds a different meaning. I do not think anyone should name his or her child that as well. Yes these are all just names and once were common, however that is not the case now. I think that anyone who wants to name their child something with dark associations like that wants it to stand for something more than a name. Reading the article about countries in Africa did seem strange and funny to me. I was amazed at how what is considered ridiculous to me is not to them. However, now that I actually think about it, it is still very true for where I come from. To the people from Zimbabwe, our names would seem strange to them.
I find this article very interesting and somewhat related to me. Growing up in different culture makes me think differently about name. In Thailand, everyone has really long first name including myself (Wanchompoo which literally means pick day) . And then we have nickname and that’s what most of people called u by. Usually first name has deep meaning and in our culture people who are born in a certain day of the week cannot use some letters in their names. Some people find my nickname very funny because my name is Noon which is one of the most popular nickname in Thailand. My sister name is dear and I have friends with all kind of name you can imagine for example Big is very common for guys and so as Bomb, Boy, Game, Oak. Thai people also name their kids from animals and fruits. Apple, Cherry, Peach, Cat, Bird are also very common nickname and even some random name like Pee, Gift, Egg. I think since we don’t use English in Thailand, people just like the sound of the word without thinking about meaning. Personally, I think each word is just a sound that we made up. As professor Richards said in the first class, what if we make table bad word? And what if fuck means table?
Form the article; I don’t think there is anything wrong with the name Adolph Hitler. People just associate it in a bad way. Name is a just a makeup sound you called each individual. Without a name, you wouldn’t know how to refer to that person. I think parents have right to name whatever they want to their kids. If the kids grow up and don’t like the name, they can change. I think it is wrong when the bakery refused to put the name on the cake. What is a big deal? This kid is not even dangerous and his parents just want to celebrate birthday for him.
When I first came to the States, I was thinking to make up English name for myself but then I decided not to. I want to keep it original. I used to hate my name and regret my decision. But all my friends say they absolutely love my name and I should keep it this way. I think it is up to the person how they feel about their own name. If Adolph Hitler grows up and he hates his name, then he can change it to whatever he wants. In my opinion, this is not a very big deal at all. There are so many more problems in this world we should care instead of name such as poverty, slavery, environment issues. Maybe because of the culture I grew up with makes me think this way.
“What’s in a name?” Clearly more than I knew. Although the article and the blog tell of some crazy names, this is not common in the U.S., I think that is why it sticks out so much. As far as the bakery not wanting to put the son’s name on the cake, I can understand that. For one thing, how would they actually know that the man was not merely a white supremacist (which he may still be) and that was actually his son’s name? I could understand if someone named his or her son “Adolf”. It’s the fact that the man had to go the full way and have the middle name be Hitler, and ask the bakery to add the middle name as well. This is what I find ridiculous. It is true that parents have the right to name their children whatever they choose, but Hitler…really? Come on. Is it really necessary? Maybe it is just because I am a more conservative in general, but is there really any need for that? I would just think that a parent would have more consideration for his or her own child then to name him after someone who is globally hated.
As far as the other article with the African names…I laughed. I thought that the names were generally just humorous, but not necessarily offensive. If I met someone who had the name of “Hatred”…I am not sure that it would effect how I felt about the person at all. Instead I think it would be a conversation starter. And even “Never Trust a Woman,” I’m pretty sure I would crack up if I knew someone who had that name. Names are a part of people’s history. What makes me upset about the name Adolf Hitler, is that the history of the name is about an actual person that lived and did horrible things. Hatred is a feeling, and Never Trusting a woman is an action. However those names seem to have unique negative feelings possibly for the individual or family of the child. However Adolf Hitler has a negative connotation for everyone. At the end of the day I suppose I can not judge anyone for what they choose to name their child, however it certainly makes me think twice about the character of someone who would even have the thought of naming someone as such. I guess you can only effect your own decisions and choose not to name your child after a globally hated man.
I do not know why anyone would name their child after a man who almost wiped out an entire Jewish population, but I guess that is where freedom of speech comes into play. As outrageous or appalling as the name may seem, an innocent little child should not be neglected frosting on his birthday. I do not think that anyone feels the wrath of a three year simply because of his name. Aren't we supposed to be a society that does not hold any grudges? What about the “Patriots” who practically wiped out the Native American population in the 18th and 19th century? Should people who are named after these people be denied frosting on their cake? Aren’t those “patriots” just as guilty for making these Native Americans invisible in our country that is rightfully theirs? The distinction between Hitler’s concentration camps and our genocide of the Native American’s is that the latter did not affect any of us. We feel no remorse and do not feel guilty for taking over this country at another race’s expense. Sharing was not even an option when we came to this country. While Hitler killed far more people and should be regarded as one of the most evil human beings in history, no one should be discriminated for something they had no involvement in.
While this child should not be discriminated against in any way, you have to wonder what his parents were thinking when naming their child. I do not know the background of these people or whether they support what the real Adolf Hitler stood for, but the parents have made their child vulnerable to mistreatment the rest of his life. Future teachers, friends, friend’s parents, girlfriends, boyfriends, distant relatives--whoever it may be, will certainly raise an eyebrow when they meet Adolf. I know that if I met a kid named Adolf, I would think to myself, “What is going on here? Who would ever name their child Adolf Hitler?” He will become a target of bullying at an early age, thus will be faced with kids and maybe even adults, who want to slug him in the face just to “get even” with the real Hitler. Furthermore, if we were living in the world of “Harry Potter” it is almost as if the parents have just named their child Lord Voldemort, who is often referred to as “He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named”.
When it is all said and done, the child should not have been neglected icing on his birthday cake. Even if his parents are at fault for naming their child after the devil himself, a harmless child should not have his birthday ruined over it. Hopefully when the kid reaches of age, he will change his name to avoid any further harassment that he will most likely face while growing up.
I completely agree with the grocery stores decision not to make the cake. It is not like the child’s name was just the name Adolf. That would be a completely different story. It is not just some coincidence that his middle name happened to be Hitler. The name Adolf Hitler represents a time in the world’s history run by white supremacists and also a time of extreme discrimination. If the parent’s really said they wanted their son to celebrate his birthday like all other kids, then they should have the same views about his life. This boy will, for the rest of his life, will have to live with the name Adolf Hitler even if he doesn’t agree with his parent’s views. This name, if the child does not follow in the parent’s footsteps, could affect the rest of his life. Other kids will look at him differently and I’m sure many parents would be a little unsure about letting their kids hang out with him when he grows up.
World War Two and the Holocaust was an awful time for many people. So many Jewish people lost family members that would still be alive today if it were not for Adolf Hitler. I believe that the name is just disrespectful for so many people that are still alive and living in the United States. It is not like this event was hundreds of years ago and the name is a fairly common name.
I think it is different than people of Hispanic descent naming their son Jesus or Indian people naming their sons Krishna. In most mindsets, Jesus and Krishna are deities of some sort and are considered positive models. They are worshipped by many cultures so although maybe it is weird for an American person to hear the name Jesus used as a regular person’s name, it is not offensive in most cases.
I like to hear of different and unique names. It is interesting and fun to be exposed to a different culture. But there is nothing unique about the name Adolf Hitler. Sure not many people have had the name since World War Two, but they did not think of this name on their own. It is unique in a way that it has a very negative connotation. I don’t know what these parents were really thinking but subjecting their child to this kind of negative publicity and also the way they will be treated when they are older might make it very hard for them to be just a normal kid.
The names mentioned in the article however with the names from Zimbabwe were very interesting and very different than naming your child after a mass murderer.
First off, white supremists are not "average" people, they are an extreme group of people and an extreme in anything is not a good thing. Believing that you (the white race) are better than every other person is just not a good thing. But, being someone who is against this sort of supremacy, realizing that they are alive and active, is something we need to acknowledge and be aware of so we can figure out how to lessen it. Knowledge is power and spreading knowledge to people that are extremists is sometimes the hardest thing to do because they are so set in their beliefs that they don't even want to HEAR what others have to say.
Now, because Adolph’s parents are supremists, does this mean that his fate is set? I really really hope not. I hope he will grow up and realize that 1. his name is the same as an evil man 2. just because his name is the same as Adolph Hitler's doesn't mean ANYTHING unless his morals and values mirrors those of the original Hitler's 3. his name does not define him, but it is his actions that define him- people who meet him are going to judge him first on his name, there isn't a doubt about it, and if he lives up to the name, people should think of him as a bad person. But, if he becomes a strong enough person to go against what his parents believe and form his own beliefs, then the people who matter would never think of judging him on his name alone. I will be very interested to hear about this boy- 10, 15 years from now to see where his life has gone. All my life, I have learned to be proud of my last name, Bush, and to take things said about it in stride. I know this is not as serious of a matter as the name Adolph Hitler, but it is the closest thing I can relate to in this topic. Lastly, I want to end this comment with a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time, American History X:
"So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned - my conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
In the world today, there are thousands of unique names that you wouldn’t be able find in a name dictionary. Some names are unique in ways that evoke beauty, other that emulate famous people’s names, and then there are names that describe a personal character trait such as the names found in Zimbabwe. Reading that article was very interesting because I have never heard of such bizarre names before. It’s really interesting how creating people can be when naming their children. Some of the most interesting names I find to be come from the Native American origin because they typically deal with random things put together to form a very interesting name. In the blog, the story about the birthday cake got brought up. I recall reading that article in the news a couple times prior to reading this, sparking my interest. It definitely shocks me that parents would include in their children’s names Adolph Hitler and Aryan Nation. I know people have freedom to name their children, but it crosses the line when the names will potentially ruin their futures. I guarantee the children will fully change their names once they are allowed to. If I was one of their kids I would most likely change my last name as well to remove association. I think it would be impossible to make a living in America with Adolf Hitler in my name, or anything with such obvious ties to the Nazis. It wouldn’t be because of my personality or my doings, but it would definitely be because of the way Hitler tainted the common name Adolph. With both Adolf and Hitler in my name, I doubt id be hired by anyone. As far as the parents who named their kids with Nazi names, I think they need help. They definitely did it for the public attention, and I feel like the bakery had all the right to withhold making a birthday cake for Adolf Hitler. For all they knew, they probably thought it was a joke and didn’t want to offend anyone. There are other names in the world that I’ve found to be funny such as Ima Pig. I think it’s cruel that their parents would name them with a name like that, but it’s still pretty funny. Names are in interesting thing to me. At least with common American names, some people look like a certain name. It’s weird and probably very judgmental, but I’m sure other people can relate. Some people just look like a Mike or a Brian or an Ali. As far as people with foreign names I don’t find them as odd because they probably think our common American names are odd. Its all about what culture you’re from and how names are usually given out.
I am not at all surprised that they bakery would refuse to put the name “Adolf Hitler” on the young one’s birthday cake; not saying that I agree with it, just saying that I understand why. There is power in a word. All words have some type of meaning, and some times they carry negative connotations. A name usually, if not always, has a meaning, so depending on the connotation that it carries, one may hear a name and frown, or say, “Wow, that is an interesting name. What is the story behind it?” I cannot lie, if I heard my professor calling roll and the name Adolf Hitler was called, I would be shocked simply because of the negative connotation that comes along with the name. If Adolf Hitler would have never been responsible for the killing of millions of Jews, people would respond to the differently. There is nowhere in the law that states that there are restrictions on what to name your child, so the ShopRite should have just complied and put the name on the cake. That is the problem with America now. We are afraid of things that are different. That is why we hear a name like “Godknows” and we twist up our faces. Since the process that the Africans use to name their children is different from those of Americans, or Asians, or Latin Americans, each culture will look at the other as being “weird,” or not normal. If I heard a person with the name Godknows, I would probably think, “What kind of name is that?,” but I would then ask the person where did they get their name from, knowing that it has to be an interesting story behind it.
Every culture tends to have a different naming process for their children, or at least there is a certain group of names that these cultures choose from. For example, there are a lot of Becky’s, Megan’s, and Dave’s among the White community. There are a lot of Maria’s, Juan’s, and Carlos’ among the Latino community; and there are a lot of Keisha’s, Tyrik’s, and Malik’s among the Black community. Names are names, but depending on the negative connotation that that name brings, it can either be viewed in a positive or negative light. Here’s a personal story. I was riding on the bus one day thinking of names for my kids, when I eventually have them. I came up with Amore-McKenzy for my girl, but when it came time to name my boy, I was stuck. I thought about for a while, and I came up with Saddam. Do not ask me why, but for that moment, I wanted my son to be named Saddam. But afterwards, I though about all the slack that he would get from not only Americans, but from Muslims as well because I plan on exposing my kids to Christianity, so I’m assuming he would be Christian not Muslim. And as far as naming your kids Jesus goes, try something different like Joy, Grace, or Christian, even though in Spanish families, Jesus is pronounced as Hay-sus. (I made up my own spelling). I’m not trying to be judgmental; it’s just that I was raised to believe that Jesus was a sacred name, occupied by one man and one man only. But hey, to each’s own.
I imagine myself entering a room in which I know no one. I see myself going up to someone and introducing myself as Philip. The next thing I know, I just had a 15 minute conversation about horses: types of horses, horse races, riding horses, and the history of horses. I have no idea why this conversation started until I come across the meaning of my name. The meaning of Philip, can be interpreted as lover of horses.
In the situation above, my interests were shaped around my name. In fact, I have never ridden a horse, I think they smell, and to be quite honest, I know nothing about them. Does this make my name strange? Is it wrong that my name does not fit my personality?
In American culture, a name is interpreted based on popularity. Therefore, my name, Philip, in American culture is normal. If I was to introduce myself as the literal meaning of my name all of a sudden introducing myself doesn’t seem so easy.
After reading the article, I thought about three brothers who went to my high school. Their names are Star, Storm and Rainbow. When I was first heard about their names, I was stunned. My first thought was, why would their parents ever do that to them. Their parents must have wanted to provide them with a life of humiliation. Until reading this article, I never truly thought about the possible meanings of their names. It is very possible that their names are representative of the days they were born, just as those from Zimbabwe in the article. Furthermore, placing the name in the culture and environment is key, as stated in the article. For example, the name Wedding or Never Trust a Woman, is eye opening in American culture, but in Zimbabwean culture the name Philip is just as shocking.
Many names carry with them a meaning based on famous people in history, entertainment, sports or politics who have the same name. Sam referenced a story about a kid in Pennsylvania named Adolph Hitler Campbell. Obviously this family was trying to represent their political and religious opinions in the name of their baby boy, but in fact Adolph was a very popular name. My grandfather grew up in Germany and is a survivor of the Holocaust. In fact, my grandfather has multiple people in his grade school classes named Adolph, some of which were Jewish.
Curious as to what an event or famous person can do to the popularity of a name I looked up Adolph. The name Adolph fluctuated in popularity until the 1930,s when it became nearly obsolete. The 1930’s was the time in which Hitler came to power. I will let you determine if it is a coincidence?
This article is very interesting article. I never knew a bakery such as shop right would be scared of a name to the point they do not want to write it on his cake. Is it even legal? Why does it matter if the little boy name was Hitler or something else? All he his parents were trying to do was trying to celebrate his birthday like every other child does. I understand if the company or the employee who rejected this little boy were Jewish because they might had heard of the stories from their grandparents how horrible was the leader of Germany Hitler. But just because one person was horrible enough to do all the bad things he that does not mean we have to reject the names from naming our children. If that is the case there is a lot of names that needs to be forgotten then. There are a lot of horrible people that carry many names that we still use. I do not think it is fair for the child or for the parents be rejected from icing a cake. What happen to the rule of business that customers are always right? Parents pick their children name relating to their background. Because of many cultural reasons people have different name in different origins. People name their kids relating their communities. Even with in a country different race group have different names. White kids have white names and black kids have black names so if a German person wants to have a German name I do not see anything wrong with that. It is not a lie that Hitler was a horrible person, killed so many lives but his name was not the reason that made him kill so many innocent people. He did it because he was a psycho or a person that has a major mental problem. I do not know what the name Hitler means but I am pretty sure it is not a name that means kill your own people. From the bakery perspective I can understand why they would think or look at the parents why would you name your child after a horrible person. I am well aware of that name have more meaning just been a word but most of the time we as civilians we do not even know what our names mean. Since we cannot change the stereotypes we fall in this parents may want to change this little boy name because people will always judge him. He will be teased in school. Kids may not want hang out with him. Most importantly jobs may not want hire him. It is not right but Hitler was a negative powerful person. And he has a negative impact on millions of people lives.
Something I have wanted to do for a long time look up the meaning of my name. This blog finally reminded me to do it. It is an amazing thing what a name can really mean to people. In the article the man named hatred was at first surprising but honestly why wouldn’t a family name a kid after a memory or feeling they had when he was born? We see it sometimes in our culture the name hope or some type of feeling describing the feeling a baby brings. I have never heard someone named after a bad feeling like sad, hate, or angry. This article really shows that you can really name a kid anything I guess. Like the name Hitler, obviously offensive and dark but I wonder what if a common name like Matt or Mike was home to an evil person in our past. Would we see the end of that very common name? I think we would, all this has really made me think why do I find people named different things than I’m used to weird? It makes sense to me if you feel happy or excited by a birth why isn’t Joy a good name? It would remind her parents of a great time in their lives, and it is a nice word. I guess I can see the humor in someone being named GodKnows, but will it ever become familiar to me? I think not I’m sure I would always give that kind of name a double take. Does that mean that I will automatically discriminate against that person? No, a person does not choose his or her name but they can change it. For whatever reason if they choose not to change it then that is their choice, but they must expect some strange looks depending on the name. I just don’t know if the kid named Hitler or his sister Aryan Nation will ever be accepted the same way the name like Joy or Wind will be. It is a lot less of a stretch to see people get comfortable with names that represent feelings or weather or really anything than figures of evil or demons. Being Hispanic I personally don’t know of any relatives named Jesus but I do know many family friends that are named it, it is a very common name and is not in the least bit weird. Anyway now I am going to figure out what exactly my name means because it really has made me curious for some time. The name thing really did open my eyes to a lot of interesting things, like why do we think some names are weird and I really will think about that next time I hear an unusual name.
I think it’s safe to say that most names hold some type of meaning. Whether two parents name a child after his father or choose the prettiest name they can find in that year’s book of popular baby names, I would like to think that all parents put thoughtful effort into giving a meaningful name to their child. But wow, where does Adolph Hitler Campbell come from? Not to mention his sister’s name: JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell? Those surely are names that, for whatever reason, must have some particular meaning to the parents. In this culture, it seems that most of us follow the norm and just stay away from certain names, like Adolph Hitler and Jesus for example. I was absolutely shocked to read this blog entry and see that somebody would actually name their child Adolph Hitler Campbell. I am so curious as to the background and meaning behind those children’s names. To be honest, I feel very bad that they are most likely going to be raised into a cruel minded, warped environment. What’s really said is, like we talked about in our discussion group, the way that people are raised plays a huge role in the way their views and beliefs of the world are shaped. I saw two sides to the issue with Adolph Hitler Campbell’s birthday cake. First of all, I have to give credit to the bakery for upholding a sense of value and losing out on a sale for something that they believed to be wrong. In today’s world, it seems that the United States doesn’t do anything that doesn’t involve a profit, and in my opinion, a business that refused a sale based on the request for such a name to be written in icing on a cake is very commendable. On the other hand, I feel for the child who couldn’t see his name written on his birthday cake. I remember how excited and special I used to feel when I saw my very own name on a cake. It’s sad that Adolph Hitler Campbell didn’t have the chance to see his name on a birthday cake, but that’s bound to be the least of his worries. When we consider our own identity, it is very complex. We are white females who like to dance and are bad at math. We are black males who like football. We come from big and small families. Some of us are adopted. But something we will forever identify ourselves with is our name. Those children are going to carry with them names that will send chills down the spines of their teachers, friends, the parents of their first girlfriend and so on. It’s sad that two innocent beings will likely fall into a life so different from any of our own not only because of the names they were given, but the strong views that will undoubtedly be reflected upon them by the parents that believed strongly enough in something to will such names on their children.
In the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the United States constitution, it includes the freedom of speech guaranteed to every single person in America. Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship or limitation. With this law put into effect, naming you son Adolph Hitler Campbell is one hundred percent totally acceptable. You think that name is outrageous, how about Adolph’s sister JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. I cannot fathom how the parents of these children could have the audacity to name their kids these horrific names. Yes, it is legal to do so, but to what extent?
If I had the job of writing icing messages on kids’ birthday cakes at the local ShopRite and I was told to put “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler Campbell” on the cake, I would immediately refuse service to these people. I would think, “Is this some kind of joke.” I do not give these people sympathy because they could not get their kids’ names written on the cake. Screw them! In naming their kids Adolph Hitler and JoyceLynn Aryan Nation, the parents had to know all the negative externalities that will come along with it. I feel sympathy for these kids that have to grow up with these shocking and horrendous names. The boy or girl never did anything in their life to deserve being named after one of the worst human beings ever in history. Now they have to grow up their entire life with these disgusting names.
In the other article I read about Zimbabwean names, I got a kick out of some of the names that these children were called. I extremely enjoyed that the kids were named names that had something to do what happened or the situation around the time of their birth. I like these kinds of names better than the simple and common American names like James, John, Michael and Mary. How about names like Justice, Honour, Trust, Gift, Energy, or Knowledge? These names make you really think about the origins of these people and their families and the true significance of each of their names. These names that the parents give their children are truly awesome. I really admire this. I would have loved to be named something like these Zimbabweans. These names have power, depth and profundity. That is what names should be.
Although these names are odd, they are deeply intriguing. Each name tells a story of the family he or she was born into. But names like Adolph Hitler and JoyceLnn Aryan Nation? Excuse my language, but that is Bull Shit. I am deeply outraged and offended that these people would name their kids this. Being a Jewish White American, these names are highly distasteful and offensive. But even if I wasn’t, I can’t see how a sane person could name their kids this and someone think it was alright.
The question of “what is in a name?” is a truly thought provoking question. After reading the article, I realized how much emphasis is placed on a name. In the case of young Adolf Hitler Campbell, it is understandable that his name would raise some eyebrows. If I was the baker of that Shop-Rite, I am not quite sure if I would deny writing the boys name on his birthday cake, because after all, it is just his name. However, if I was Jewish, I would probably be offended by this, and not want to decorate the cake for the Campbell family. It is evident that the name Adolf Hitler could provoke controversy due to what that name represents.
The harsh dictatorship and reign of Adolf Hitler was a horrific genocide that killed many innocent people. This was simply an act of downright racism and hatred. By further reading this article, the idea of the parents being racist or white supremacists ran through my mind. There was a picture of the daughter who was named Jocelynn ARYAN NATION Campbell. This makes me reflect back on the question of “what is in a name”, and my answer would be a lot. The Campbell parents clearly were giving their children names that most likely reflect their ideals. It is almost like famous people calling their children ridiculous names, for example Gwyneth Paltrow’s decided to name her daughter Apple. In the same sense, many families pass down the names of grandparents, special people in the family, or simply themselves. This is usually done because of the impact that person has had in their life or merely just because they like the name.
Furthermore, it makes me realize that the way I conduct myself and the future that I lead can have an impact on not only the obvious, which would be myself and loved ones around me, but also on the name that I was given. While I do not plan on being a famous person, it is still is important for me to set a good example because my name gets carried along with my reputation. Like it was mentioned in the article, Adolf was a common German name, but the actions of one man created a negative stigma. I am sure that the parents of Adolf and Jocelynn Campbell knew what kind of stir that they were going to create by giving their children those names. While it is the parents right and duty to name their children, I think that they were selfish when they were naming their children. I think that those kids will face challenges in school, and even into their adulthood. I cannot imagine being named Adolf Hitler and hearing my teacher tell about how he was a horrible man and killed so many people. I think it is unfortunate for those children to be given such controversial names without a choice, but perhaps their personalities and achievements will shine through.
I first want to begin by saying it is clear this family named their children intentionally to be controversial, and not just because they liked the named. They obviously want attention and have total disregard for those who might be offended or hurt. However, it is America, and a free nation. They can do whatever they want, even if it is wrong. For them to think that the public would sympathize with them is ridiculous.
In America, some names may seem obscure but, in other cultures, these names may have additional meaning. However, some names in our culture are ridiculous, even for us. For example, if you look in the phone book you will find last names such as “Shithead” (pronounced Sha-the-ed). I have also helped a customer at work with the name “Syphilis” (pronounced Sa-phil-is). These names come across as humorous, yet they obviously meant something to someone.
I think the names in the article were, with a few exceptions, okay names. Sure, in our culture, they may seem weird or unacceptable, but looking at it from their perspective, I can see why. The origin behind many of those names defiantly has more meaning than many American names. My name, for example, was basically picked out of a baby book because my parents thought “it was cute”. No deep thought and emotion went into picking my name out. In a way, I’m envious of these African names. They have a story behind it, a meaning, and most of all, thought.
It reminds me of Sam’s lecture today when he was discussing how we do not see things from different cultures points of view. We are so quick to judge others culture and names that we do not look past the materialistic point. We are very quick to laugh and say how dumb it is. Would we appreciate if they called something important to us dumb? Would we appreciate them calling our heritage and history absurd? I feel comfortable speaking for all Americans when I say no.
So, yes the names in the article in OUR culture are odd. In other cultures? No. Did I laugh a little while reading the article? Yes. Do I at least know there is a deeper meaning behind the names? Of course. Relating back to the original idea in this response, maybe naming your child “Adolph Hitler” has a special meaning to you. In that case, fine. Does it have the same good natured meaning as some African names? Most certainly not, and they cannot even argue that point. There is a different in naming your child to show hatred to an entire body of people and naming your child to symbolize something. In that regard, that Pennsylvanian family is the wrong. Although, I won’t lie. That is also kind of funny and I would bet Africans think so to, and laughed at our “silly American names”.
Names are so interesting. But in the end, I do not think that there is anything in a name. A name is just something to refer to someone to, I do not think it says anything about their character or about what kind of person they are. Yes, Adolph Hitler seems like a harsh name, but what if Adolph grows up to be the world’s kindest person? I realize that this may be crazy thinking, but it could turn out to be true. Certain names work in some cultures but not others because when you are in a culture you are immersed and surrounded by others who in a way think the same things you do, believe the same things, etc. Other cultures wouldn’t understand because they are not willing to step back and really take things into perspective. If people switched positions, they would be the ones who would be using those names for their children and who would have those names themselves. I think that although a name is important considering the fact that we use it every day, I do not think that it should be something that someone else makes fun of, or that people should put too much thought into. Those people should instead look at the mannerisms and actions of the person. Names in the United States most of the time, have to do with popularity and if the first name sounds good when paired with a last name. I found it so interesting that people from Zimbabwe gave their children names that were so pertinent to their lives at the time of their birth. Yes, the names were interesting, unheard of, and I will admit, when first reading them, they were weird. But, their names had meaning and they were important to the families. It was also so great that Smile had that name, considering he was always smiling. Maybe I am odd, but I would love to have that name. I think it is so interesting and cool. It is so true that when it comes to names and to many other things, we could see the same phenomenon’s in our ways of life if we were interested enough to look. Some people are not interested, and that is their prerogative, but I am interested and I find it fascinating. It is a different culture, something new, something to experience. But for those who do have unique or unheard of names, they must understand that not everyone will understand why they have that name. There will always be questions and those who do not agree. But that is true with anything pertaining to different cultures and different races. And although Adolph Hitler may not be the easiest name to say or to deal with, I do accept it for what it is. A simple name. And I still think that every little kid should be able to have a birthday cake with their name on it, regardless of what their name is.
What's in a name? A lot when it comes to this society. As for my take on the Pennsylvania family situation, I think the family obviously did a very stupid thing naming their child after Adolf Hitler. I can't help but assume that the parents chose this name just because of the controversy that would follow. It's especially unfair to the child who will now have to go the rest of his life being branded with that name (unless he gets a name change, which would not surprise me one bit the day he turned 18). It’s a shame to think about the ridicule he is going to be forced to deal with simply because of his parents. But, since there are no laws regarding names (none that I know of), technically the parents did not do anything wrong legally.
As to whether or not I think the bakery did the right or wrong thing, I can’t really decide. On one hand, morally I do agree with them refusing to make the happy birthday Adolf cake. On the other hand, another side of me is saying that it was wrong to dent these people of a birthday cake. I tried putting myself in the bakery’s situation, and I think I would have made them their cake. Partly because I would have just wanted to get them out of the store without the situation blowing up and becoming this big story like it did.
Names in our society mean a lot to us. Many fathers choose to name their first born sons after themselves because it is a traditional and proud thing to do. I was named after my father, and I am proud of my name. Adolf in German history was a popular and respected name up until World War 2, and it is a shame one person tarnished this name. But why would a modern American family even think to name their child after Adolf Hitler? It just doesn’t make any sense to do unless you purposely want controversy brought onto your family, and especially your son.
As for the linked article in the blog, I do not see anything that surprises or offends. It is nice to see Zimbabweans creating these unique names for their children. I always find it interesting to meet people with unique names, thought it rarely seems to happen. In our society these days it seems all you ever see are the Bobs, Matts, Steves, ect. I think most parents here in our country would worry about the ridicule their children would endure if they picked a unique or odd name for their child. Because of this I believe that in the future our society will be filled with even more Jeffs, Toms, and Ryans that ever before.
No one should be discriminated against especially by their name. Imagine your third fourth or fifth birthday and not having your name written in huge letters across your cake. It’s not fair for a kid to miss out on something so small yet so big in a childhood. Now imagine your name being Adolph Hitler, your life will pretty much suck and that is not really fair either, but whose fault is that. Discussing the first topic, it’s not fair for someone to refuse a customers’ order. Whatever the reason may be they are paying you, why not just write what they want even if you think it’s stupid or wrong how does it really affect you. I actually have worked in a bakery and had some bizarre orders. Even in my bakery, with very conservative owners, we’ve made a cake with boobs because that’s what the customers wanted. We made extra money for the “special cake” so even though it’s not something my bosses really liked they weren’t going to turn down the extra business. So yes I understand it’s odd and maybe offensive to some people to right happy birthday Adolph Hitler on a cake it is the person’s name after the cake is gone and paid for how does it really impact your life.
On the other hand, while it is just a name those parents have to be complete jerks. Your child is obviously going to get shit for having a name like Adolph Hitler. With any other odd name, why do something that is just allowing people to pick on your child. There probably wouldn’t be nearly as much controversy if you just named him Adolph, why put the Hitler after that it’s honestly kind of obnoxious. Even if you feel you have to name your child that why not just put Adolph on the cake or have a nickname for your child? Aside from your child dealing with people’s crap through most of their schooling the parents are going to have to deal with things. A perfect example, the problem they had with the cake. Why do that to yourself, yes it’s just a name but why pick that one there are like a million different names. Then going public about it? Who did they honestly think was going to feel bad for them. Chances are when most people find out your son Adolph Hitler couldn’t get his birthday cake people are just going to say serves you right for doing something so dumb. There is a very good chance that the family may have been German considering the large German population in Pennsylvania which would possibly make the child’s name a little more reasonable but still they weren’t born yesterday it is not like they didn’t know this would spark some controversy.
I am Zimbabwean and have two names in the Shona language. My first name’s literal translation in the English language is “What did you want?” While my second shone name which is Upenyu means “Life”. Most Americans always ohh and ahh over my first name because when it is said in my language it sounds like a nice and flowery name. My mother had originally planned to name me Runyararo which means “Peace”, but named me after my aunt instead. But the fact that she [my aunt] happened to be my mother’s favorite aunt was just part of the reason. The other reason, which is considered the main reason, she gave me my name is a lot more personal and she attaches my name to some experiences she had in her life around the time I was born. So usually in Zimbabwean culture people name their children based off of a personal past or current situation. This means the name has a deeper meaning to them be it in English or Shona. But there are also a large number of Zimbabweans also have English names such as Philip, Charles, etc as a middle name which are just looked at as names and nothing special. I would like to believe that people do not just pull names out of thin air to give to their children and at least think about it to some extent before bestowing it on that child. In my culture people believe that your name can, in a way, determine your personality and success in life. So the naming of any child is taken seriously.
So to be given a name like Adolf Hitler would be considered a curse and people would assume that you will grow up to be a sinister person. I believe that if the child grow up with such a name and is always mocked by the action of the German Adolf Hitler, he might get fed up and assume the evil nature attached to his name because that is what people expect. I’m not saying he will exterminate people and go crazy but I think that it is psychologically possible to force a personality onto a person if there is enough pressure. Because let’s face it, this child will indefinitely be teased because of his name for the rest of his life. This in turn could lead to depression and who knows what else. Thus such a name in my culture such a name would most likely be frowned upon. People will automatically think you are trying to imply something while some would take it as a joke. But no matter how you look at it, everyone will not just look at it as a simple name bestowed upon that child. They will all obviously reminisce about the German Fuhrer Adolph Hitler and all the evil he unleashed across Europe. I do understand that it is just a name and the kid could grow up to be nice person and maybe become an advocate for world peace, but at the end of the day, the name will just leave a bad taste in people’s mouths. I don’t understand why you would want to name your child after such a horrible human being. Just like people took up issue with Obama’s middle name being Hussein, they are not going to be too excepting of the name Adolf. But in Obama’s case I can say there is an exception because when he was born there was no Saddam Hussein and there were no real problems with the Islamic nation like the ones we have today.
As to the use of the name Jesus in the Hispanic culture, it is better because he was a good man, but I feel that it is belittling the name of Jesus and using it too casually. I can see how the example that was used in the blog that said, “Come up here Jesus and clean your room like I told you." can be considered funny, but I personally feel a little uncomfortable with that. But if I had to choose I would name my child Jesus any day before I name him/her Adolf Hitler.
I believe names have meanings. I feel parents pick them to describe their child or what they think personality will match with a name. I know to some people sue or bob as mentioned in the blog may not mean much too some people but to others they may have very significant meaning.
I feel the family in the blog named their child to make a point, not just because they liked the name. The family decided to use both the first and the last name of Hitler for the child. Also their other child was named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. The fact they have Aryan Nation in her name shows what they believe in and why they decided on the name. I don’t feel they should receive sympathy for the cake decorator not wanting to write the name on the cake. I do however feel it was wrong of the cake decorator not to write the name. Writing a simple name on a cake does not hurt anyone.
As someone wrote in a previous comment I agree I feel bad for the child since they have no say in their name and to have such a controversial name with no say cannot be fun. However the child may decide to be proud to have the name Adolph Hilter. This whole story reminds me of two episode of Law and Order SVU one where the detectives are investigating a white supremacist group and the child was very protective of the group and ended up shooting someone based on his beliefs. The child was so protected by his family that he was never exposed to anything else to make his own decision. He was completely brain washed. The other episode was when a white supremacist family adopted a black child and took a large life insurance policy out on him. The family needed money and thought to have members of their white supremacist group shoot and kill the child during recess and then collect insurance money. I know this is a bit off topic, but it just made me think of all this.
I also agree that when we look at names of other cultures we may find them strange, but I am sure they may think some of our names are strange or plain. I believe we can not judge someone on their name alone. I feel names can be very deceptive. Most people I think feel they can tell a persons background by their name. I do not feel this is true. My name is Sarah, which I guess can be seen as a plain name. However it is Hebrew and means Princess. I do not believe myself to be a princess, but I guess that is what my parents thought of when they were naming me.
I really do think names have a lot to do with a personals personality and their all around life. I feel Adolph Hitler Campbell’s parents were wrong to name him that.; as was the bakery who would not make the little kid his birthday cake. As United States citizens they could expect the reactions that naming their children this would cause. How is that far to the child who had no choice in this? He will forever be treated differently by others solely based on his name. When he is applying for jobs future employers are going to have a preconceived idea that he is something that he necessarily is not. Celebrities, along with normal people, are beginning to give their newborns crazy names. Just because these names are different than the names we are used to does not mean they are bad names. Names such as “Adolph Hitler” causes people to have a hard time trying to find something good to say about the name since it only has an extremely negative connotation associated with it. Given that I am a huge Johnny Cash song, his one song “A Boy Named Sue” fits my theory completely. The lyrics are as follows in case this song is new to anyone.
"A Boy Named Sue"
My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."
Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!"
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'"
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
Bottom line, even if you don’t want to read the lyrics or listen to the song. A dad named his son Sue because he had intentions on leaving. His father claims that the girly name he had gave him “the gravel in your guts and the spit in your eye”. Yet at the end of the song Sue claims he would never name his son Sue, or any name that would cause his son to go through the life he had because of his name. One’s name is one of the only things that stays with you forever (normally.). No matter what else your parents do for you, they give you your name. I feel it says a lot about a person. I personally am named after both of my grandmothers, Kayla (from my maternal grandmother Kay) Jane (my paternal grandmothers middle name). I thank my parents for not using other variations on their name when they chose mine, I could have been Martha Diane. Names change with the times and we need to keep up but not take it to extremes.
It ceases to amaze me how many different type of names there are out in the world yet this family decided to name their son Adolf Hitler. They seriously expected to have this kids name on a printed on a birthday cake without some sort of objection? Now that name along with all of its negative connotations will haunt that little boy for the rest of this life. I am sure no one, not even McDonalds, would hire someone named Adolf Hitler (well maybe Disney). It is actually funny that back in the day Adolf was a very common and popular name among the German community and now is actually banned from people naming their child that. On a daily basis we do not even put much thought into what are names mean and how they characterize us. For some, a name is just something to refer to by but for others it is much more than that. There is so much that goes into a name that helps very much to define what kind of person we will be in the future. A name is the first thing that we are given when we are born to help us define ourselves as people. For instance, my name (Alexandra) means “Defender of Mankind,” which people tell fits with my personality. Ever since I was little I have always been someone that has had a very strong connection to people and trying to help them in any kind of situation. I attribute much of this aspect to my personality to my name. When looking up the definition of the name Adolf I was surprise to see what it actually means and how perfectly it fit with the person that he became. Adolf is derived from Old German and means “noble, majestic wolf”. Taking a look at Adolf Hitler’s life it seemed as if his name perfectly fit him. When I think of the words “noble” and “majestic” I think of someone who believes they live life by a higher standard and having superior ideals and morals. Hitler always believed he was better than everyone else (especially when Jewish people and other minorities where put into the picture) and wanted to make everyone to be just like him. Think like him, look like him, and follow him to a so called “perfect world.” Additionally, when I think of the word “wolf” I think of someone who is very crafty, who can manipulate any situation to their liking, and dangerous. Hitler had a very “wolf” like way of getting people to rally around him. He was a master manipulator telling his audience that he could get rid of the problems of the world, the jews. His name defined who he became like it does for so many of us.
LMAO! So I was just reading “RaffBigCat’s” response to the blog. That is hysterical. He wrote about his the male’s in the family having interchangeable names from each generation. His uncles are named Luigi, so he’s gonna name his kids Mario and Luigi, name his daughter Princess Peach and name his dog Bawser, make his wife change her name to Nintendo 64.. aw crap that was good. Go read it. Get a good laugh. But on to the real subject at hand, common American names like Alyssa, Ashley, or Lauren probably won’t stand out as much within in a list. Regardless of how the name sounds or how common it is, every name has a meaning. Alyssa is a Greek originated name that means “rational.” Ashley is an English name that means “from an Ash tree field.” And Lauren is an American name that means “laurel.” After all of that “fun-fact-for-your-ass” type of information, the point is a name has a meaning and/or with that meaning, a relation goes along with it. However, there are more unique names that kind of exude unique, culture, and essence. I feel that names like Iman, which originated from Arabic meaning “faith” or Amelia, which originated from Latin meaning “to strive or excel”, or even Ngozi, African for “being a blessing” are easier names in this country to remember and identify a person, place, or thing.
I honestly think it’s ignorant to say that a name is just a sound that we call people. Yea it is a sound, but sounds mean something. If someone yelled out the sound “shit” let’s say, I think it’s logical to assume that some shit happened. When a parent names their child, there is a meaning behind it. Whether it’s as apparent as GodKnows or Caroline, there’s a reason to picking these “sounds” to identify a person with. Adolph (which means Noble Wolf incase you were wondering, babynames.com) Hitler is obviously most recognized by the Holocaust and the dictatorship that killed many lives. Personally, I think it’s screwed up the PA parents would even think to name their child that and basically give them a more complex life to live. You can’t tell me that a person who names their children Adolph Hitler and Aryan Nation was just naming them because it sounds nice put together. They knew exactly what they were doing and what they wanted to emit. Yeah, it was messed up to deny that little boy a birthday. Poor thing didn’t know what was going on, but at the same time, the parents set themselves up for that. That’s on the beginning for that little boy if they don’t try and change the name sometime soon.
I don’t have a problem with people giving their kids creative names, but when it becomes names such as Adolf Hitler Campbell, I think it crosses the line. I am not saying that the name Adolf should be out of play from now on because of one man, but when the kid is named Adolf Hitler, it becomes more than just a name. It is meant as a statement. It is not simply “a unique vocalization that creates a sound,” because those syllables and letters were picked out carefully by the child’s parents who clearly knew the meaning behind those names. Especially when the other child has a middle name of “Aryan Nation.” Naming you child with either of these two is completely different than “Jesus the Mexican taxi driver or Krishna the Indian waiter.” Those two are named out of holy people, who symbolize good souls and wholesome people. People name their children Jesus or Krishna to represent high morality and holiness. Naming someone Adolf Hitler, on the other hand, represents a person who is responsible for one of the biggest genocides in the history of mankind. It stands for white supremacy, as stated in the blog, and is in no way shape or form meant to represent good.
As for the related article, in which many Africans are given creative names that sound silly to Westerners, I think it relates a lot to our discussion in class today (February 5th). Westerners seem to have this idea that everything that is normal to them should be normal to everyone else and that if we are not used to it, then it is silly and stupid. One part in the article mentions one man named “Hatred” and say that people are always telling him that his name should be changed because it is un-Christian. This is so typical of the westerners’ idea of their superiority (mainly Christians too). Christians and westerners think that if something goes against their culture and their beliefs that it should be changed to fit. This is one of the main reasons for missionaries. Christians want to go around and tell all people that do not worship Jesus that they are making a mistake and that they will burn in hell for eternity if they do not adopt the Christian views. Who is to say that one religion is right and that others are wrong? Who is to say that one culture is right and that others are wrong? If people were able to accept other people’s views and respect their differences than we would not have all of the fighting that we have in this world. People, westerners in particular, are too quick to judge people and deem their lifestyle as wrong. People’s names are part of their culture and with more understanding for other people’s culture, the world would have a lot fewer conflicts.
As a people, Americans seem to sometimes have difficulty accepting differences between our culture and other cultures of the world. It’s not unusual to hear the traditions of another culture being called weird or odd. It’s actually not at all uncommon for Americans to say they feel offended by or are uncomfortable with the traditions which foreigners brought with them when they came to the United States. The blog entry What’s in a Name? poses a question about names in different cultures. Almost every culture has a different way of naming children. In the United States, names like Joe, Dave, and Sarah are common. Sam mentions in the blog entry that many Bulgarians are named after trees and that Americans might find this odd. The connection that is made in the blog about how many Brits and Americans are named after flowers shows how hypocritical it is for Americans to see Bulgarians as strange just because they name some of their children after trees.
On the subject of the family mentioned in the blog that named their child Adolph Hitler, I honestly don’t find anything severely wrong with that. The connection between the historical Adolph Hitler, the infamous Nazi dictator responsible for ordering the slaughter of millions of Jews, is obvious. However, why should one person ruin a name for everyone? I also don’t think the workers at the ShopRite should have refused to put the child’s name in the icing on the cake. Whether they like it or not, it is part of their job description to write a person’s name on the cake if the person ordering the cake so chooses. As Sam mentioned, Adolph was a perfectly good name used in primarily in Germany and in German immigrant communities in the United States. Hitler, however, made even the first name Adolph taboo.
While I completely agree that the name Adolph should not be tainted purely by the fact that there was once a terrible person named Adolph Hitler who committed atrocities, I also do not believe naming a child Adolph Hitler Campbell was in good taste. It is also certainly not in good taste to name their other child JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. The family is obviously trying to express their white supremacist leanings through their childrens’ names, and I do not feel that it is right to force these names upon children who now must be forced to deal with the possible ramifications of their names for the rest of their lives. How would Adolph Hitler Campbell be able to have Jewish friends or work for a Jewish boss? Adolph is just a name and naming a child Adolph would be completely harmless. However, adding Hitler as the child’s middle name is going a bit too far.
Optimally, everyone in the world would have their own unique name, preventing confusion when multiple people have the same name, or when someone has the same name as someone who is well-known. Of course, this is next to impossible, as most cultures have a list of common names that most parents use to name their children. While there is nothing wrong with this practice, it begins to get ridiculous when you personally know five people named James, or four people named Michelle. Naming in America has, for the most part, lost its meaning and has now just become a way to identify someone more easily. It would be interesting if there was a trend in America to give children unique and meaningful names, but I don’t see that happening any time soon as most parents fear that their child would be outcast because of it.
I first heard the story of little Adolph Hitler in my high school Sociology class. The parents should have known that they wouldn’t gain any support with names such as Aryan Nation and Adolph Hitler for their children. While there probably would have been no problem if the ShopRite had simply made the cake specified by the customer, I think it was acceptable to refuse service in this case. Many people regard the name as offensive, and if one of these people had seen the cake, it could have resulted in some negative media attention for the ShopRite. The mistake in this story was the naming choice of the parents. No matter how passionate and involved the parents may be in the Aryan Nation, I don’t think they should have named their children after the subculture they belong to. If someone is going to be named after Hitler for their entire life, they at least should have been the one to make the choice, not their parents at the time of their birth.
I enjoyed reading the article about the English naming trends in Zimbabwe, but honestly it’s hard to believe that people could be called by those names for their entire life. It may be funny the first time I hear that someone actually has one of these names, but I’m sure if I had a name such as “Oblivious,” “Wind,” or “Never Trust a Woman,” I would get tired of having to explain my name to everyone I meet and probably get my name changed. It surprises me that any parent would want to make a joke out of naming their newborn child, but some of the names, such as “Have-a-Look” are not even funny, just strange. Only in Zimbabwe, I suppose.
When it comes to American names, I’m partial to my own. Max comes from the Latin name Maximilian, meaning “greatest.”
I feel like general American culture (those who identify themselves as “American” ethnically) doesn’t embrace name meanings as much as other cultures. I want to have kids after I’m married, and I don’t think I’ll consider literal meanings of the words I like for names. Of course, some names have universal meaning across cultures, such as Adolph Hitler. I can’t blame the Shop Rite Supermarket bakery for not frosting the cake. I would personally feel like I was somehow supporting anti-Semitic ideas. However, I feel this way because the name is Adolph (first name) and Hitler (middle name). I don’t think that this name would be that big of a deal if the first name is Adolph with a different, unrelated middle name. A name that intentionally seems to be making that kind of statement is unacceptable to me. Overall, I think that the importance of name meaning is gauged by culture. While across most cultures, “Adolph Hitler” is an offensive name, Jesus is an acceptable name in the Mexican culture. This culture is largely based around the religion of Christianity. I believe that Christianity is expressed differently in Mexico than in America, which explains why the name “Jesus” is interpreted differently in these cultures.
I also think that this name meaning topic fits interestingly into the ethnocentricity discussion in class today. Some names of today’s American culture would definitely sound strange to other cultures. Some of these “newer” names include Apple, Talon, Stormy, Hunter, Fisher, and Liberty. These names express that religious and cultural traditions don’t necessarily hold steadfast for many Americans. Some of these names become popular because of our country’s fascination with celebrity. Pop stars look for new and interesting names for their children, and the general population follows suit. Additionally, our country does not identify with a national religion, so names that bear weight in more religious sects of the world may not be as popular in our culture. Mohammed, for example, is from the Muslim religion. However, we are not overwhelmed by this name in our culture because only a part of our citizens are Muslim. The same is true with the Hispanic Catholic trend of naming children Jesus. At the same time, we can look at people of other cultures and say that their names are strange because they’re based on the trends of their area. Using the example from the blog, Bulgarians have a trend of naming their children after trees. In effect, this is the same as our country’s trend of choosing new and creative names. And this is the same as seeing a high rate of religious names in parts of the world that have a dominating religion. Ethnocentrism comes into play when we accept that we would think that a person with the name of Maple in our culture would be strange.
I do not like word association. It is a problem that humans have always suffered with and will always suffer. I’m simply saying this because names are words and while there is nothing that can be done about it I just wanted to express my grumpiness.
But back to the actual problem of the child not being socially accepted with the name “Adolph Hitler Campbell”. My personal opinions aside, this is the United States of America. It is unacceptable for a business to turn away a customer because of their name. I don’t care if their name is “Mohammed Adolph Jesus Yahweh Allah Faggot”. If for some reason their parents actually named them that, then they are obligated to put that name on their freekin’ cake. Now, whether parents who are willing to name their children that should be allowed to have children or not, that is a whole different debate.
Now I do not approve of calling someone by a name that they do not like, so if someone happened to be named “Mohammed Adolph Jesus Yahweh Allah Faggot” but they hated that named, I would recommend they have their name legally changed, then give them a nickname until then, like “Moh”. This goes the same for racial slurs and mean nicknames. I am familiar with a problem in America where people acting as secretaries get offended when you call them secretaries, because to some people this name is associated with a second class citizen. I believe that we should call everyone by what they want to be called. Now this results in problems where whole groups of people have a disagreement on what they prefer to be called. My solution to this is, we should not be offended by names that people call us if the tone of their speech is not offensive. From this, if you are unsure what to call someone, use a calm, non-aggressive tone, and if they do not like that term, they should politely ask you to use a different term. I believe a number of pointless conflicts are started by someone mistakenly calling someone by a term they hate. Now this results in yet another issue, and that is people that are completely ignorant to a widely disapproved of term. The word nigger, used to label any person with African lineage, is extremely offensive and it is very much common knowledge in the United States that this is so. This kind of ignorance is deserving of a defensive response.
Now back to the actual issue. It makes me sad that certain names have been stricken from acceptable use. Just look at Barack Hussein Obama. There is no way at all that Obama has any connection what so ever with Saddam Hussein, but for some reason there are people out there that see his middle name and scream “he’s a terrorist!” Hopefully with a man named Barak Hussein Obama in the white house, it will open up a new era in free-naming. But I know it’s not gona happen.
-Thomas Szedlmayer
section 30
Names, to me, are just a way of identification. Whether you name a child Moon, Daisy, Adolf, Apple, or Knox they are just a way to separate each other and declare our own self. I think it’s really cool when people use very creative and unique names that I never heard of before. Celebrities are known for doing so. With this in mind, I think it’s completely unreasonable to discriminate someone for his or her name. Everyone is responsible in himself or herself, and that should only reflect their name. If I was the mother of Adolf Hitler Campbell, I would have been very upset. All I would want from the bakery is a birthday cake for my son with his name on it. Is that too much to ask for? I didn’t ask the baker to agree with the Holocaust or choose sides with them. I can’t believe someone would do that to a child. Even if the person wasn’t a child, it is still wrong and you are not establishing anything by doing it. So, please put yourself in their shoes.
Culture and religion does in a way affect our name choices for our children. Adolf is more common in the Middle East, while Joshua is a common name of the Christian Bible and so on. We cannot and should not eliminate such names because of one person. Yes, there was someone out there that did horrible things to people but why hurt someone who is innocent for just the name they have. Could you imagine how many people you’d have to hate that were the name Adolf or Joshua? It would simply be ridiculous.
As I think about this more deeply, it kind of reminds me of the lecture Sam told us today about ethnocentrism and how cultures see themselves better or as the central part of the world. We tend to look at what is “right” to us. We look for what we are comfortable with. We also seek and define people based on media, what we’re told, or just on assumptions. So when we do here the name Adolf in America, I can see why people might hate that person or treat them badly. In our country, they have only seen someone of this name directed as a bad person who kills people. So immediately we hate them. We need to look past this and accept people for who they are, even by their name. If we all open our minds up to the different societies around us, we can understand better. Then maybe other societies can feed off us to create world peace and we won’t ever have to go to war again. We will then feel safe.
What’s in a name? How much emphasis do we put on a name? It’s everywhere around us. When we take a test, the first thing we do is put our name on the paper. When we go to the doctors, they ask for our name. When we get pulled over by a cop, they ask for our driver’s license, which has our name on it. It is what we identify each other as. Now people can talk about freedom of speech and the bill of rights and every right you have in this country, but there definitely exists an invisible line that when crossed can provoke much scrutiny about one’s name. Now being Jewish myself, you probably can guess I won’t be naming my son Adolf Hitler. I have always joked about naming my son Heisman after the trophy actually. However how much emphasis should we put on a name? Is it fair to criticize someone named Adolf? This child didn’t murder 11 million people like some other guy named Adolf did. However there was a message this child’s parents were trying to send. As white supremacists I’m guessing it’s safe to say that this was no coincidence. What about other names in our society? Our President Barack Obama’s middle name is Hussein. Should we criticize his parents for naming him Barack Hussein Obama after Saddam Hussein? Well considering when Obama was born, Saddam Hussein wasn’t even in power, my guess is we can let that one slide. However others can’t. Others see the name Hussein and immediately assume Obama is some kind of terrorist. The same goes for a name like Muhammad. When we hear the name Muhammad, we immediately think of terrorists and suicide bombers and 9/11. However Muhammad is actually the most common first AND last name in the world. What about the name Phuck? What about the name George? The name George is one of the most common names as well, but when one sees that name, will they immediately think of George Bush and call out the parents for being George Bush supporters? Of course not. What I am trying to say is that there is this line that when crossed will provoke this mass criticism. The name Adolf Hitler will always render memories of the holocaust. Maybe a couple hundred years from now things will be different. Maybe there will come a time when we don’t concern ourselves with names and just learn to look a person for who they are and not what they’re called. Until that time though, understand there will be criticism that comes with certain names, and think twice before naming a child Saddam Hussein, or Adolf Hitler, or Matt Millen. No one deserves that type of criticism.
I think that naming a child “Adolph Hitler” is just a desperate cry for attention. I feel that there is no other reason to name your child a name that evokes such fear in contempt in so many people. It's basically the equivalent of naming your child something like “Charles Manson” or “Ted Bundy.” Why emulate a person so sick and demented? Even if the most evil person in the world was named “Mike Smith,” people would probably start reconsidering name choices for their children. If you have ever seen the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine dates a guy named who happens to have the name “Joel Rifkin,” you understand what I'm talking about. Some things are offensive and strike a sensitive core with people, and this is naming your child “Adolph Hitler” is certainly one of those things. Could you imagine how insulted a Holocaust survivor would feel while meeting a couple who wanted to emanate a man who was responsible for the murder of millions of their people? Imagine living through the hell of what Hitler evoked first hand, then imagine shaking hands with the people who want that name to live on, too young to even fathom what the world was going through at that time. I sincerely believe that this couple should not be shocked to find that their choice in name for their child cause them and their child controversy for the rest of their lives. Imagine walking into classroom when you first learn about the Holocaust just to find out that your parents named you after someone who contributed only pain and sorrow to the world. How would that feel? There is a great deal put into a name. To be given a name with such a negative stigma attached to it seems like it would be a pretty low blow from your parent.
What I say can be easily negated however. We Americans still name our children name like John, Thomas or George. Seeing as they are classic North American names, I believe that this tradition will live on. Who cares that John Smith was hell-bent on killing all the “savages” of the new world? Who cares that Thomas Jefferson was a beloved historical figure/slave owning heathen? Names will live on. The lesson here is that people should attach their own stigma to a name. Perhaps little Adolph Hitler will grow up to be a fine person. Perhaps he will go to rabbinical college and preach the words of the old testament. Just because his name is Adolph Hitler does not necessarily mean that he will have to unwaivering desire to exterminate Jews for the rest of his life. Obviously, with a name like Adolph Hitler, many will jump to conclusions. He will be prejudiced against a great deal in his lifetime, just as the next “Charles Manson” will be presumed to be a hallucinogenic giving, brain washing murder. Look at it this way; you don't see meet very many George Bush's running around, how about that stigma?
While the principles of freedom of speech should never be violated, people shouldn’t take advantage of it. Just as someone can’t yell “Fire!” in a crowded movie theatre, someone should take care when choosing a name for their child who has no say in the matter. Adolph Hitler, while an innocent name when lacking its historical connotations, is a name that was chosen specifically to make a statement and gain publicity, no matter what the parents of the child say. This statement is supported by the sibling’s middle names of Aryan Nation, which cannot be confused with anything other than a phrase meant to offend. The combination of Adolph Hitler and Aryan Nation creates a line of thinking with which most people don’t agree. While the parents may argue that words are just words, those specific words conjure up images of a brutal event in history that claimed millions of lives, an inappropriate image to attach to your child’s existence.
By going public, they thought they would garner sympathy about the birthday cake. While I get the point they were trying to make about the cake, that freedom of speech should be carried out, particularly for something so trivial, the store has the right to refuse service. Shoprite obviously felt that the words, and the message behind them, were inappropriate and out of line with the reputation that the store wants to maintain. The parents should have respected that and simply found another store who would agree to bake the cake, rather than alerting the media and trying to gain national support that this nation didn’t want to give.
What is in a name, anyway? Most parents choose names based on a variety of reasons, such as ancestral links or aesthetically pleasing origins, but a fairly prominent reason is the meaning behind the name itself. The meaning behind ‘Adolph’ is the incarnation of one of the most evil men in history. This innocent child will wear this name for his entire life, learning about where it came from in school, and wondering why this name was chosen. I also think it was unfair of these parents to bestow such a connotation on their child. I would hesitate before sending my child to Adolph Hitler’s birthday party, for many reasons. And while I plan to choose my own children’s names with care, I could not imagine giving them more difficulty navigating through this world than they will already have. Many people choose names for shock effect or publicity, such as celebrities who name their kid ‘Apple’ or ‘Coco,’ but those are innocent and even cute. Adolph Hitler, while just as unique, has none of that innocence. Parents shouldn’t use something as important as their child’s name to make a political point.
This is a very sticky issue, because on one hand, you have a little boy who has no idea what his name means to most people who hear it, but on the other hand, you have grown adults who are being asked to inscribe the name of one of the most villainous humans in world history. I don’t think the employees at the bakery were out of line in not making the birthday cake. I think they could have asked to make an exception and write his first name, and the parents should be understanding to that. Adolf Hitler joins the likes of Bin Laden, or Saddam Hussein, names that I doubt anyone would want to name their child. Again, if it were only the first name, that is understandable, but you have to wonder what the parents intended when naming their child after Adolf Hitler? And in the picture, Adolf Hitler’s younger sister pictured is named JoceLynn Aryan Nation. This just infuriates me. These poor children are going to have to be put through school with such a negative connotation attached to their name. It’s one thing to name your child something ridiculous like Apple or Blanket, but to name your child something that people may take offense of is just unfortunate. I would be highly surprised if when they grew up they did not legally change their name. It’s sad that in this prosperous, free country we have built that people are still stuck in the era of WWII, and stuck in the days of slavery, and women being inferior, and every other racial and discriminatory issue that has ever plagued us. Although names are just a label of sorts, people who name their children after respected people are still associated with that person. It’s inevitable. What’s in a name? In our society it is probably a lot more than it should be, but at this time we don’t live in a world where you can name your son Adolf Hitler and expect no one to say a word. In our discussion group on Tuesday, we were talking about societies view of girls who wear risqué clothing. Maybe they aren’t “loose” girls, but we don’t live in a society where risqué clothing isn’t associated with that image. And girls who defend themselves and get angry when people assume that of them are ridiculous. You know what you’re wearing and what people are going to think of you. And hey, maybe you’re not promiscuous, but like I said, we do not yet live in a society where people hesitate before judging you on clothing or even a name. For now, I think parents should name their children whatever they want, so long as it won’t offend and bring back horrible memories for the vast majority of people.
I worked at an Italian bakery for four years, and you have no idea what kind of things I’ve been asked to write on cakes, especially ones for bachelor parties, and it was our policy to write whatever the customer wanted on the cake, regardless of how offensive it was. It’s not poor little Adolph’s fault that his parents are horrible people that are inflicting that upon him. It’s not as if the cake decorator was supporting the Holocaust by scrawling a few letters with icing. The kid just wants a birthday party.
I recently met a girl from Sweden who laughed out loud when I mentioned Bobby White, a kid I went to high school with. She said “That name sounds made-up!” To other people, American names probably sound just as awkward or unusual. Nowadays, names are becoming even more unusual because a lot of parents are inventing their own. Babynames.com now lists “American” as one of the nationalities, whereas in the past, all of the names were listed as “derived from” other cultures such as Italian, Latin, Greek, African, and countless others. Some of the new emerging names include Janeth (combination of Janet and Elizabeth), Keyshawn, and Makayla. A lot goes into deciding a name, and a lot of parents now are inventing names for their children based on other people or experiences. For example, my friend Daytona was named because her family is really into Nascar, and she has grown up around racetracks. This is an interesting story to tell, and a lot can be said about a person’s history or background by the way they were named. That’s why I don’t think that the African names mentioned in the article are a bad thing at all. Most of them are well-intentioned, and unless you name your child “Vicious Serial Rapist”, I don’t think there’s any harm in an unusual name. Besides, people can change their name when they’re 18 if they don’t like it, or they can choose to go by a nickname. I have no history behind my name, my parents basically just chose two really boring names and put them together as one name, and I would love to have a cool reason for being named Juliann.
It’s also really interesting to see how names have changed over the years. Nowadays, when you hear names such as “Eleanor” or “Margaret” or “Ruth”, they seem very old-fashioned and names like “Aaden” or “Brayden” are becoming more popular. I definitely don’t think that names define you or your culture, but I think they can definitely tell a really cool story about your family or background. My cousin Seamus was born in Boston, but when people meet him, he can talk about how his family immigrated from Ireland. Who knows what names will be like in 25 years?
To some, Adolph Hitler may be just a name, but to the vast majority it is a symbol of a vile hatred that used to exist in society. I feel it is absurd to compare the usage of names for flowers and trees to the name synonymous with the killings of millions of people, and overall genocide. A rose has never attempted to extinguish an entire class of people…and it is ridiculous to suggest that the two are even capable of being compared. It is not "just a name," it dredges up the atrocities committed by a regime in the not too distant past, against humanity as a whole. “Adolph” used to be “just a name,” but I feel like it can no longer be considered so.
Nobody named Rose, Daisy, Jesus, or any other name commanded the murder of millions of innocent people. So no other name can begin to compare with the name Adolph Hitler. And if some day a person named Oak wipes out all of Europe, it can be certain that Oak will be a shunned name as well. I also feel that naming a child as a way to pay homage to a war criminal is not only unfair to the child, but is also unfair to those who were affected by those incidents, either directly or indirectly. Imagine the hatred the child named “Adolph Hitler” will encounter when he is older. It’s like his parents were asking for their son to be outcast from society since his birth. You wouldn't name your child rape, because it's an unspeakable evil that exists in society. So why would you name your child after the father of modern genocide?
Sure, names are just sounds and words that are uttered as we speak. But, so is the rest of our language. So to trivialize a name in such a way is to do the same for all language as a whole. And without language we would be reduced to nothing more than mere animals, less than based on the knowledge that even animals have methods of communication. A sound is a sound, certainly. But when certain sounds insult and offend the vast majority, a careful discretion must be used when using those words and phrases, including a name.
Without this discretion, one can come up with a panoply of names that are JUST words and sounds, such as Child Abuse Parker or Armed Robbery O'Callahan, to name a few of the less offensive I was able to come up with. These are obvious names that will not only gravely affect a child's life, but are none too pleasing to the rest of us, and certainly bring about unpleasant thoughts…much like the name Adolph Hitler.
When meeting someone for the first time, we often observe them and mentally compare them or relate them to someone we have met or seen before. Similarly, when we hear a name, we associate it with other people we have met or know of with the same name. Whether this makes sense or not is a completely different argument, but we do it, so when we read things such as a child has been named Adolf Hitler in this day and age, it strikes us as odd. Even for a family with strong German roots, it is a stretch to name your child simply Adolf anymore, let alone Adolf Hitler. If the parents of Adolf wanted to prove a point about how much meaning a name holds, they should have just changed their own names and ruined their own lives, not set their child up for failure and embarrassment. Hopefully Adolf will become wise enough to rebel against his parents and change his name once old enough. This is a great example of parents being extremely poor resources for information. I can only imagine what kind of useless information these parents are polluting their children’s heads with from such young ages. Unfortunately, these people had more than one child who they are setting up for failure. Not so unfortunately, all three children have been taken from their parents, and although it is not because of their names, it is probably the best situation. America is a great place because we are not punished for our beliefs, but some people just don’t get what is too much. In some cases I would say there is a fine line, but there is a clear line here; the Holocaust is an event recognized by most people around the world, and Adolf Hitler is a name associated with it that is a painful reminder of the events that took place. It is completely out of line and unnecessary to make your child a constant reminder of this horrible historical event. Dr. Richard’s post got me very worked up, and I looked up this family to see what has happened recently in the news, and what the parents have to say, and this is a family that I just do not understand. Not only does their father deny the Holocaust, but he also decorates the house with swastikas. When I read this I was absolutely appalled. Two of the three children are not even old enough to talk, and they are already being taught the radical beliefs of their ignorant parents. Although it is only a name, it is a name that has an extremely powerful history associated with it. Whether the parents support Adolf Hitler’s actions or not, more people do not, and naming their child after this man not only speaks volumes about the parents, but is also going to push people away from him through his entire childhood, and perhaps even life.
I think that it is true that the culture of Zimbabwe may have a more creative and logical way of naming their children, but I also feel that there is more to naming a child Bill or Bob then out of laziness. First of all, traditionally English names usually do mean something from another language. For instance, as Sam Richards commented at the end of his blog, Samuel means “one who is heard by God”. In western culture a child may be named to carry on a family name with no known meaning, except whatever character has been ascribed to the name that ancestors made so noble within a family tree. So really, both cultures do name their children for the most part based on a message that wants to be conveyed. I think it is fine to name your child Hope or Faith or Smile if you really want to. These children have an obvious meaning behind their names. However, children like Enough and Anywhere will have people confused not only because it might be hard to distinguish the referral to a name verses the uses of enough and anywhere in casual conversations, but also because the meaning is only known to the family, there really is no message conveyed without the burdened explanation of the child. On top of that, children named Hatred or Funeral also don’t have a message conveyed other than a negative one, even if it isn’t, and for most people, the name leaves more of an impression on a stranger than the actual personality of the child. I agree that this is borderline child abuse. If my name was Hatred, I would feel hated, feel like I should hate, or if nothing else, feel like my existence is simply meant to mark such a dark time in my families lives. Education majors study the affect of stereotype threat, which is the notion that if something is expected of you, you are more likely to have a self fulfilling prophecy. I’ll bet that more often than not, a person named Hatred would be more inclined to think of him or herself as a hated or hating person and therefore would manifest that stereotype threat. If nothing else, he or she might begin to hate because so many people are offended by his or her name. Even if it is nothing more than a sound, it conveys a message. The child named Adolph Hitler for example was given his name for a reason; it’s not just a sound, and that is why people are so uncomfortable with the name. Also, say that the parents were supporters of Hitler. The child may not necessarily be, but that’s the impression that will be conveyed. This could cause serious trauma for the child. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t have the right to name their children what they want, but in my opinion, it’s just selfish and a manifestation of a “twisted ego” as the Zimbabwe article hinted.
What’s in a name?
I considered this blog o be really interesting in terms of what exactly names signify in American popular culture. Granted, Shakespeare does teach us that a rose, called by any other name would still smell just as sweet, but in actuality, names mean a lot more than the syllables they pronounce.
In this particular example of Adolf Hitler Campbell and JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, his sister they’re names were considered an insult and were not placed on a cake for their son Adolf. Mind you, Adolf was simply put, a mere name before the existence of Adolf Hitler. So here were faced with the question of whether or not it was ethical for the cake decorator to refuse to place the name on a cake. Well, maybe the parents just chose those particular names to be different. David Beckham called his daughter “Brooklyn.” So what if I decided to be different and name my child “Death Killer” or “Napoleon Bonaparte?”
If we do decided to be different, does that mean that these kids are screwed from birth? Does that mean that little Adolf has to lead Germany to success again, as did Hitler through war? Does that mean that he is destined to carry out genocide on the basis of his name even?
Personally, I think things along this nature are ridiculous. They should not be regarded as more than the alphabetical terms that they suggest. My names is EBONY, and I’ve always thought that this would limit me from a high ranking position because my mother screwed me by having people automatically assume that I am black, but I realized that I could care less what people said. I also think that in America, people to express the way they feel about certain things. So even if the couple chose to name their children as such for a reason which is their choice. It’s all about CHOICE.
So if it is true that certain forces went in and questioned them, or even stripped their kids away from them, then I think that was against the law. Not everyone will always agree with the views of others. Yet, the cake decorators job was not to feel offended and disgusted by the connotations that he assumed were behind it. That’s not in his job description. His job was to simply spell a name on a cake and nothing more.
I think that people make things pertaining to the past to big sometimes and a lot bigger than they actually should be. If there is some unspoken rules regarding names, or a “blacklist” of names that we can never use, either one, stop the nonsensical approach, or two, TELL US! Its funny how people are accused of doing something wrong or against a law after the laws, (which were never created) are broken. Funny!
To me, it just seems like one more justification to ethnocentric reasoning in this nation.
So this idea of names and what they mean got me thinking: What does my name mean? I’m sure I’ve looked it up once or twice before but I couldn’t recall it off the top of my head, and that bothered me. For twenty years I’ve been going through life writing my name, hearing my name, having parents yell my name…and I don’t even know the significance of it? Ridiculous! So after reading this blog I immediately searched the Internet for a baby name interpreter in order to learn a little more about what it really means to be a Jennifer. Turns out, Jennifer is an English name meaning “Fair Phantom” or “White Wave.” Fair Phantom….really? That’s the best my parents could do? Geesh.
Now don’t get me wrong. I like my name. It’s fairly modern, not too difficult to spell and can be abbreviated to just Jenn. But why not choose a name that is both beautiful and meaningful? While I do not think I would name my child Hatred or Godknows simply for the sake of being meaningful, I do appreciate the Zimbabwean custom of naming a child after something significant, rather than something that just sounds flowery or pretty.
On the reverse side of this, however, I do think naming a child after something with meaning can go to far. For example, the child named Adolph Hitler Campbell or his sister JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. While one can argue that these are just words, the association between Hitler’s famous name and the outrageous acts of violence he committed cannot easily be forgotten or ignored. Furthermore, by naming a child after such a hated person, this family is only feeding the cycle of cruelty in our world. I am particularly disgusted by the fact that this family would choose to name their child after Hitler due to the fact that, in doing so, the family has essentially branded their innocent son for life.
While I sit here, feeling sorry for young Adolph and his sister JoyceLynn, I have to remind myself that, maybe to other people names like Jennifer and Emily and Chris are just as ridiculous from the outside looking in. Even though Adolph has a certain connotation, at least it stands for something. What does it really mean to be a “Fair Phantom?” Perhaps people from other cultures would hear my name and think it to be just as ridiculous as Aryan Nation. Does a society accepting or not accepting a name make it any more or less meaningful? Would it really bother you, when you lay down at night, to know people think your name is strange? Or ridicule you for being named after a tree or flower or act of God? Who gets final say in what is or is not foolish?
I agree that Adolf Hitler is just a name; however, it is, and has been a name, that has been looked at in vain for a very long time because of the negative associations that it was given by one man. To me, it is like a football jersey. When that player dies, the number should be retired. Because of what has been done under that name, I believe it should also be “retired.” Ok, so the parents may have believed strongly in the Aryan race, obviously, because they named their daughter Aryan and their son Adolph. But I think they took it way too far. Why did they have to name him Adolph Hitler and not just Adolph? I think that would have been more acceptable, but it ma still have been looked at as wrong by some of the community members, but not nearly as much as both the first and the last name. These parents have to realize that they are not in Germany, where nearly everyone believes the same thing. They have to realize that they are in America which is a very diverse country (that has plenty of Jewish people) and that a name like that would be very offensive to someone. I am not even Jewish, and in fact I am German, blonde hair, blue eyes and all, and I still think that naming your child Adolph Hitler is wrong. Why would you want to name your child after a mass murderer whose name is known around the world anyway? Do these parents know how much hell their child is going to have to go through when they grow up? It is terrible because it is not even the child’s fault, it is the parents. He had no control over the name that he was given. In my opinion, these parents are just stupid and probably not right in the head if they would do that to their children. Parents usually want the best for their child, and I believe these parents knew what would happen to their son in the future. It is almost like they just wanted the publicity. A bakery would not put a name of a mass murderer on a cake so you decided to take it public? Are you kidding? Fucking idiots, they knew the public would not support them. I am glad that the public is giving them hell for what they have done to their son. Hopefully he would not have to go through it in the future. These kids should be taking away and given to someone that want the best for them. And the parents should get their heads out of their ass and realize that they are not just in Germany.er
The idea that we sometimes find the names of others as being odd is very true. I will be the first to admit that when I hear a name that is not common I stop and think, wow that’s weird. The blog and article both made me think about names we find common in our society and also names that are common in other societies. The names that we do hear that are not common to us we generally find weird, but that also means other countries find our names to be weird. I think that the story about the family wanting to write their son’s name on his birthday cake and the name Osama have different contexts than just what we consider to be a “weird” name. We associate the name “Adolph Hitler” and “Osama” with negative feelings and contexts because during history and even recently, people specific to the name have brought tragedy and bad endings to many people. Both Adolph and Osama are very popular names in their cultures and I personally do not think that it is wrong to give a child one of those names. Most people in our culture stick with names that are socially acceptable to us and in other countries these two names, along with Jesus, are indeed socially acceptable. When we hear them associated with people who live among us, we sometimes feel somewhat uncomfortable. I do however think that in the case of the birthday cake story, naming a child “Adolph Hitler” is inappropriate and I would agree with the bakery. Adolph is a common German name, not the entire name of a man who has been made famous in history for cruelty. I do not think that the parents just simply liked the whole name and the way it sounded. If that was the case, then why was the daughter named Aryan Nation? When these children grow up they will learn about where their names came from and could stand a great deal of ridicule. Naming a child Osama as in comparison to Osama Bin Laden would be the same thing. It is not the different name that is shocking; it is the context to which it is applied.
After reading the article about names in Zimbabwe, I think it is very interesting and unique that they use names such as those. We may think it is weird to be named after an emotion, but in reality there are many names such as these that we hear in native tongue rather than the English translation. Bringing names such as these into our culture would seem odd to most because it would feel unusual to say, but it would incorporate diversity and would give people a glimpse into other cultures. I think that people in our culture find different names to be odd (including me) because we are not exposed to them and not used to diversity of cultures and the names they bring. If we are more open to the idea of diverse names, then maybe the name Adolph or Jesus won’t seem so odd to us.
Cayla Rasi
I really started to think about names and how children get named in the United States. And when I really started to ponder about it, I came to a realization that many people have names that don’t mean anything—it’s just a word without a meaning—although the name may have a personal meaning behind it to the parents that named their child.
For example: a friend of mine is named Hannah, right away in the English language “Hannah” doesn’t mean anything specific. Baby books may list the meaning behind these western names – but do people really know the meanings to every western name when they hear a name on the street? NO. the answer is no. But my friend Hannah was named after a good friend of her parents that actually introduced her parents many years ago.
A friend of mine is named Waters. I’m sorry, but who the hell would name their child “Waters”? There may be a real meaning behind it, but he is Waters IV … so he was named after his father who was named after his father and so forth.
My sister’s name is Christina. My father group up Roman Catholic and they named her Christina after Christ (although at times growing up I’m sure my parents wanted to change her name from CHRISTina to Damian). But it’s interesting to thing that the name Christ is hidden in the name Christina and American’s don’t seem anything wrong with the common name “Christina”. But imagine if someone named their child “Christ” here in the U.S – it would cause a huge controversy and a lot of heated debates.
One more example of a name that has to do with a past experience of the parents: I know a girl named “Sandy” and the story of how her parents named her is rather funny (I think). Her parents were trying for years to have a child and as they were giving up conceiving their own child, her parents had a romantic date on the beach and that is where she was conceived. They named her “Sandy” because of the sandy beach. I couldn’t help but chuckle about this. Since the name Sandy is usually short for Sandra I never really thought about the nick name until I read the article about the names for this Blog. Having a child named “Sandy” seems kind of silly when you think about what sand actually is. To me, I don’t’ really care about who is named what because in the end the parents are naming their child that name for a reason. Although I do think that the “never trust a woman” is kind of too far out there. Honestly, that’s a little over the top and excessive and you have to wonder how that kid is going to feel growing up when he goes on a date and the girl he’s taking on a date asks his name and his response is “never trust a woman”. The poor child is going to be scared for life because his father thought his son really wasn’t his and his wife cheated on him. The father shouldn’t have placed his paranoia on the name of his own son.
As far as names go, I think they are very important. I take pride in my name because it is my great grandmother’s name that came from Italy. As for the name Adolf Hitler Campbell for a child, I just don’t get it. I understand that it once was a common German name, but I feel it is simply asking for that child to be harassed and isolated even without any of the kid’s intention. Names mean a lot and they are part of the first impression people get. First impressions are everything- you can get someone to change a first impression, but that means they have to give you a chance. If this boy grows up and goes to college, he’ll have to say, “Hi my names Adolf” without even a smirk people that’s his real name. The rest of the people around him may think he has a sick sense of humor and if there is a Jewish person within this group they may be insulted. I understand the point that it is just a name but it will not be taken well by society and would ultimately hinder this child in his future.
As far as the cake goes, the bakery should have made the cake because that it what the customer asked for- no questions asked.
These Zimbabwe names are very intriguing to me. I like the fact that they are significant and have meaning to them. Even the names that are Hatred and Enough- that all have s story and that makes them very unique, while not being insulting to anyone. The really cool part about some of the names in Zimbabwe is that not all people in Zimbabwe speak English so some don’t even understand them. That is really neat to me. How neat is it when people have names in different languages that just sound nice, whether they have a good meaning or not. I like the truck driver’s who name is Smile- I would like that name.
One thing that I tend to not like about names is when parents give their kids names that the general public cannot spell or even pronoun sometimes. During banquets and ceremonies when that name is called it has a very good chance to be butchered- not pronounced in the nice, unique way it was intended to be. For example, the African name Xhosa, I’ve come across this once in my life and I do not know how to pronounce it, and if I did, I can guarantee I wouldn’t think that’s the way it’s spelled. I have a friend names Tanecha- I grew up in a pretty homogenous area, yet I never heard her name misspelled.
The point is clear, if you want to name your child something pretty or meaningful, then it should be understandable by most people.
I think that names are interesting. It’s funny how a name in one culture can mean something and then in a completely other culture people are like, “What?!” Or sometimes, people enjoy the unique sound of a particular name from another culture because it is different. I think it is really cool when people’s names have particular meanings associated with them (well, if it is something that you would want to be associated with). It makes that person that much more unique. I am kind of sick of all the Mike’s and Kate’s and John’s etc in our country. It kind of gets repetitive and does not do a good job of distinguishing the differences in people.
In the case of the boy named Adolph Hitler Campbell, I think that the bakery did not really have a good reason for not writing the name on the birthday cake. The cake was not being advertised for them and the parents just wanted their kid to be able to have a birthday cake with the child’s name on it. I understand it is not really a name that is encountered daily but it is still the child’s name and he did not pick it.
I think that the fact that the parent’s named their child Adolph Hitler Campbell is crazy. I mean, everyone has the right to do whatever they want (for the most part.) But, the poor child is going to grow up with this name and constantly get all sorts of crap for it that he does not deserve in the slightest. It is one thing for the parents to have these views but they should not be forcing them (in a way) upon their children. The amount of people that know this particular name is so huge and the majority of them will associate the tragedy and horribleness that occurred with it. I just do not find it fair for the child to have to be a sort of advertisement for the parent’s views.
I found the article about the names really interesting. I think that this sort of naming system (or whatever) is really unique. I do not know if I would necessarily want some of those names but I think that the name Enough for the thirteenth child was kind of funny. I really like the idea of everyone being individualized starting out with the name they are given from birth. I have a pretty unique name and there are not a whole lot of people out there that I know of who share my name with me. As much as I complain about it sometimes, I really do kind of enjoy it. It just helps to make me that much more of my own person and I like that idea.
I like to think of myself as having a pretty common name, but I like it that way. I think if I had a really unique name, it might be cool but I think I would just simply get tired of explaining to people who I was named what I was. For example, my roommate’s name is Kasey. But her dad had a different idea for a name for his daughter when he was born. He simply just wanted her name to be two letters: K.C. Of course her mom put a stop to that and insisted that her daughter have an actual name and not just two letters. So they settled on Kaitlyn Courtney. As she was growing up, her dad always called her K.C. which eventually evolved into Kasey. But people today still get confused as to what to call her. Professors here at Penn State call her Kaitlyn, until she eventually remembers to correct them and call her Kasey. One professor even took the liberty of shortening her name to Katie, which completely confused her and she had no idea she was being called on. I think having a name like my roommates would just get annoying after having to explain to everyone you meet that your name isn’t Kaitlyn, its Kasey. I like having a fairly simple name that doesn’t require an explanation every time I meet someone.
I couldn’t even imagine having a name like Hatred, Wind or Funeral. People just have connotations associated with some of those words, and it is often hard to break people’s associations with those words. But naming your baby Adolf Hitler, I think is even weirder. I don’t know if they did it just to get a reaction out of people, of maybe they just really liked the name. Whatever the reason is, that child is probably going to have a lot of explaining to do every time he meets someone new. Maybe the parents named their child this to give people a new outlook and teach them that you shouldn’t always associate things with names. I personally think it’s kind of cruel to name your child after such an insane man. I like to think that I give people a chance before I judge them, but if I met someone named Adolf Hitler, I would probably associate very negative things with that person.
No matter what people may think of someone’s name, they are going to have a lot of explaining to do with everyone they meet. Anyone that meets this person will probably ask what this kids crazy parents were thinking when they chose this name. That is why I would rather have a simple name that doesn’t require an explanation, and doesn't make people think my parents are unstable.. at least before they are introduced to my parents.
Sociology 119 really brings you back down to earth sometimes. After reading this article, my jaw dropped and just could not believe that parents would actually name their kid after such a tyrant. This kid is going to go through school being made fun of until the day he dies. Face it. Would you be nice to him? It is just sad that the child has no choice about his name whatsoever until he is legally allowed to change it. Hopefully, his family will have a negative impact on his life and he realizes that his family is absolutely insane. I am completely in agreement with the bakery for not printing his son’s name on the cake. I’m sorry buddy, but you are just a complete lunatic to name your kid Adolph Hitler. That’s fine if you are a white supremacist. It is your choice. However, it is just so sad to bring somebody into a messed up world like that.
A name is just a word, right? Not really, maybe in Africa it is. In the US, if someone’s name was Lovemore, he or she would obviously get teased throughout his or her lifetime here and there. After he explains the meaning of his name and what Africans do, it would probably be looked at as “cool”. However, there are so many names that are just ridiculous and wrong. For example, I remember looking through a phonebook when I was in fifth grade or so. Yes, I was that lame looking through a phone book. I saw a man named Richard Harry in the book. Okay, in the phonebook, if you use his nickname, his name is Harry, Dick. Come on. His parents were obviously high as hell at the time of naming their child and now that guy has to deal with that name for the rest of his life.
There are some cases of a cool name though. One of my friends from high school is named Alexandra Moad. People call her Ali Moad (Ala Mode). Now, that is pretty nifty. Of course she gets people asking her about it all the time but there is no negative meaning behind it at all like an evil tyrant who kills lots of innocent people. It’s just a dessert. That would make the bakery much happier having a name like that.
Seriously though, I think names should be somewhat regulated. Just for extreme cases such as Adolph Hitler or Richard Harry or Mike Hawk. It is just not fair for the innocent kid coming into the world. I feel that you are not really ready to be a parent if you are that immature about naming a kid something with such a negative meaning. Maybe that’s just me?
I feel like as time goes by people tend to be found with less common sense every generation. Sure the name Adolf Hitler may be a fine German name for any baby, and I would completely understand any proud parents naming their son Adolf, but one must resort to common sense and keep in mind what that may lead too. Adolf Hitler was a leader who tried to kill a race off through the use of genocide. If I were to name my son Osama, I would hope that he would live most of his life in the Middle East where that is still a common name, and will probably continue to be so. Its all about how one perceives it however. Robert E Lee was the leader of the confederates, a group of people who thought that it was okay to enslave a group of people just because of the color of their skin. Their is a guy down the hall by the name of Robert in my dorm however, and I’m almost sure he’s never had to face any problems just because his name is Robert. One may then say, “well that’s a common American name, Rustum.” It goes the same way though, with Osama being a common name in the Middle East, and Adolf being a common name in Germany.
Indians today, still have to face issues with problems such as this. When a young Indian boy gets on an airplane to the land of opportunity, looking for a new life, he ends up staying in New York and working for a taxi company, simply because he cant get anywhere in life with the name Hardik. In India, Hardik means “from the bottom of the heart.” If a man named Hardik, were to ever arrive to America, and try to land a job at the local supermarket, he would probably never find himself getting a promotion. Being teased by local school children due to his name, he would probably try to explain to the immature kids that his name means “from the bottom of the heart,” which in itself is even more ironic, if you and I are thinking of the same thing. Hardik would probably overreact, as most Indians do, and do something crazy. He would probably get fired, come back to the store, and plead to his boss until he got his job back. This would lead to him never getting a raise and never getting anywhere in life, as compared to the Pakistani man named Ali, who came on the same airplane, trying to arrive in the land of opportunity with the same kind of life goals. This is not saying that Pakistani are better than Indians, though that may be true, but instead, that Hardik’s parents made his life much harder than it should have been simply because of the name that they gave him. Ali however, had incredibly smart parents, keeping in mind any hardships that their son may have to be faced with a different name. Its all about common sense.
While I was reading the article, I have to admit that at times I did find myself chuckling a little bit at some of the names, but at the same time I found the names very interesting and pretty cool. It made me think that our culture does not usually use exotic names, so some of them would seem a bit funny to me sense I am not used to them. I think this is a cool way to name people because I like originality and these names are very original. I like how they pick a name based on relevance to the family at the time of the birth. This seems more special instead of picking a name in advance simple because it sounds good with a last name. A “normal” name and I say normal based on traditional white American names, are often times left without any meaning behind them. They have a meaning but they do not have much relevance to the individual situation or family. Sure, there are plenty of Michaels that are named for a specific importance to a family, but there are also plenty that are named randomly. I like how the people of Zimbabwe picked their names because they were different and meaningful. What if I laughed every time I heard the name John, but the name Enough sounded perfectly normal.
In the society we live in, choosing a non-normative name could be risky because you might set up your young son or daughter for some ridicule that you as an adult would not have much control over. It could also be a good thing if many people like and embrace the name. Often times I think what I would name a son or a daughter and I always try to get creative with it, but I never can get past the traditional names. I like how the Indian tribes would pick some of their names. They picked something that meant something by means of translation with meaning to the baby’s birth. Something like Kaliska, which means Coyote Chasing Deer. I think this is a cool name because it is different from the norm, and it has a translation behind it.
It was interesting to see that the bakery refused to print the name of the child Adolph Hitler on the cake, and just as interesting was the fact that many people did not support the family when they tried to gain community support. A name is just a name and sometimes people put too much emphasis on it. Just as color is just color and location is just location. What really matters is how the person acts on a daily basis, not the exterior information.
I am surprised at the naiveté of the Campbell family. Even though they clearly believe in white supremacy, they must realize the views of the majority of society. Most people completely oppose the ideas of Hitler and white supremacy and look down upon those who support such Aryan beliefs. I think that everyone is entitled to his own opinion and should be free to express it, but I think naming your children Hitler and Aryan Nation is going too far. A person’s name holds a lot of power and if your name is Hitler, people will automatically make judgments about your personal beliefs. As older, wiser individuals, these children’s parents should know better than to curse their kids with names that hold such negative connotations. Throughout their lives, the children will probably experience discrimination based solely on their names. Job opportunities will probably be limited since employers may hesitate to hire a white supremacist. As parents, they should want to provide their kids with an equal opportunity for success. I feel that they carelessly and selfishly chose names that reflect their own views and in doing so, have put their children at a disadvantage. They have made their kids targets for not only teasing, but also physical and mental harassment. Furthermore, the Campbells should not assume that their kids will grow up supporting the same radical views that they do. Although many children grow up with the same beliefs as their parents, white supremacists have such extreme ideas that the kids very well may completely disagree with them.
On the other hand, I am definitely a fan of unique names. I like my name, Olivia, because I very rarely meet someone else my age with the same name as me. I think Olivia has become quite popular recently, but most of the new Olivias are very young still, so I still feel distinct. A unique name gives a person an immediate impression about you and can potentially allow you to stand out in a crowd. That said, I definitely think there is a line that should not be crossed with names that have negative connotations, like Hitler, and names that are too weird, like the absurd names that celebrities name their children. I hope to find names that are both unique and tasteful for my kids.
The definition of a beautiful name greatly varies globally from culture to culture. Thus, Americans find many native Asian, Indian, and African names to be quite absurd. I think this tendency shows our close-mindedness and Americans should strive to stay open to new cultures. This clearly demonstrates the ethnocentricity that plagues the US today. Why are foreign names so weird to us? What makes a name like Emily or Lauren automatically not odd? People from other cultures probably hear our names and think how bizarre they sound. I believe that a person should consider this idea when they hear a culturally different name and try not to think of it as so weird. Overall, I think a person’s name holds a lot of power and has the potential to say a great deal about an individual.
I have always thought about the meaning of names as I grew up. I remember reading from some book about the meaning of names and where they originated. I cannot recall what Christopher meant, or where the name came from. To me, it is an ordinary name, and I am an ordinary human. I have always been intrigued by the names of people who are just like me, but have exotic or rare names. I mean this in the sense of, an ordinary yet rare, human name. For example: Carson, or, a Margo. I sometimes wished that I had a rare name that carried with it some prestige or just the feeling that yes, I have a name that is not present in the rest of the school. I am just fine with Chris, for short. My friends from home combine my last and first name initials to call me, CT. My friends here at school often call me by my last name, Toner, or in a more casual manner. Tones, WTF!
About naming your kids after a known evil in the world, I just can’t imagine how messed up the parents of these children are. As soon as some official with authority sees the name Adolf Hitler Campbell, and the sibling, Aryan Nation, on a document, serious steps should be taken to remove the adults from the children’s lives. I do agree that the name is just a name, and is ultimately a collaboration of sounds to identify a person, but it goes too far to name your kid with an impossible name. I say impossible, because that is how it’s going to be for that kid to live in regular society. The mettle that the adults have to torture their children with these names that are known in the world as negative is just appalling. As with the children from Zimbabwe, in the article from the New York Times, I consider it child abuse to condemn your children with names that will leave them ostracized by society or laughed at. I think that this is the same with the children talked about in the blog.
In Hollywood, especially in the last few decades, celebrities have really unleashed the repertoire of bizarre names for their children. It seems to me that the celebrities are merely trying to compete with each other to come up with really cool sounding names, or the most edgy. I know for a fact, that at least one celeb named their child, Apple. It sounds cute, and maybe it is for a child, but wait till they grow up and see Apple as the name they sign to. At least give the children an equal chance growing up; would any senile person want their child to be automatically ostracized?
Being an elementary education major, I will, at one point, be student teaching in a school. Now, some of the names that I will come across will be so random (to me) that I would have never thought that that would be a name. Also, as a camp counselor during the summer, I also have come across some very interesting and different names. But as Shakespeare put so kindly, “Oh, what’s in a name. A rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” in Romeo and Juliet. Juliet was upset that Romeo belonged in a different feuding family, and decided that names don’t matter, only love. If the difference in names caused so much war and death (in the case of Romeo and Juliet), why bother having names in the first place? Many countries have fought over the sake of a name, and now looking back, was it really worth it?
I believe that fighting over the sake of a name is ridiculous. I do believe that a name does have a purpose in identity and self worth, but names can change. I am a woman, and when I get married, I want to take on my husband’s name. I have acquired a new identity, and that is something I am proud of. I still maintain my old identity, but I have a new added aspect that I will love forever. I will love my new name, and I will love my old name, but I would not go to war over it. Like I said before, a name can change. A name has personal value and worth, but it should be the only thing in life that has value and meaning. In Romeo’s and Juliet’s case, the worth of a name got in the way of love, and once the main characters died, the families realized that a name is not worth fighting over.
On another note, I really enjoyed the article attached to the blog. I would have never imagined that a person’s name could be Enough. But then again, a different culture equals different names. I also enjoyed the stories behind some of the names. For example, Enough got his name because he was the last of thirteen kids and his mother said that was enough. I enjoy names that have a story behind them. One thing I don’t understand is the fact that celebrities (or “normal” people in general) feel the need to find a name that is so far and beyond. For example, one celebrity named her child Apple. I really enjoy eating apples and the smell of apples baking (in a pie or whatnot), but I would have never guessed that the word apple could be used as a person’s name. Maybe I’m too closed minded or I just haven’t seen enough of the world. Either way, I better get used to “weird” names for that seems to be the future.
People give their children names that have meaning to them, and in some cases they could end up with a name like Adolph Hitler. There is nothing wrong with the name Adolph, my grandfather also has that name, but he was also born in a different time. The name Adolph these days just seems to be tainted by the actions of one man. This family took it to another level by naming their child Adolph Hitler, most like they do love Adolph Hitler, but I also think they might just be doing it for attention, but there could also be a meaning behind it. Some people, like me are named after a family member; my grandmother was Emilia, so in turn I was named Emily. What if I was a boy and my grandfather Adolph had passed instead of my grandmother Emilia, I might have had the name Adolph as well. Some parents really think out what name they stick their kid with for the rest of their life. My parents really thought it through, I was going to be Emilia, but they decided that I might have been made fun of a lot at the time because they popular book was Amelia Bedelia. They did not want me to be compared to a crazy nanny for the rest of my life so it became Emily, which is now one of the most popular names in the world. Granted they did stick me with a bland name, I am happy for them that they thought it through, and came up with the name that they thought was best for me, and I think that is what people are not doing now, they are not think about what is best for their child in the long run, they just name what they want. While they are no longer putting anymore bland names out their, they are leaving their children up for humiliation.
The people in Zimbabwe take it to a whole other level, when they say they name their kids after how they feel they really mean it. Of course some of the kids names end up being really out there like the kid at the end of the article who gets the name Never Trust a Woman. Granted his name means something to his father is it really fair to do that a kid. Just picture it now in middle school he will never have girls as friends because well according to his name you can never trust them.
These kids with these types of names maybe screwed over for their whole life because people will most likely not take them seriously. They at least have some original names that mean something, and as long as those kids know that I think they will be fine with the names that they have. I think it was wrong for the ShopRite to refuse to put the child’s name on the cake, because well it was just a name, it would be like them refusing to put any other name on a cake.
What’s in a Name?
The meaning behind people’s names usually aren’t discussed in society today as one’s name is just a name, and that’s all there is to it. Names are simply chosen by means of what is appealing to the parent as well as whatever the trend may be at that point in time. There is nothing further about it; there is usually little to no meaning behind it. However, I find it very interesting how our culture has designated meanings to certain names like Adolf or Jesus. It makes me wonder what the next name will be in the future that will be socially forbidden to name a child. After all, it is just letters put together that make a certain sound. If you think about it, it really shouldn’t matter. But our culture has designated negative connotations with certain names, like Adolf, and created a social boundary that prohibit people from naming their child names like Enough, Godknows, Hatred, etc. I’m not saying this is wrong or ridiculous, because that is just how society works. There are norms, there are stereotypes, there are boundaries, there are certain things that are socially accepted and certain things that are not. Personally, I think it is absurd to name a child Adolf Hitler Campbell because of the burden it will put on he or she for the rest of their life as a result of these social “rules”. Not to mention, the poor child will always carry this negative connotation and remind people of Adolf Hitler throughout the rest of his life. It should be the child’s choice whether he or she wants this burden because there’s no denying that the name Adolf Hitler bears a negative connotation, and that is something that will indefinitely have an impact on his or her life somehow.
On the other hand, I think that naming your child following African tradition, regardless of negative connotation or not, is a really intriguing aspect of that culture. Naming someone Hatred in South Africa is completely different form naming a child Adolf Hitler Campbell in America because of the culture gap. It is understood that Hatred has some meaning behind it, however, Adolf Hitler is not a name in which one could grasp the reasoning behind. Rain, Godknows, Passion, Everloving; these are all names with some kind of meaning behind them, I think that is a fascinating norm encompassed within African culture. The ideology in which South Africans name their children is something that allows for the acceptance of different names, like Hatred, for example. Since it is known by the general public that there is some meaning behind it, the original meaning of the word Hatred is probably disregarded for the most part.
The fact that there are individuals in this world who give their children names such as Adolph Hitler and Aryan Nations is shocking and appalling to the vast majority of people in Western society and beyond. However, the fact that such names were given in Northeastern Pennsylvania is hardly surprising. Having been a resident of the area for nineteen of my twenty-two years I reached the conclusion that if there ever were an area that put a greater premium on ignorance and stupidity than good old NEPA it should be erased from existence, or at the very least be quarantined, in the interests of protecting humanity. My feelings concerning my area aside, we must ask ourselves why such things invoke such emotions after all they are only words. Yet amongst words the proper nouns, especially the names of people, seem to enjoy a privileged position for within them we find a vital link to what we know and perceive things to be. Our names and their origins are telling of the sociological and culture context. So why don’t we name our kids Adolph Hitler, is it because he was an unfathomably evil individual who plunged humanity into the most destructive conflict it has ever seen and in the process was nearly successful in committing an act of genocide against a very influential group of people, or was it because in the end he was the loser? If Hitler had won the war (I don’t know what would have happened because I, most likely, would never have been born) why wouldn’t his be a very common name, I mean after all look at how many of our kids we name Alexander. Even names that are after the same person vary from culture to culture. Look at Jesus a very common Spanish name that we don’t see all that often in the English speaking world, this is due to Jesus beginning seen primarily as a friend figure in many Hispanic traditions thus making it an appropriate thing to call your child, how cool is that. The examples are all around us. Case in point I can look at my own name, Eric, which my parents gave me after Eric Clapton, a fact that has been responded to with a “huh” by those in my generation and a “that is freakin awesome” by old people. I was named for a celebrity and in a culture that worships celebrities can anything be fitting, I don’t think so (even though I never got that good at playing the guitar). The ultimate thing about names is that, like language, they do not make any sense so out of some type compulsion we assign them meaning and distribute them for our own purposes. As an act of protest and iconoclasm concerning this whole tradition I think it would be cool to name my children not for my purposes but rather for theirs. My eldest son shall be named Spiderman and what can possibly be cooler and more empowering for a kid than that.
Everyone has a name which most likely reflects the culture that they were born in. Each child's parents have a right to name their child anything they would like to. The PA Bakery decided that they would not put a child's name on his cake for his birthday because of the actual name. That name was Adolf Hitler Campbell. Honestly, I understand why the bakery would decide not to do this. The name Adolf Hitler brings on many negative connotations, whether people like it or not. Adolf Hitler is just a name. It was the parent's right to name him that, but honestly I think that name will hurt the child throughout his lifetime. Adolf Hitler is definitely a well-known name, but not for any positive reason. It would be hard to not think about all of the terrible things he has done when hearing the name. I think people will do the same thing when hearing the little boy's name. I do not think it is offensive or weird to name a child after a spiritual figure or someone positive in a person's life. The names of people have to do with which culture they've grown up in and what seems to be the “norm” at the time they are born. The Bulgarians name their children after trees. We would think of that as strange as they do with our names, such as Matt or Amanda. Other cultures seem to have creative names, such as Huata and Kaliska, that have deep meaning to them. In Zimbabwe, the people name their children after events, weather, or conditions in their lives at the time the child is born. People in our culture tend to name their children after grandparents or important people in their lives. Doesn't this mean that all names have meaning? I understand that names in different cultures seem to have deeper meaning, but if a child is named after a grandparent, it seems to me that they are being honored in that way. The names Godknows or Jupiter, do seem different to me because those names are not really used in our culture. I feel that many people in our culture would those names are weird just as people in other cultures see the name John as weird. Again, I think we need to go back to the thought that we need to look deeper into the individual. We all have names and call each other by a name, but there is more to a person than their name. People's names, no matter what culture, are named after events, people, or stories, but they do not really reflect the actual person. They may tell about important people or events that were occurring in the parents lives at the time, but does a person's name give any clue as to what a person is about? Adolf Hitler Campbell's name is showing nothing about the person himself. Although I would not have chosen that name for my child, each individual really has the right to choose whatever name they want.
I believe that people make the meanings of their own names. In second grade I knew a little girl who was a complete and total brat. Her name was Brittany, and from that point on every time I heard the name Brittany I associated it with a little bratty child. Just like people associate Adolph Hitler with being a Nazi. If this little boy is a good kid then maybe people around him will start thinking of Adolph as something different. I would never name my child after such a horrific person but people have the “freedom” to do as they please and name their children whatever they want. Most of us including myself might not agree with this name choice but it is not our decision. I feel this goes hand and hand with how celebrities name their children Apple, Honor, or Hopper. Adolph Hitler Campbell is going to have a rough life having to deal with the connotations that go with his name. Other children’s parents might have problems with their children playing with a child with such a name. Adolph’s parents are going to have to deal with their choice. I think this topic hit the media so hard because it does not go along with society norms. Not many people would have the nerve to do what the Campbell family did. When we see people going against the grain we immediately judge and come up with our own opinions. It is just how the world works. On a different note I still believe that it is wrong that the supermarket would not make a cake for the little boy. Even if you think the parents are wrong for naming their kids after a horrible time in history don’t punish the kids for it. I think this family just wanted to get some reaction from society and they did their job. Names are what we make of them. The bakery was in the wrong for not making the cake. I would be angry if I had a child and I named him after my cat Lucifer and they wouldn’t make a cake for him. It just doesn’t seem fair. I think this is an issue about freedom. The Campbell’s had the freedom to name their child and the supermarket had the freedom not to make the cake. Adolph is going to live and make a new connection for his name and he will live his life normally or as normal as possible. The name is offensive to some but people are going to have to deal with it because they cannot do anything about it. I hope this kid does not end up like the other Adolph Hitler.
I believe there is a lot in a name. The name of a person is with them for the rest of their of natural lives, unless they decide to change it. Thinking back to Medieval, I can think of one the rules given to some of the knights which was to never trust a man unless you knew his name. So there is a lot to a name.
There are also many different websites dedicated to finding the meanings of different names. Every name has a meaning whether it be good, bad, or facetious. Many people take the personality that goes along with the name given to them. I can think of one name in particular, "Bertha", usually associated with overweight women. I have never met or heard of a skinny girl named "Bertha". This sounds ridiculous but true.
One thing I do not believe in is people naming their children after material things such as, Gucci, Prada, Mercedes, Porsche, Toshiba, etc. Another thing that I do not like is when people give their names that they will not be able to spell until they get into Junior High School. I believe that people do not realize how vicious other children can be. Children are teased everyday because of their names, parents should not add fuel to the fire by naming their child Audi Mercedes Marshall, because they want to name their child something unique.
Then again, I think may contradict myself a bit, because I don't mind naming a child something like, Autumn, Miracle, Faith, Joy, or something of that nature. It is kind of the same concept but a little less materialistic. Naming your child after the seasons or something like that isn't too bad for me. But I guess society has told me what the norm is for naming a child. I don't believe in naming a child Jesus. I think it is borderline blasphemous, I believe there is only one Jesus. That is just how I have been taught and is what I believe. I do know the there are a lot of spanish men Jesus, but it is accepted in their culture.
Really it is up to the parents to decide to what they want to name their child. I really doesn't matter what I think, its not my child. I just think that the parents should take into consider the child when choosing a name. To say, I do not care about what the norm in society and name your child Adolph Hitler is very selfish. I believe the parents were only thinking of themselves and not their children, and what their children would have to endure in possessing those names. Even though you do not want to go with "Norm" in society, it is still the society that you choose to live in. I am not saying to conform, but to be considerate of your children when choosing their names.
I will never forget the first day of sixth grade. It was a day of many firsts – switching classes, having lockers, carrying around binders, and meeting a good 200 new people. There was a boy named Sean – specifically Sean not Shawn. He had red hair and freckles and could probably be pegged as an Irish-Catholic. However, he was of Jewish decent. I instantly had a crush on him and when my mom saw “I heard Sean” all over my binders, she inquired. She was surprised he had come from a particular middle school, as all of my friends from that school were Jewish. “Sean is Jewish, Mom,” I told her. It was the first time I realized truly “what’s in a name.”
Names come from all sorts of origins – whether it is language, culture, or symbolism. Many names are chosen based on whether the parents like the sound or look of it or if it goes with their last name. Choosing Adolf Hitler as the name for your child is another story.
I agree with Dr. Richards in saying that it is unfortunate that the poor decisions made by certain people can leave a sour connotation to a particular name. Theoretically, there is nothing wrong with the name Adolf or Hussein or Osama but whether we like it or not, for some of us, it leaves a bad taste in our mouths.
Often times, parents name their children after others to pay a tribute. It is not like the Pennsylvania family named their child Adolf Campbell. By including Hitler, they are clearly referencing a horrible man in world history. If they are anti-Semitic, fine, I can’t argue someone’s beliefs. But bringing a child into the world and giving them that stigma? That is unfair. The child will go through its life with teachers stuttering over their name and yearbook signatures that seem like a cruel joke.
My name is Lauren – meaning something of Laurel, as in the tree. It is not particularly significant. The bottom line is that my parents liked the name. In Zimbabwe, Lauren would not cut it and I can not criticize that. In fact, I definitely admire the thought that goes into developing and customizing a name. But what do we know about child before it is born or in the moments after? I think that giving a name such meaning implies some sort of assumption on the way that child will be. My mother is a social worker and has a client named Chastity. Chastity has four children and she’s not even 20 years old. There is some irony in that – almost like she purposely wanted to contradict her name.
So maybe my name does not have any predetermined meaning behind it. I am thankful that I have been able to give it a meaning of my own. I don’t believe Adolf Hitler Campbell will have the same opportunity. He will receive a lot of grief and he didn’t even have any say in the matter.
From the article—“What’s in a Name?” So clearly the parents who decided to name their children Adolph Hitler and JoyceLynn Aryan Nation have some type of chemical imbalance. Of course most sane people would never do that to their kids but all in all, I’m not particularly offended by it and legally they can name their kids whatever they want. Is it really a big deal? The issue here shouldn’t be whether the name is offensive or not but rather, are the parents psychologically fit to care for their kids? Are the parents actually raising them with strong racial hatred? Could this potentially develop into something greater if the parents are instilling them with particular ideals? If so, then there is a problem. If the children are free to change their names when they’re 18 if they would prefer to do so.
I’m just not sure if this is really that large of an issue. It seems clear that the parents are trying to get a reaction from the mass public and they may be trying to say something through their actions but do we not choose our reactions? If someone calls me a spic, I can choose to get angry or I can choose to forget about it. If we choose to react so negatively to the situation of this family, we are only giving them the response that they want. If we choose to let it go, everyone will be far less stressed about the issue and the family will no longer be getting the reaction that they want. If their only act is choosing a particular name for their kids, I’m not really sure that I would go through the trouble of caring. If they start to form some hatred movement, then it would be worth caring about.
Also, in response to the article, “When Do We Cross Over the Line?” The migration issue, especially concerning Mexico, is a tricky one, but I find it amazing that someone could actually think that they have more of a right to this land than someone from Mexico. If I were Mexican, I’m not quite sure how I would react to that video or to the majority of the conservative self-proclaimed border controlling hypocrites. There are obvious economic reasons for limiting the entrance of non- US citizens, which I fully support but SO WHAT if Spanish is becoming a dominant language in the US. This country has been evolving for so long, with so many different cultural backgrounds that to think we are not apart of it ourselves would be ridiculous. We are connected to Mexico so of course we are going to have a lot of Hispanic influence.
In response to “What’s In a Name”, I feel bad for the little boy, who was denied having his name written in his own birthday cake. It is not his fault his parents named him that. On the other hand, I completely understand why the bakery would refuse to do so. If I had to place “blame” on anyone in this situation, I would say most of it falls on the parents. They knew what they were doing when naming their child (especially also given the name of their younger daughter), and is don’t think it was an innocent choice either. It would almost be forgivable had the boy been only given the name Adolf, but with the addition of Hitler it crosses the line to offensive towards quite a few people. Obviously people are free to name their children whatever they want, but that does not mean everyone else has to accept it. And it also seems unfair to the innocent child, who when he grows up will probably be subject to peers and other people looking down on him or judging him because of his name which carries negative connotations.
In my opinion the difference between Hispanics naming their child Jesus and this family naming their child Adolph Hitler is that I do not believe they are doing it maliciously. Jesus was not responsible for the death of millions of people like Hitler was. As a Christian, and having met a few Jesus’, I’m not offended by people naming their child that. Although that does remind me of the article Sam showed in class where people were rallying for a UK teacher to be beheaded because her elementary class named a Teddy Bear “Muhammad”. These names are not harming anyone, at least that I can tell. If someone feels the need to give their son or daughter a name that could be controversial, it may be better for everyone if you refrain, or at least on use one of the names which may be more easily accepted. It would make everyone involved more comfortable.
On the subject of other cultures giving their children names that seem odd to Western Civilizations, I don’t see much harm in it. Especially since most of the names are not odd, until translated into English. People in America name their children after things all the time, like the flower names Sam mentioned, or sentimental reasons like after a loved family member, and nobody finds anything weird about that. In those cultures it is not uncommon to give children names with a very descriptive meaning so there would be less backlash. Almost every name has a meaning, most of which have been lost behind just a nice name. So how can we judge others who do so, so long as its not in meant to hurt others.
I think it is absolutely absurd for parents to name their child Adolf Hitler. I am one for being different and for trying to accept those different from myself, but this just crosses the line. It’s one thing if you want to change your own name and place that negative connotation on yourself, but to name your child that is clearly another. This child has been brought into this world with a name that will only bring on negative energy and disapproval by others. It is unfortunate that the child is given such a negatively powerful name without any control over it. If the parents are giving their child a name after a man who acts as a symbol of hatred and evil, they clearly support the actions of this man. This shows that not only will the child grow up with a name that will already affect their life in a negative way, they most likely will grow up learning to also support the man who they are named after. As far as the fact that the Shop Rite refused to write the child’s name on the cake, I agree and disagree. I think it is very brave of Shop Rite to refuse to do such a thing and to stand up for what they think is morally incorrect, regardless of whether it is a customer or not. There is a point where you must make a decision based on what is morally acceptable. But, I don’t think it is right to discriminate against the child, because it is not the child’s fault that his parents gave him this name that brings along hateful connotations. And I agree with the idea that it is just a name, but I think this would be when it is just the first name of a person. Sure, a person named Osama would probably not be entirely approved of by people in the US or even George (George Bush) would not be accepted in some countries in the Middle East, but a first name and the entire name is different. If someone was named Osama Bin Laden Jones, then it becomes an issue. I think the fact that the child’s full name includes Adolf Hitler really makes a difference in the issue. It is very interesting however to think about how much a name has to do with how people perceive each other. I believe that names often lay the foundation when it comes to thinking of stereotypes. If someone hears the name Rashida, one often pictures a black girl from an inner city who possibly is a tough and loud person that is always fighting with girls. Then you hear the name Mary, and you picture a white girl with blonde hair blue eyes who is proper and refined. While, different people might think different things for people, I think people often come up with these images of people just by hearing their name. And I think this is especially true when it comes to race or nationality. And then once the race is identified, the stereotypical characteristics of the race follow.
There are many times in my life when I hear the name of someone else and find it “unusual.” This usually happens because of my unfamiliarity with the name and my inability to correctly pronounce it. Often time’s people hear the name of someone from a different race or background and find it odd, this is just human nature. Under any context or setting, if a person heard something that they were not familiar with, they would naturally find it abnormal. It can almost be said with certainty that people from China find my name unusual, as do I with their names. This phenomenon occurs between people from all over the world.
On the other hand, I am familiar with and can correctly pronounce the name Adolph Hitler, but still find it unusual that these two names are put together today. The parents who have the audacity to give their kid this name must have some wish that their child feels awkward or out of place for the rest of its life. While a name is just a word and a sound, it can bring many negative feelings and actions towards a person, especially when it is linked to one of the most infamous people in the history of the world. Unfair as it may be, Adolph Hitler Campbell will be treated differently for the rest of his life. Without knowing much about the culture of Mr. Campbell’s home town, I can assume that even at a young age Adolph Hitler Campbell will have a tough time fitting in and have a tough time being seen as the same as the other children who are of his age. It is very possible that when the parents of the children in Adolph’s kindergarten class learn about his full name, they will prohibit their kids from hanging out with him. Radical as it may seem, protective parents would definitely be reluctant to dropping their children off at Adolph Hitler’s house. As Adolph becomes older, and more of the people of his age learn about who Adolph Hitler is in history, he will be the punch-line for many jokes and maybe even get beaten up occasionally. When Adolph goes to apply for his first job, the person interviewing him or looking at his résumé will certainly think twice before giving him an opportunity to work for his or her company. Personally I do not agree with treating Adolph different just because of his name, but in reality, how can anyone be blamed, besides Adolph’s parents, for being skeptical of being friends with or hiring Adolph? Even if this child turns about to be completely normal and does not resemble the notorious Adolph Hitler of the past, which is probably what will happen, Mr. Campbell will have a rough time being seen as equal to everyone else.
I think people should be able to name their children whatever they want. I would agree with many people of Zimbabwean and other cultures that naming your child should be meaningful; at the very least it is an interesting story to find how someone was given their name. The fact that the columnist from, “The Financial Gazette in Harare” argued that some names could “amount to a form of child abuse” is absurd. It are the people like this columnist that promote making fun of another person for their name; if we could just put that immaturity behind us it would not be a problem in the first place. Everyone knows we do not choose our own names, with the exception of a small population of people, so why do some people feel the need to tease others for a name they did not even choose themselves. Many parents I am sure take pride in the names they choose for their children. To judge someone solely based off of their name without even any knowledge of where it came or what it means to the person is childish. Who is to say that the names people of our cultures in the United States use are any worse than others? As stated in the article we typically choose names that are “in fashion;” often time’s couples look up names in baby books to find their meanings. Really aren’t we just creating another to find the meaning behind a name? For example, in Western culture you would typically name your child Samuel instead of Heard-by-God. Personally I am intrigued when I meet someone with an unusual and interesting name. I find it depressing that we seem to find the need to name our children something better known than to find a more momentous name just to stay in the norm. Although it may be unrealistic if society could look past blunt and conceivably sometimes ironic names, such as Rain or Jesus, this would not be an issue to begin with.
I think the same problem occurs with the previously said names as it does when someone names their child after a historic figure or famous person, although this time people may take it personally, i.e. little Adolf Hitler Campbell. It is unfortunate that someone would be given less benefits and treated as inferior by others because they are negatively associated with someone who they probably are nothing alike, especially if it was coincidental. This sounds very similar to naming your child something like Hatred, but I feel like there is a line at one point that should not be crossed. The name Hatred should not be offensive to anyone else except maybe Hatred himself. Adolf Hitler on the other hand may be thought of as seriously offensive towards other people he might meet in his life whether it is fair or not.
In reading the blog on names and how the grocery store bakery wouldn’t put the boy’s name on the cake kind of made me laugh at first. I was shocked that he was named that in the first place. It kind of caught me off guard because I wasn’t expecting that. Even though it is a rather odd name to name your child, it is only a name and we all obviously can tell that this boy in the picture is not the Hitler everyone knows from the Holocaust. I think that people should be able to have the freedom to name their children whatever they want, but sometimes take it to the extreme. I wonder what the reasons for naming him Adolf Hitler Campbell were. I just want to hear the personal story behind it after reading this blog. I think it would be very interesting to hear about. I can understand Sam’s perspective in the blog regarding it just being a name and what’s the big deal about it. I have seen situations where people get angry, worked up, and have emotional fits over other people’s names. I personally don’t care about names. I would have still put the boy’s name on the cake if I were the baker because I would be doing my job at the bakery and following my job description. I am still getting paid for it so it wouldn’t have mattered to me what the kid’s name was. Someone who commented on the blog had mentioned in their response that maybe the baker didn’t put the name on the cake because they were offended or had family member who were involved with the Holocaust. If this was the case, I could kind of see why the baker wouldn’t want to put the name on the cake. But at the same time, they shouldn’t have just denied this customer’s request. They could have handled the situation differently for example, if they didn’t feel comfortable in the situation they could have gotten another person who worked with them and had them do it. I like how Sam referred back to other examples of names that could be looked upon as symbolizing something other than what was intended. Such as Jesus, Osama, etc. These are names people use in different cultures and they think nothing of it. It is just a harmless, name to them. I feel as though people are going to have their own opinions regarding everything in life, including this topic of names. I agree with Sam when he stated that a name is just an utterance from our lips. We shouldn’t make a big deal about it. We as humans make things a bigger deal about things than need be and give too much meaning to things like this. We can clearly differentiate the difference in meaning of the names in this case.
Names are culture specific. They have their own significance in each culture. In other words, the interpretation of names are based on the notion called enthrocentrism. People hear names like Adolph Hitler Campbell or Shithead (pronounced sha tead), and get offended, or in this case, will vehemently refuse to inscribe a little girl’s name in her birthday cake. In America, we have these list of names that have been accepted in our culture as the norm, and names not on that list are seen as inferior or stupid. I can see the argument why the grocery store would refuse to write the name on the birthday cake; they have a reputation to uphold, and linked to that name is crimes against a specific demographic, possibly the same people that are loyal consumers. Does that make it okay to restrict the freedom of other just because they were given a certain name, even though it has bad connotations linked to it? Even with that in mind, I find it ridiculous that a name could not be printed on cake for reasons that are motivated by entrocentrism. America was built on equal opportunity, freedom of speech, and all these special privileges that are guaranteed by the Constitution, but are always hindered in some way. These injustices are seen in employment opportunities, the press, and even in recent history with the Civil Rights Act. I feel this little boy is facing inequality for having a name that he did not pick. Any little kid just wants to have a cake at their birthday; it is a tradition that everyone yearns for in American society. He is being denied this privilege because he has a name that many Americans view as inappropriate or offensive. I see this controversy as cultural clash, German culture versus American culture. Adolph is a common name in Germany, and not in America. Generally, I feel if Americans encountered a person name Adolph Hitler, I feel they would question, “Why would anyone name their kid that?” I see a correlation to this story and an event that took place in an Islamic country, where an UK teacher named the teddy bear in the class Muhammad. The majority of the state felt that she should be executed because the prophet Muhammad was disgraced. I feel that the vast majority of Americans find this to be ridiculous, but not the Adolph Hitler birthday cake incident because of enthrocentrism. What I mean by that is because Adolph Hitler touched our culture, in a negative way, so greatly that we see it is a concern. If something controversial happens in another country, like the Islamic country, we see it as ridiculous because the penalty, the death of teacher, does not fit the crime or disgraceful act, and is a violation of her freedom of speech/expression. At the same time, Americans feel it is acceptable to refuse a little kid a cake for having a name that is not a normal in our culture, and possibly seen as offensive. I feel this shows the hypocrisy that plagues American society. We criticized other countries, and even start wars, for violating human rights, but we never take the time to criticize or view our transgressions against human rights.
Each and every culture is unique. The selection of names for children is very distinct in every culture. I respect and appreciate cultures that name their children names such as Honour, Trust, Gift, Energy, etc. like in Zimbabwe. These Zambian names are incredibly interesting, and rather cool, as they represent positive things. Also, when cultures in North America and Great Britain used names of flowers such as Rose, Violet, Lily, etc., I believe that is different, peaceful, and acceptable. Even Jesus, although a very controversial name, is still a name representing a positive figure and an acceptable figure.
One name I definitely do not agree with, or accept, is Adolph Hitler. I know Adolph is a very common German name, but after the events of the Holocaust, Adolph Hitler has his place in American History. When people hear Adolph Hitler, to this day, they cringe. They are frightened. They think of only one human being. Adolph Hitler represents nothing good in society, and I do not understand how anyone can justify naming their child Adolph Hitler or want their child to be associated with this horrible man.
In the case of the local supermarket refusing to make a cake for Adolph Hitler, I believe that is justified. I would have done the same thing. I understand that Adolph is a very common German name, and maybe popular name in the German culture, which is perfectly fine. Adolph Campbell, although still somewhat controversial, would have been acceptable. However, the parents went one notch higher and called their son Adolph Hitler Campbell. WHY?? Do the parents want to ruin the lives of their child? This child will be forever criticized and looked at negatively for his entire life, only to fault the parents. I understand that the first name Adolph alone would stir up an extreme amount of controversy, but adding a middle name of Hitler makes the situation 1 million times worse. I would have preferred Honour, Trust, or even Jesus Hitler or Adolph Jesus over the hatred Adolph Hitler.
Ok, well maybe the parents just liked the German name Adolph Hitler. It was just a name, and they did not even want to imply any relation or opinion toward “The” Adolph Hitler. But no. The same parents went on to name their daughter JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. Are you kidding me? Do they want people to hate them? Do they want their children to be forever tortured? Because that is exactly what they are asking for. To me it seems as though this family embraces and respect Adolf Hitler, which is completely unacceptable in ANY culture or nation. There is no reason why a bakery should NOT deny them, and elect not to write the name Adolph Hitler Campbell on a birthday cake.
Adolph Hitler is a name that should never be celebrated or honored. He was one of, if the not THE worst man ever, killing about 6 million people. I have no idea what this family was thinking. Each culture has the right to name their children whatever they like. I respect the names for other cultures might be unique, and at times even questionable for us in America (such as Truth, Tree, or Jupiter). But atleast these names are harmless, and arguably peaceful and positive things. Adolph Hitler is as far away from peaceful and positive as you can get. I do not care about culture when you name your child Adolph Hitler. That is straight up harmful and scary.
I think this whole country just needs to lighten up sometimes. Everyone gets made fun of once in a while, and famous people such as Barack Obama are normal targets for satire. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have television shows dedicated to political humor. Shows like South Park and Saturday Night live will make fun of everyone, no exceptions. Comedy Central had two shows, “That’s My Bush” and “Little Bush,” I remember solely about George Bush. They were solid blocks of a half hour cracking jokes on our Commander in Chief. Humor is a goldmine. If you can make people laugh you can make money. Everything in the world revolves around person gain. Obama is the president because he’s getting paid, the same with the people who make fun of him. Life’s too important to take seriously. If you can’t take a joke, you’re going nowhere.
I receive emails all the time making fun of the new president. I’m sure he doesn’t take it personally. It’s almost as if he’s being roasted during his whole term. I’m a person who tends to joke around all the time. I like it when people make fun of me. Whether it’s how I look, my race, or the people I associate with. I don’t care. I can fire back. Obama can’t, but I’m sure he laughs to himself all the time. Nothing bothers me more than when someone gets offending too easily. Of course there are some sensitive subjects. Some black people won’t stand for someone making fun of their race. Dave Chappelle is a black guy who loves to make fun of his own race. He made a lot of money in a short period of time just because he had the balls to be funny. Don’t get me wrong I know some people just don’t have a sense of humor. They should just go find one. Life is short and if you can’t enjoy it, then you better find a way to, fast. As Sam Richards once said “We are all going to be dead soon enough.” Couldn’t of said it better myself. Nothing is really worth getting too stressed out about. Anyone who gets offended sitting in Soc 119 is someone I don’t care to meet. I enjoy the Daily Show and Colbert Report. I don’t care if what they say is completely wrong and outrageous.
One thing that tends to piss people off more than racial jokes is cultural jokes. I really don’t see much of a difference. No one can really see from the prospective of every culture and some things cross the line. One of the famous “Four Agreements” is to not take anything personally. If everyone followed this rule we wouldn’t have this problem with humor or crossing the line.
When you really sit down and think about this, there could be two sides to this story. When I read this blog I could think of some of the reasons why the bakery would get upset and refuse to write the baby’s name on the cake. On the other hand when you think about it, a name is just a name. The baby’s birthday should not be ruined just because his name is the same name of an evil man that tried to exterminate people of a certain culture. When people are face with traumatizing experiences or somewhere in history when their ancestors were suppress, they try to forget about the people or things that help them remember the experience. It represents a painful time in history and some people try to forget that. We still have people that survive the holocaust and remember hearing stories about the holocaust from family members who experience it for themselves.
When we were born or maybe prior to our birth our parents decided on a name for us. A name they like and thought it would fit with our personalities. A name is not carried from one person to the next person. We represent our name. Our actions and what we do describe us as people. Our names does not represent us we represent our names. When his parents were naming him they didn’t think that there child would be like Hitler himself, they just liked the name. Naming there child after Adolph Hitler does not mean that their son will be evil. They just like the name!!!! It’s no different then naming your child Cydne or Josh, or even Billy. I feel bad for the child because when he grows up he might be judged base on his name. Some might see his name as a cruel joke. He might have to take the consequences for that. Once he knows the story behind the name. Once he finds out how a man that had the same name as him tried to demolish people during a sad and tragic time in history he is going to feel bad. This might way heavy on his shoulders once he becomes older.
This blog was very interesting I would never think in a million years I would be reading something like this. The fact that a child is named after one of the most destructive people in history is crazy. I have to stay neutral on this subject. I see why the bakery didn’t want to write the name on the cake but I don’t think the baby’s birthday should be ruined because of his name. A name is just name that describes us individually as people.
I guess I never really thought about how one significant figure in history could change how generations worth of people perceive that persons name. It is true that the majority of people, me included, would judge someone named Adolph Hitler Campbell immediately upon learning his name. We would begin to feel uneasy and start to question why he carried a name like that. His actions and words would take a backseat to the strength of the effect of his name. This would change quite a bit if you got to know him more personally, but I think that his name creates a large barrier that is hard to cross in order to obtain that level of familiarity. After thinking about it though, the judgment should be placed on how that person acquired the name, his parents. By giving their son the name of Adolph Hitler and their daughter the name of JoyceLynn Aryan Nation, I assume that they are attempting to make a statement. Although this may accomplish their goal of making people aware of their beliefs, views, and culture, it does not offer any consolation to the children and what they will ultimately have to go through their entire lives. Names, unless legally changed, follow you for a lifetime. I can’t even imagine what Adolph Hitler Campbell will have to go through at school once his peers are old enough to interpret his name in a negative way. How about when it is time for him to apply to a college? What if you were interviewing someone named Adolph Hitler Campbell for a job? Maybe I’m just being ignorant but I think he will have a tough time making friends, finding a mate, or even getting a loan. It sucks to think about, but a name with that much history tied to it would put anyone at a huge disadvantage from the start. If I were Adolph, it would always be in the back of my mind before I introduced myself to someone, worrying about what they would think as soon as they learned my name. I can’t pass full judgment because I do not know the family at all or any of the reasons that may have lead them to name their children in this way. I can only assume that they did not consider the hardships that these names may cause their children in the long run. This blog has caused me to consider my own first name, Garrett. I can’t remember a time when I ever had a problem with the name my parents gave me. It’s pretty uncommon, at least in this area, and means “strong with the spear” (which is pretty bad ass). When thinking about how much different my life would be with a name that 9 out of 10 people would interpret negatively, I feel extremely sorry for little Adolph’s future.
At first when reading the attached article “In a Land of Homemade Names, Tiffany Doesn’t Cut it”, I thought it was nice that some African’s name their children relating to another meaning. A name reflecting how the person came to be and the situations around them seems to be much more thoughtful than picking a name that is simply fashionable as we do in western culture. They have a story to tell with their name, rather than simply a name found in a name book (I am not saying all western names are from a book, as many western people do have stories behind their names as well). Having said this, to me it seems wrong to give names to children that they will almost certainly be looked down upon or socially ostracized for. In the article Dr. Motshekga illustrates this view by comparing names like “Wind”, or “Nevertrustawoman” to a joke, and the Financial Gazette in Harare likened it to a form of child abuse. I agree with them to some degree, as some names will almost certainly lead to a life of questioning and even mockery. Also, some names, such as the case of Hatred Zenenga, to me illustrate the parents own petty problems with their brothers and sisters. For some reason it feels OK to name a child after something positive in life or how they came to be, but when there is a negative or selfish connotation it just seems to be distasteful.
Considering the case of Adolf Hitler Campbell, this is very inappropriate considering world history. I realize this is only a name and is merely a “unique vocalization that creates a sound”. In this case, however, the parents did not choose this name because they liked the sound; instead mal-intentions are at the heart of this. They chose Adolf Hitler because they are white supremacists and want to perpetuate their views through their children. After also hearing about this case on the news, this fact becomes clear. The children are surrounded by swastikas in every room in their house, and their father wears boots previously owned by a Nazi soldier. The parents openly do not believe in mingling with other races, despite their denial of being racist.
Although individuals should have the right to their own opinions, I have a hard time accepting parents imposing these ideals on their children. From the start these children are infiltrated with Nazi propaganda that they cannot escape. They are largely unable to create their own viewpoints about the world and are unfairly subjected to dangerous ideology. Furthermore, this child will suffer public scrutiny throughout his entire life. Although we say we do not discriminate against a name, he will surely lose out on job opportunities later on in life, as well as a birthday cake right now.
I have heard some people (generally through forwarded emails) ignorantly argue that President Obama’s middle name, Hussein, confirms his plans to hurt America during his presidency. This is completely incomparable to the Campbells. Obama’s parents did not know that roughly 40 years later a terrorist would wreck havoc on the United States. When he was named, his name had no negative connotation or intention and should never be included in this argument.
What some people choose to name their child is very interesting to me. For example, many celebrities want to go with the “shock factor” by naming their child Apple or Blanket, or something else that we would never think of as a name for a little baby. It is truly just a name, however when a child is given a name like that, it makes us think more about the object they are named after. Some children are given names and then someone famous comes along and suddenly their names have new meanings. For example, I know a 60 year old man named Michael Jordan. When his parents named him they obviously didn’t know about the basketball superstar Michael Jordan that would come along. However, even though he is at least 20 years older than the basketball player, when someone hears his name they associate him with Air Jordan. This can also be said about President Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussain. While running for President, there were many comments made by the media about his middle name and trying to relate it to Saddam Hussain. Just like Michael Jordan’s parents, when Barack’s parents named him they did not know of the insane ruler Saddam Hussain and that the United States would wage a war trying to over throw him. This angered me when I would hear people trying to relate the two. Hussain is a common name in some places. Were Barack’s parents trying to link him to this ruler? No way. I think some people were so afraid of having them as their President they were trying to do anything to deter people from voting for him. Now onto the topic of the child named Adolph Hitler. This is a completely different situation. These parents knew exactly what they were doing. This child is forever going to be linked to this man and unfairly judged. Adolph Hitler was a horrible leader who killed many innocent people during the Holocaust. And now this child, who had no say in what he name was going to be, is going to be teased and criticized for the rest of his life. I do not understand how his parents could do this to their child. I understand they are white supremists, but they have probably ruined their child’s life. They should have thought about that before they chose his name. I completely agree with ShopRite for not wanting to put the child’s name on the cake. Some people would say why, it’s just a name. However, put yourself in the shoes of one of the bakery workers who may have been Jewish. What if one of their relatives was affected by the Holocaust? How do you think that would have made them feel to have to celebrate a man who killed one of their relatives? I realize sometime a name is just simply that, but people should be wiser when choosing a name that could have repercussions or give someone the wrong impression.
“Dai” which literally means “good girl” is the name of my grandmother. I have grown up hearing some pretty bizarre names actually! “Kachra” which means “trash” is the name of someone who I know in India. “Popat” which means parrot was a very common name in India years ago. These crazy names seem so funny, but it’s amazing to see how many cultures use names that are every day words to name their children. I have heard a lot of different names, but never names like “Never trust a woman.” It seems so absurd to name a child that, but I have got to admit that it’s cool how all the names have some sort of story. Hey if anything it’s a great ice breaker! The names all have a meaning behind them. It’s not just about like the way it sounds, but also about the significance it holds. For westerners, hearing everyday phrases used as names is so strange, but we have had some pretty “out there” names in our own culture. Forest Whitaker, for example, named his child Ocean, Michael Jackson’s son is named Blanket and to top all of those, actress Shannyn Sossoman named her child Audio Science! As if the celebrity children aren’t in the spotlight enough, let’s name them after some technical term! I like the idea of naming a child after something significant as opposed to just liking how it sounds, but when I say this I am talking about names that are “normal” to name a child. But what is normal? We may think that the name “Godknows” is weird and is a name that people make fun of, but maybe that’s what the people in Zimbabwe think of our names. This is completely normal for them, but it’s not for us so it’s considered strange. The idea of Ethnocentrism comes up again; surprise! In the article, it says that even the local people find some of the names to be pretty ridiculous. A woman named “Hatred” is repeatedly told she is cursed for not having a Christian name. So its not just us Westerners that these names are new too, but also people from that same culture. We hold so much importance to a name which is legit because a name stays with you your whole life. A name is just a sound. It can be something as strange as Audio Science, but in the end it’s just a word. Why is Audio Science and Never Trust a Woman so abnormal? They aren’t odd phrases, but when used as a name, suddenly they become strange and funny. Well maybe Audio Science is an odd phrase to use, but that’s not the point. A name is just a name after all.
In response to the blog, “What’s in a name?” I have several thoughts. After reading the first few paragraphs of the article, my first impression was, “You’re right!” Why wouldn’t you name your child something that means something to you and could one day mean something to them. I’m not going to lie, I’m guilty of “googling” my name and reading about its origins (Emily means “admiring”). It was interesting to find out what my name means, because maybe it holds some hidden meaning for why I am the way that I am, or what my future holds. It is kind of like a built-in horoscope; something I can aspire to be and hope for. Do people admire me? Or will I spend a lifetime admiring others? That’s definitely something to think about.
The article talks about how parents name their children after words that have affected them in some way. I think that naming a child after an occurrence of something on the day of their birth is beautiful and special to the child and the family. I personally would not name my child anything that would hinder their relationships with others or cause a bullying attack by their peers, but who am I to judge? However, I am one to judge the name Adolf Hitler. REALLY? Honestly, REALLY! If you name your child something just to get your racist thoughts across, little Aryan Nation should absolutely be taken out of your care.
After googling the meanings of several of my friends’ names, it makes me wonder how many little “protectors” and “beloveds” there were running around centuries ago. Every name has an origin, whether it was created on the spot in the hospital or hundreds of years ago. Again, it does not matter where the name came from, but that it means something to the family and will someday become part of the child. In the Jewish religion, it is a common practice to name the child after a family member or close family friend who has passed away. My brother and I are both named about my mother’s parents and I feel special to carry on their legacy.
When it comes to odd names, I normally keep an open mind about it. It is probably because for some reason I think I have always resented the fact that I have such a normal name. I try to be different than others through style and personality, but I can’t help but think a more unusual name would put me in a different league. It’s no question it is a very shallow way to feel, but hey, we’re all a little shallow at times. I will say that celebrity names have gotten out of control; Jason Lee named his son Pilot Inspektor. It’s definitely a silly name, but at least it’s a good conversation starter!
- EK
I think the name the man named his son is very offensive. If he named his son Adolph Hitler, that is his choice. Yet, I’m Jewish and I have relatives that have very close connections with the Holocaust. The name Adolph Hitler makes me believe the man has a certain set of believes and I believe those beliefs are wrong. It is his right to name his kids whatever he wants, but its my right to think it’s garbage. It is completely different than some of the names mentioned in the blog. First of all, outside of Osama, all the other names are names of people who are seen in a good light. Mexicans who name their sons Jesus are not saying they have negative feelings towards another way of thinking, they are simply celebrating their own. Rock on with that. The same could be said for the name Krishna. The name Osama may raise eye brows, but unless the person is named Osama Bin Laden, the family is simply using a common name in their culture, not celebrating a man that many people think is evil. On the same note, it isn’t as if people are naming their kids Jesus Christ, they are simply using the name Jesus. If this man’s son was named simply Adolph, this would be a completely different case and I doubt he would’ve had a problem getting his cake made. Let’s not forget this man named his daughter’s middle name “Aryan Nation.” He is clearly off his rocker. It is the bakery’s right not to serve someone if they don’t want to. The man could’ve named his son Adolph if he wanted to pay tribute to Hitler. By naming his son Adolph Hitler, he is asking to be treated like this and I give him no sympathy. He knew the name would bring this sort of treatment. If I named my son Fidel Castro Robinson and went to Cuba, it would be hard to get mad at people who wouldn’t write my sons name on a cake. Would you be surprised if I didn’t get served somewhere if my name was Sadam Hussein Robinson? Maybe somewhere else, but not here. If this man really thought that he could name his son that and not have a problem like this, he is absolutely crazy (which he probably is anyone). So I don’t disagree with the bakery at all. I would’ve done the same thing. Maybe that’s not fair, but this guy is clearly asking for it. He should go start a cult with his own kind of people and make their own bakery if he wants a cake to be made with that name on it. Sorry, he cant have his cake and eat it too.
A name should be nothing more than a name; a label to describe someone or some thing. Of course, certain names in history have become unfavorable today due to the actions of those in the past. For example, the blog talks about a child named Adolph Hitler Campbell, who was celebrating a birthday, and a local bakery would not icing his name on the cake. It is obvious to see why the disagreement between the baker and the order occurred, since the name Adolph Hitler is associated with the Holocaust. It probably felt wrong to the baker to promote the idea of having this man’s name on a cake, one who killed thousands of Jews during the years before and during World War II. However, the great thing about America is that people are free to do almost anything they please, and naming a child is a freedom shared by those in this country and others overseas. Personally, I thought it weird to name their child Adolph Hitler, especially after someone who is frowned upon by many societies. But what about those named Saddam? Or Hussein? Or Osama? These names could now be thrown into the same category of names you should not give your children. A name is nothing more than a name, not the spiritual and character of the person. The truth of the matter is that many people see a name, and they automatically reference something or someone else, and not think that this individual is different. We sometimes forget that this Adolph Hitler is not the Adolph Hitler that we all read about in history books, and to judge someone by that fact is wrong.
After reading the article about the Zimbabweans, I was very interested with the names that they choose for people in their country. It made sense, much like the names of the Native Americans, with meaning behind them. I think it is true when it talked about how we give names to people like Emma, Sue, and Bill, and they really don’t have a meaning to them. We simply read a book of baby names or use ones from experience to name our child, and it is all done to what we think sounds nice. For the Zimbabweans, however, the names they give relate to the family in which they are born. I found it intriguing to hear about the man who was named “Smile,” “Enough,” and “Have-a-Look Dube.” It was cool to see that these people had names that we would normally use in speech, but they describe the person on a more personal level, and I believe it helps us dig a little deeper into their roots, to find out more about the person by just hearing their name. Like I stated above, a name is just a name, no more than those labels we give to objects. We may give an object the name of a “cup,” but we all know that there are different types of cups. Likewise, there are many people with the name “Mike,” or “Matthew,” or “Ashley,” etc. The point is, if one person was named Adolph Hitler, and there was another one in the world, such as the one mentioned in this blog, why should it matter? Yes, it’s odd, but nonetheless, it is only a name.
Cayla Rasi
I really started to think about names and how children get named in the United States. And when I really started to ponder about it, I came to a realization that many people have names that don’t mean anything—it’s just a word without a meaning—although the name may have a personal meaning behind it to the parents that named their child.
For example: a friend of mine is named Hannah, right away in the English language “Hannah” doesn’t mean anything specific. Baby books may list the meaning behind these western names – but do people really know the meanings to every western name when they hear a name on the street? NO. the answer is no. But my friend Hannah was named after a good friend of her parents that actually introduced her parents many years ago.
A friend of mine is named Waters. I’m sorry, but who the hell would name their child “Waters”? There may be a real meaning behind it, but he is Waters IV … so he was named after his father who was named after his father and so forth.
My sister’s name is Christina. My father group up Roman Catholic and they named her Christina after Christ (although at times growing up I’m sure my parents wanted to change her name from CHRISTina to Damian). But it’s interesting to thing that the name Christ is hidden in the name Christina and American’s don’t seem anything wrong with the common name “Christina”. But imagine if someone named their child “Christ” here in the U.S – it would cause a huge controversy and a lot of heated debates.
One more example of a name that has to do with a past experience of the parents: I know a girl named “Sandy” and the story of how her parents named her is rather funny (I think). Her parents were trying for years to have a child and as they were giving up conceiving their own child, her parents had a romantic date on the beach and that is where she was conceived. They named her “Sandy” because of the sandy beach. I couldn’t help but chuckle about this. Since the name Sandy is usually short for Sandra I never really thought about the nick name until I read the article about the names for this Blog. Having a child named “Sandy” seems kind of silly when you think about what sand actually is. To me, I don’t’ really care about who is named what because in the end the parents are naming their child that name for a reason. Although I do think that the “never trust a woman” is kind of too far out there. Honestly, that’s a little over the top and excessive and you have to wonder how that kid is going to feel growing up when he goes on a date and the girl he’s taking on a date asks his name and his response is “never trust a woman”. The poor child is going to be scared for life because his father thought his son really wasn’t his and his wife cheated on him. The father shouldn’t have placed his paranoia on the name of his own son.
Dan Suter
SOC119
Paper 3
This article was very interesting, mostly because it is something I have pondered before. I remember when I went to a community college, there was a number of Africans and Arabs who came to get an education. They would have what some people would call “unusual” names (to Americans), and after the teachers called role the first day, they would always ask what their names meant. And the thing that shocked me was that they always had, what seemed to me as a cool meaning for the name. I would always think about when the last time I heard a teacher ask a white American person what their name meant, or even how they would respond. Most Americans would look at the person like they had 8 heads, because it seems like no one has any meaning their names.
As far as the Adolph Hitler story goes, all I can truly do is laugh about it. Not because I think it’s humorous, but just the fact to think there is such ignorant people out there who would name their child after a lunatic, makes me wonder. Of course they were going for shock value, which is obvious, because why else would you name a child that. But when they got adversity from it, they act like they are the victim. It seems to me that most people who do things like that feel the need to feel like a victim because something in their life is missing, or that people owe them something. I, while an advocate for free speech and non-censorship, find this completely disgusting.
I think the real issue isn’t how shocking the name is, or how inappropriate it is, but that this innocent child will grow up with that name. It is a shame, that the child, unless he changes the name will always subconsciously associated with a name that reminds those of pure evil. I think when naming a child it should be out of love, not hatred. And while their definition of “love” is clearly different than what I consider a levelheaded human, it still should have occurred to them their child is going to face critics his entire life, when he did nothing to deserve it except being born.
However, as I said above, I am a firm believer of free speech, so even though I have personal issues with the naming of the child, I couldn’t bring myself to infringe on their right to express their beliefs freely and without persecution. It’s hard for me to say with such a situation, since it is filled with hatred, but I feel as if I need to stick with my beliefs, because, if I were in their shoes, I would be angry if people infringed on my constitutional rights.
In America, any parents who decide to call their children something different will always be criticized. This includes celebrities, like Gwyneth Paltrow calling her child Apple. Reading the article about names in Zimbabwe gives us some insights about how their names are chosen, and now I don’t believe it is weird. That is how they choose names in their culture and now it opens my eyes and makes me aware that names are not just “weird”. But I’m only one person. Naming a child Adolf Hitler, and being completely aware of the situation behind that name, is complete negligence. That child is more than likely going to be ridicules his entire way through school. Can you imagine your child coming in the house after school, and asking if his new friend Adolf Hitler can come over and hang out? Any parent would be floored, and have immediate thoughts of this child’s family in their head, except maybe white supremacists. I would have to disagree with Shop Rite’s decision to not make the cake. A name is a name, but this should show the parent’s what kind of life that this child is going to succumb to. If something as small as a birthday cake causes this much controversy, how is he going to be able to defend himself when his teachers start talking about World War II? Are the teachers going to gloss over some facts, afraid to offend this child? When this child does find out what his name means, will he be upset? Will he embrace it? There is no reason to put a child through this because you would like to give your child a “unique” name. It is not unique, and it is not widely used for a reason.
Now, playing Devil’s Advocate, I do not believe that this family should have had their kids taken away from them, because there were no grounds for it. We are in America and are apparently the land of the “free” and these parents are allowed to name their child whatever they feel like. They should not have to feel the pressure from society to change their beliefs. There were never any reports of abuse, but Child Services believed they had the right to come in to their home and remove their children. This is a ridiculous notion that boggles my mind. What’s next? People make the argument that in the Latin community a lot of people are named after Jesus and it is the same thing. I would like for someone to explain how this is the same thing? Adolf Hitler had millions of people murdered and has been deemed as an anti-Christ by many people. So lets compare someone who is seen as a holy figure such as Jesus, to a figure who is seen as a murderer, such as Adolf Hitler. There is no comparison there.
I believe the Campbell family should have been denied the decorating of their child’s birthday cake by ShopRite. It is on thing to name your son Adolph Hitler but another thing to want to be noticed for it. I feel the family only wanted attention and to see the reaction they would get from people. It was not necessary to put “Adolph Hitler Campbell” on a cake. What family does not know their child’s whole name? Most people get “Happy Birthday, Jessica, Mom, Cody, or Grandpa. I have never been to a birthday party that wishes Edward James Michel McColl III Happy Birthday on a cake. For the family to want to place the child’s whole name on the cake, they were only calling attention to themselves. Adolph might not have been acceptable. Saying the name entire name Adolph Hitler fills my heads with thoughts of massacre. They name makes many people experience the same feeling as when a person scarps their nails against the blackboard. Why would you want your child to grow up portrayed as a negative character? I understand Adolph was a common name at for Germans…but then I think sometime after the war there was an unwritten rule not to name your child after the man who held that title.
What’s really in a name? I believe that names like Tim and John, Christina and Amanda are all over used and cliché. Sorry if that offends anybodies name, family or friends name. I am not say that name like those are not nice to have they are just unoriginal. I think it is unique when people name are different to hear. First it makes for conversation and allows you to be left in that person mind. Who would some remember more, a boy name Matt or a boy name Kiwan? In way I feel I may be being slightly biased because my name is one that is not heard often but I also feel I would be myself if I shared the same name as many others. I was never the one in the class that had to get the first letter of my last name said with my first name because it was only me. I know many of other unique names oh friends that I share, some in which are often called ghetto. Many people bring common stereotypes like the terms a black name and a white name into this situation. What makes a name black…the more unique it is…the more ghetto it is…the more syllables are in it?
What’s really in a name? A name describes where you come from and who you are. A name is given to a child at birth by their mother or father and sometimes can have greater meaning. Many people look at names in Zimbabwean culture and find them must more interesting but even more ridiculous then names given in our society. Names like Trust, Gift, Enough, etc. would be joked about and ridiculed by many Americans. Names like these hold more meaning then American names. So what would be more acceptable? Naming your child after a negative historic figure…Adolph Hitler, or naming your child after the belief that he or she is not yours… “Never Trust a Woman”
I couldn’t resist writing my journal about the blog post, “What’s in a name?” On the surface, it seems like an interesting piece about the inanity of some people’s rights to name their own children. However, when I continued reading it and looked at the corresponding article on the importance of names in Zimbabwe, I realized it was a piece trying to make us aware of our own ethnocentrism as westerners. It attempted even more, I think, to try and “open our eyes” to the facts that many of the things we think are “normal” and “everyday” are only so because we have been socialized in our own culture to accept them as the norm.
However, being aware of our own cultural limitations is not necessarily a good or positive thing. Sometimes, norms are norms for a reason; people just shouldn’t and are not socially permitted to do certain things. Taboos are universal in every culture on the planet; incest isn’t ok anywhere. Entrenched in my American socialization, and taking the universal taboos into account, I feel that the Campbells have crossed a decency line. They are so bogged down by their own ethnocentrism that they cannot see the forest for the trees. Their undoubtedly lovely children, Adolf Hitler and JoceLynn Aryan Nation, are in for a rough life. Granted, they are the Campbell’s children and they have the right to name them whatever they please—but what is the cost here? What is in a name?
The Campbells are obviously white supremacists. No other people would choose to glorify a madman and his murderous reign like that. And, it is highly unlikely, even ludicrous, to imagine that they would not instill these “values” in their children. These two children will be stigmatized for life. The have already felt society’s distain for their norm breaking already; little Adolf couldn’t have his name written on his birthday cake. This will undoubtedly be the first of many, many, slaps in the proverbial face during their lifetimes. Their situation, in contrast with article on the norm-breaking names in Zimbabwe begs the question: at what point is it ok to break the norm in terms of names? Where do our own ethnocentric ideals leave us in between unusual and down right wrong?
Though Adolf Hitler, JoceLynn Aryan Nation, Godknows and Passion are all uncommon names, there is a definite difference. Zimbabwean names are indicative of a larger set of circumstances surrounding a child’s birth. Though not always pleasant (Never trust a woman, Enough), Zimbabweans are not necessarily marking their children and name plates for hatred. Though it can be argued that both sets are giving their children a certain message to carry around for the rest of their lives in terms of their name, I would still stand firm that there is absolutely a difference between a “Rain” and an “Adolf Hitler.” I cannot believe it is my own ethnocentrism that leads me to this conclusion. There are taboos that cannot be crossed, and I believe the name game in this case is a pretty clear example.
Just think of it this way—If you were setting play dates for your child at someone else’s home, where would you be more comfortable leaving them—at JoceLynn Aryan Nation’s house or in Happiness’s home?
Names, though only a word that is usually not even chosen by the person, are very important to people and hold a lot of weight in society. It is what a person is called on a daily basis. So, having very different or abnormal names can affect a person. It is not uncommon for someone to place judgment based on a name. In reality, by hearings someone’s name you are sometime able to tell a little about their culture or society. For, different countries and cultures use different names. Many names even have special meanings and stories behind them. More specifically, it is much more common for someone from the Middle East who has heritage there to be named Nassar, which means helper and protector, compared to someone from the United States or England. Yet, a name is still ultimately just a word. It is only when people start to care and place judgment on these words that they start to hold meaning, both good and bad.
Throughout history, it seems that certain people have claimed names, making them in some cases unusable. It is very common for many people to have the same name. Different generations and cultures seem to choose from a group of names to call their children. However, at times one person makes such a major impact that it changes the name. It some cases the person is viewed so highly that children are named after them. On the other hand, there are terrible people in history whose horrific actions have made the name almost become solely his or hers. Obvious evil figures such as Adolf Hitler and Suddam Hussein have given their names very negative connotations. The once commonly used names become terrible choices for people to call their children. I cannot help to see this as society almost letting the cruel intentions and actions of these people win. Specifically, these overly ambitious men are almost getting what they wanted by having their names instill fear and hatred, making them off-limits. It just does not seem right by any means.
While I feel that names are only names, I cannot really agree with a person’s choice to call their child a name like Adolf Hitler. For one, they did not just use the name Adolf but Hitler as well. It is extremely hard for me to believe that these parents could not understand the image and hatred that comes along with that name. True it is entirely unfair that this man has ruled out the use of this name, it still hold such negative weight. There are still people living today and many people who are children of people who suffered in the Holocaust. So, this massacre is still highly remembered and the use of his name will lead people to question a person. It is even unfair to the child because he will most likely face discrimination for his name as it seems he already has.
This article about the child being named Adolf Hitler Campbell really made me start to think about the associations we make with names. The name Adolf will never be the same again. It has such a dark cloud around it, and it will for a very long time. I do however disagree with the people who refused to put the child’s name on the birthday cake. I believe that people can have their own opinions on the name, but I personally don’t think it is their place to deny someone a birthday cake with their name on it. I completely understand that the name will bring about feelings that aren’t so great, but are we going to start doing that every time a name comes up that we deem offensive or bad?
Our new President’s name is Barack HUSSEIN Obama. That name alone I am sure causes people to think twice when they hear it. We have a president running our country with a name that once belonged to a horrible leader, but he is still our new president, and we elected him. However, a child can’t have the name ADOLF on a birthday cake? When is it ok and not ok to do things because of a name? I believe when we start doing something like that we are creating more a stigma to a name than there already is. The name Osama is used a lot over in the middle east, but when we hear it we are automatically brought back to a world wide terroist. When are going to realize it is NOT the name that makes the person, but rather their soul. When are we going to stop fighting over such petty stuff like a name?
I believe that a name is just a name. I believe that if a person is a good person that is what matters the most, and it is not what they are called. I completely understand that certain names bring out certain emotions, but is our duty as a person to not act on those actions and judge a person because of them. The little boy named Adolf might be a kind and loving kid that just wanted a birthday cake, and because of somebody’s feelings for the name the kid was denied that. When do we finally stop fighting over such petty things and start to look at the bigger problems going on in our world.
I feel bad for the kid whose father named him Adolf Hitler because of the strongly negative connotation that comes with that name. Yes, it’s just a name, but one must think of how people perceive the name. A few weeks ago, in a response to a blog I mentioned that Barack Obama really has no choice in calling himself black because of the way people perceive him. They look at him and think he’s black. When people hear the name Adolf Hitler, they react a certain way. This kid is going to be made fun of for the rest of his life, I hope his father knows. And the fact that his daughter’s middle name is Aryan Nation makes me think he didn’t name his son Adolf Hitler because he likes how it sounds…unless he also just happens to like how Aryan Nation sounds…as a middle name…Anyway, yes, it is silly that it IS just a name, yet we so strongly connect it with another notion, but that is how the mind works. It’s like a word association game. It’s similar to the association we make with the color pink and girls. Pink has come to be a girly color. That’s actually pretty random; what makes it so girly? This question has no real answer. Somewhere along the line, pink became a feminine color, just like the name Adolf came to be associated with Adolf Hitler. So I personally don’t think it’s a good idea to name your children names that are so closely associated with devastating tragedies. I do however, think its creative and clever to name your children unusual names such as Godknows, Trymore, and Knowledge. These names do not have a negative connotation with the potential of offending a group of people. I especially like the names that come with a story, like the thirteenth child of a family, whose mother named him Enough. Sure, we think it’s weird because we don’t name our children names like this. But when we put ourselves in their shoes, it’s kinda cool. Names mean a lot more than you would think. I mean, it’s just a combination of letters, right? But expecting parents often obsess over what to name their child. In certain cases, this decision does impact the rest of the infant’s life, like poor little Adolf Hitler, who can’t even get a birthday cake with his name on it. In less obvious cases, it still has a small impact on one’s life. It serves the purpose of identity. When you introduce yourself to someone, the first thing you reveal about yourself is your name. It can make a first impression, without you realizing, or even without the other person realizing. As small as it may be, it still has the slightest impact on your life.
While reading the article it really opened my eyes. I never thought about how much attention is given to a name. I mean what is a name? It is just a word used so that we can identify each other; nothing more than that. Why should it matter what word someone is called. A good example of this is how so many people in the media felt the need to showcase Barack Obama’s middle name: Huessein. That is the cheapest, most immature political tactic I have ever seen. I am a republican and I think it is bull shit. Obviously the guy has no relation to Sadamm so I could care less what his middle name is. I am considering naming my kid some kind of ridiculous name just to piss people off. I mean how is it that people can be so ignorant as to attack a name. In my opinion it is basically parallel to the idea of attacking someone on the basis of being mentally retarded. I say this because a name (much like a mental illness) is something we are born with and have no control over. Of course one could argue that we can change our names, but who really wants to do that? First of all it is a severe slap in the face to whoever it was that named you, secondly you’re called one thing your whole life and now all of a sudden you have to respond to something else? No way, that’s garbage.
I actually enjoy the Zimbabweans names much more than conventional American names that we see all the time. The Zimbabwean names have actual meaning unlike most American names that are pointless. As much as I wrote about names being pointless, and just words in the beginning of my passage, I wish they did mean more in our society. I think names should be cherished, they should carry with them honor and mean something. I do feel especially bad for those kids with names like hatred that have negative connotations. I would hope all parents want their kids to have positive names instead. I do want to mention though, that some conventional names like Chris or Bill are okay in my book if they have a purpose. For example, if they are named after someone special or their own father or other relative. The reason being is that shows meaning, it was done for a reason. That is why I hate baby books, like you really need a freaking book to read to name your kid? No way I’m not okay with that; think of a name yourself; I think people who use books to name their kids are lazy.
“What’s in a Name” was a lot to take in. I had never known that names such as: Never Trust a Woman, Hatred, Norest, and Adolf Hitler to say the least even existed. I feel that names such as these are a little extreme, and definitely do show a sense of child abuse. Although it may not be noticeable at young ages, when a child grows up with a name such as Adolf Hitler, he is without a doubt going to be in for various types of abuse from the surrounding general public, whether it be verbal or physical. If I were the baker behind the counter being asked to write happy birthday Adolf Hitler Campbell on a cake, I probably wouldn’t do it either. I would probably ask the man to leave and get his cake somewhere else. Yes it’s just a name, but the name carries a negative connotation with it, and I would have no respect for a man who named their son that. With this in mind however, what the story seems to leave out is, what actually has happened to the father who named the child? He must be insulted everyday throughout his life, no? Also, with such brutality towards him wouldn’t you think he would want to change the child’s name? Yes people are allowed to name their children whatever they want, but there is definitely a fine line on how far you can go with it. I mean, every time the boy’s school teacher calls out names from the attendance list, when they approach “Adolf,” he or she will associate it with all the suffering and horror that comes along with that name. In a worst-case scenario it may even hurt the child’s grades or even his career in the future. Who would vote Adolf Hitler Campbell for president? I know I wouldn’t. The article about names in Zimbabwe was actually quite interesting as well. The naming system is quite unique, although again there is definitely a fine line on how far you can go with it. In my opinion, naming ones’ child Never Trust a Woman is just cruelty and a disregard for the child’s future. It may be a joke for the parents, but when their child grows up the joke will be on them. An old age home will be just around the corner (not to say that there actually are old age homes in Zimbabwe). From my experience, I actually recall my uncle telling me a story about two kids who went to his high school. The children had moved over from Germany and spoke no English. Their parents wanted to give them English names, so when they were in the grocery store one day they saw a box of Lemon Jell-O and Orange Jell-O on the sale rack. With that, they decided to name their kids Lemonjello (pronounced Leh-mon-jello) and Orangejello (pronounced O-ron-jello). Rather than giving their children names with negative connotations, I think this situation whether funny or not is a better excuse for creating both an English and Americanized name.
After reading the blog focusing on the family from Northeast Pennsylvania, and the unique names of several Zimbabweans I realized that in America, or at least that I’ve been exposed to, there aren’t very many examples of abnormal names. I used to work at a retirement home here in State College during high school and one of my co-workers was named Happiness. I remember thinking that was a fairly odd name, but at the same time I thought, “I wish my name was more unique”. When I asked her about the origin of her name she told me that her parents had moved from Africa while her mother was pregnant and several weeks after they arrived they had her. Because they were so relieved, happy and excited to start their new life in America they named their newly born daughter Happiness. That story fascinated me and probed me to observe her, not creepily though. After time I noticed that her overall demeanor was pretty representative of her name. She seemed to always be “excited” to go to work, and generally had a smile on her face. I have since tried to be as optimistic as possible. In regards to the Northeast Pennsylvania family and their son Adolf Hitler Campbell, I feel although the thought of naming my child that is ridiculous and embarrassing, I find it difficult to say to someone that they cannot name their child based on a widespread opinion also to be ridiculous. Although the parents are obviously small-minded and most likely uneducated, it still doesn’t mean that they should not be able to exercise their freedom of speech or “freedom of naming”. To say that naming a child something strange, funny or insulting is not an example of child abuse but merely a lack of respect for the child. Growing up with a name like Adolf Hitler, or another example I’ve seen from my own school, Alec Kuntz, can’t be easy especially through middle school or grade school where peers can be brutal with their ridicule. Admit Alec Kuntz is a pretty funny name though. But a name like Adolf Hitler, in America especially, would be pretty difficult to create a humorous spin off of it and shrug it off if that was your name. I can understand why the bakery wouldn’t recognize this family and print the name of the child on the cake, but I also believe that it is unethical. Every customer should be entitled to equal attention. All in all, I don’t really find offense to any name or find any names to be strange, or at least negatively strange. I more so think “I wonder what their parents were thinking when they named them that”, I then am curious rather than upset or bothered. Like in Zimbabwe, those names sound strange to us, but I find them fascinating. I kind of wish I had a cool story behind my name. I mean, it is pretty cool to be named after Michael Jordan though.
One question keeps running through my mind after I read the blog is, why even subject your child to a name with such dark associations? It strikes me as ridiculous that parents would even name their children a name that would cause them to be made fun of, or cast out. I once read that a famous actor named his child Pilot Inspektor. I find myself asking myself, do these people care about their children at all? Childhood is a time of social learning and growth. Adolescents can be permanently scared from bullying and teasing, which deffinetely could come about if you have a name that’s easily made fun of. I just want to know these parents goals were when having their children. If you’re naming your child Adolf Hitler Campbell, I don’t know what you expect when people aren’t happy to copy your sons name on a birthday cake.
I do agree a name is just a name, and it’s only a word. However, like there are also offensive names, there are also offensive nick names. I see nick names and names are similar entities. In both of them, you’re labeling someone and referring to them by a word. Naming a child can be an exciting and difficult task for families who are having children. Sometimes people say you have to see your child first before you can name them. I don’t see how someone can look at their new born child and immediately think of Adolf Hitler. When I think of the name Adolf Hitler, I think of millions of people died in a horrible genocide. I think of people coming together from all different countries to fight the super power they were so afraid of. There is nothing about a baby boy that remotely correlates to Adolf Hitler in my mind.
I don’t want to be close minded though. I understand certain names hold cultural meanings, such as when Mexicans name their children Jesus. However, in most situations, cultural names aren’t offensive to the majority of the population. I am not offended if someones name is Krishna,Jesus, or George W Bush. There aren’t large negative associations to those names. But naming your children after Adolf Hitler and the Aryan race is offensive to a lot of people because of the negative associations with the name.
People sometimes are even weirded out about Barack’s middle name being Hussein. They associate the name Hussein with Saddam Hussein. However, it’s not like Barack Obama’s middle name was Saddam Hussein. The parents could have named their child Just Adolf, if they wanted their child to still have the German name. There was just unnecessary to name their Son Adolf Hitler, and his sister Aryan nation. There are many things they
It is a matter of fact that names will be judged by the society around us whether it will be in a positive or negative way. Clearly, the Adolph Hitler Campbell case was judged in a less than positive manner. His name holds such a terrible meaning, that it is no wonder that the bakery refused to ice his name on his birthday cake. I believe that it was wrong for the bakery to deny such a simple task because of a name, but I believe that parents should have realized by naming their son that they face such discrimination. I think it is stupid when parents do not consider the possible prejudice your child will face with a certain name choices and I believe that it is partly selfish of parents to choose a name they think that is “cool” but really just makes their son or daughter’s life hell.
I know from personal experience, especially as a child, it is difficult to have a name that is different from the typical the Mike or Sara. It is especially hard when you cannot find your name in one of those key chains or pens with all those names on it. People constantly butchering, is also not so much fun. I know, however, that my parents put a great deal of thought choosing my name and tried to pick one that was not just a bunch of consonants, but that it was a name that was actually phonetically pronounceable. I believe that by looking at a name, you can tell a lot from about a person. For example, Adolph Campbell is probably growing up in a white supremacist family, and he will probably take many of those values as his own. For the most part, names give a good indication of what ethnicity you belong to. For example, Seamus Finnigan, probably has a strong Irish background or a Samuel Goldberg probably grew up with a Jewish culture. Though names do give an indication about a person, sometimes they can be hindering. In my intro to sociology class last year, we learned about an experiment where they sent out two of the same exact resumes, except in one resume they placed a predominately Christian name and the other had a predominantly African American name. The results showed that the “white” named resume had a higher response than the African American one.
I think that the article was posted on the blog was very interesting. I see how people could right away judge someone named Hatred or Godknows, but I think that it is better to have the meaning as the name rather than have the name that represents a meaning. It is easier to figure out what the parents were thinking while naming their children. Who actually knows that Samuel means one who is heard by God?
I think that this topic brings about a lot of conflict. You have a little boy who wants to celebrate his birthday but you also have the parents that named their son Aldoph Hitler. I think that it is not right for the bakery to not put the name on the cake however, I also think that the parent could have been smarter and only asked the bakery to put Aldoph on the cake. Like stated in the blog, Aldoph is a very popular German name so although it brings about that a lot of controversy with the name, having just Aldoph is not something a bakery should have the right not to print. To many this name brings back very very bad and cruel memories so it is easy to see why no one would want to print “happy birthday Aldoph Hitler” on a cake. I think that many people do not take full consideration into naming their children. I think that many just name then something that they like at the time but do not think about the child and what they will have to live with for their whole lives with some names. I knew a girl once in high school who’s name was Stormy Rain. Not obviously there was something going on in her parents head but can you imagine what she want though while growing up with a name like that? I think its very hard to think aout names because they can be so different for everyone and everyone will think of them differently.
The name Adolph Hitler obviously is associated with one of the greatest human tragedies of all time. This just astounds me that in today’s world we still have to deal with such ignorance as this. These parents named their children this solely on their beliefs. These kids are easily going to be always associated with white supremacy. Their names clearly describe their upbringing and history. It gives everyone a preconceived notion of the kids. Which most likely will be correct since they will be raised in a racist environment. Their names are a disgrace to the world. Naming your child Adolph Hitler after the tragedies he committed against the Jewish people is just ignorant. I do not understand people like this. People like this are just like the people who say that the Holocaust never happened.
I feel bad for these kids. This reminds me of the movie American History X with Edward Norton. The two kids were brought up in a not strongly racist household just a father that used sterotypes. The two kids turned out to become racist and neo-nazis. Now that what are these kids going to turn out to be like in a white supremacy household with the names Adolph and Aryan nation. These kids are obviously being brain washed at a young age to become white supremacists. If by some chance they change their ways then good for them but their future looks like it is going to be full of hate and white supremacy.
Yes we live in a country where we are free to believe what we want but I don’t think America needs people like this. How much this story angers me can not even be understood by my post. IN this free country we can name our kids whatever we want but at least be civil. Naming your kid Adolph that is obviously a no no. This just shows that they have no respect for the world and personally I believe for their kid. I do not understand how a loving parent would be able to name their kid Adolph and be able to send them out into the real world. Obviously the supermarket was not going to write Adolph. Were they expecting people to not negatively react to their childs name. If you are going to name your child Adolph at least realize the consequences. They are predestining their kdis for hatred. How are these kids going to think? Are they going to be just like their parents or are they going to rebel. I would like to hear a report on these kids 15 years from now and see where they are. These parents are committing a crime to their kids.
In response to the article, “What’s in a Name?” I find it hard to even get past the fact that some people actually named their child Adolph Hitler to find the humor in the situation. To me, the only thing that is humorous is that a mother and father, either at birth or prior to birth, sat and pondered the naming of their child and came up with Adolph Hitler. Although I can totally understand what Sam is saying about names technically being just sounds we form with our mouths, and I definitely agree with him that many different cultures have strange and obscure names, I cannot get over the fact that as liberal and unique as you may be trying to be, you just named your newborn child after a dictator who was responsible for the massacring of almost an entire race of people.
Even as I began reading and first read that someone named their child Adolph Hitler, my reaction was to find a reasonable explanation for this. I thought to myself, ‘Ok, so he is German and Hitler is his last name?’ Well, he is definitely not from Germany and even if he is from German descent or had been born in Germany, that doesn’t excuse how two people could simply overlook the mere detail that the name they favored for their child is associated with one of the worst incidences of hatred and violence in history. So I came to the conclusion that this was not something that the child’s parents may have overlooked and decided to ignore just because they like the name, but this was something that was deliberately done.
Obviously, in order for these parents to name their child after someone, the person must be one for whom they have a lot of reverence for. So, not only am I outraged by the fact that these two people must be followers of Hitler, or at the very least fans of what he stood for, but I am appalled by the consequences of their action. Yes, it is their child and they have a right to name him whatever they wish. But did the parents think about what consequences their innocent child would have to pay for having to live a life, whether intentional or not, as a symbol for genocide and hatred? And, what were the parents’ intentions? Are they trying to keep Hitler’s name alive and send some kind of message? I just cannot wrap my head around the fact that people would think it is okay to praise someone like Hitler, which essentially that is what you are doing when you are naming your beloved newborn child after someone.
Also, I know that in our country and in other countries especially it is very common to name children after people who have biblical and historical reference to that particular set of people. However, these are almost always saints and brave leaders who stand for greatness and peace in the world. I am not naïve enough to think that everyone is ideal and kind natured, but I think it is just completely indecent, offensive, and arrogant to name your child after someone who caused so much pain, devastation, and hatred that continues to exist to this day.
A name is like a picture; it can mean a thousand words. Some names are just that; names. They have no meaning, no background, and no symbolism. On the other hand, some names have all of that. Some names, such as Adolf Hitler, represent events and people that have occurred throughout history and can manage to affect people in a tremendous way by merely hearing or speaking them. I think names such as these should be carefully chosen as to not upset or offend the common man or the person themselves who is named it. For example, the child who was named Adolf Hitler may be very offended by his name once he learns who Adolf Hitler was and the impact he had on our world. I believe his parents were completely wrong and horrible for naming him that and that they should not voice such controversial opinions through their child. Although names are ways of identifying someone or getting someone’s attention, they really are more than that. Names are the most common word that is associated with a certain person, therefore I believe they should be carefully chosen, especially if they are going to remind others of people or events from the past.
Although the article shed some comic light on the method of naming that occurs in Zimbabwe, it is very surprising to see the names parents have come up with for their children. I agree with the article when it says these names can greatly burden the children. I know I wouldn’t want to be referred to as “Never Trust A Woman” for my entire life. Innocent children should not be punished for their parents mistakes or beliefs. They claim to be way more original than names that are commonly chosen for babies in the U.S., but names such as “Enough” and “Wind” do not sound very original to me. Honestly, they sound very unoriginal. “Wind” is chosen if it’s windy out? It may be an uncommon name but by no means is it original in the way that it was well thought out and has a deep meaning behind it.
Opinions of names can vary greatly from person to person. For example, my best friend’s mom is a kindergarten teacher and she told me a story once about how when she was naming her children she automatically ruled names out because they reminded her of students she had had. I thought it was very interesting and that I could relate to her because when I hear a name of a new person that is the same as a person’s name who I already know, I automatically think of the other person. Not only can names remind you of people you know, but they can also remind you of people you have heard of throughout history, coming back to Adolf Hitler. Overall, I feel names should be carefully researched and chosen, and not picked in order to punish the child or punish others who will have to deal and interact with them.
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition of a “name” is a word or phrase that constitutes the distinctive designation of a person or thing. It is as simple as that. In the article, a family wanted to simply decorate a cake for their son’s birthday by writing his name, which happens to be Adolph Hitler Campbell. The Shop Rite they went to refused to write the name on the cake in frosting because of the association that name. It is understandable that the store or others found naming a boy Adolph Hitler a bit strange or inappropriate but refusing to merely write the name on a cake that does not pertain to them is completely crossing the line. Parents have full right to name whatever they choose despite what people think and what people relate the name to. Other examples of names similar to Adolph would be Jesus and Osama. It may, however, just be certain groups of people who find those names strange or offensive. Germans would not be likely to take offense to the name Adolph, and many Germans do commonly name their sons it. Christians would be the most probable group of people to find the naming of your son Jesus inappropriate, whereas, many Hispanics do name their sons Jesus. On the same note, Americans would definitely not be likely to have the name Osama on their baby-name list, but Muslims would consider the name with any questions. Naming of children is an important step in the baby-parent process, and I’m sure parents put much thought into it.
Celebrities are popular group of people of have a different way of naming their children and are often criticized to doing so. According to an article called “The 20 Most Bizarre Celebrity Baby Names”, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin named their daughter Apple; Courteney Cox and David Arquette named their daughter Coco; Sylvester Stallone named his son Sage Moonblood; Michael Jackson named his son Prince Michael II but refers to him as Blanket; Sean Penn and Robin Wright named their son Hopper.
Names have deeper meanings then most people think. It is questionable why this Pennsylvanian family, whose daughter’s name is JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, decided to name their son Adolph Hitler Campbell, but I’m sure they had a significant meaning behind it, just like the parents of Apple, Coco, Sage Moonblood, Blanket, and Hopper probably did. Names have different meanings from one person to another person or more broadly, from one culture to another culture.
But after all, a name is simply a name- a word or phrase. It should not be something that defines who you are, and people should not be discriminated, insulted, or refused service merely because of his or her name.
It seems like in American culture we name our children in regards to how popular the name is. Very rarely do parents name their children outside of the norm, however something that does seem somewhat popular is naming their children after their father or grandfather. However, my name is unique to American culture…Corbin. Think of how many Corbins you know, other than that name stealing pop star Corbin Bleu. Now the story behind my name goes something like this: My mother overheard the name while eating at a restaurant and decided that she really liked it. Now the point I’m trying to make here is that my parents chose the name purely by how it sounded giving no regard to Corbin’s actual meaning which is an Old English word for Raven. I feel as though this is common for most Americans however with only more common names of course. There seems to be absolutely no concept of naming our children after emotions, events, trees, or whatever. There appears to be some sort of set list of name which we are supposed to be chosen from. Perhaps at some point in the history of our culture we shifted from giving names with meaning to giving names that we thought sounded interesting or something. People in Zimbabwe man name their kids after emotions or events however if those people where to come here people would not be able to take them seriously or not receive them as well. Although I find those names interesting however I would most likely take offense to having the name Hatred or Women Can’t be Trusted. Poor Women Can’t be Trusted probably had a terrible time trying to pick up ladies back in the day, because they would infer things from his name. Feminist groups would have this poor guy castrated for even mentioning his name. Native Americans also carry this tradition, however they do so in a different manner, normally with a reference to animals or nature. This also normally always has some sort religious meaning. Moving on, celebrities have a knack for giving their children names that sound pretty, like Apple or Coco Chanel. Perhaps this alludes to the shallow and superficial nature of a lot of Americans. How long will it be until we start naming our children Wal-Mart or Taco Bell. We could be a walking brand name advertisements. Perhaps our shift away from naming our children with meaningful words or phrases is a result from this superficial zeitgeist. I think it would be really interesting if I had been named after a significant event or emotion experienced by my parents around the time of my birth. Perhaps this would help us connect to those around us.
These days I have so little faith for the human race. It takes paperwork upon paperwork for someone to adopt an animal and morons like these parents can bring up children without any questions. Today I feel like people are just taking parenting as a joke. From celebrities that name their kids Apple and Pilot Inspektor really need to start caring a little more about their kids before naming them such stupid names. For this family though it goes way beyond stupidity and into racial bashing. Although Adolph is a very popular German name to give this child’s middle name Hitler is crossing a major line. Weirdly enough, I understand people still don’t believe in the Holocaust but this is completely wrong. I heard after the story was out the family’s home was visited by social workers and the children were taken away (not because of their names but for other undisclosed stuff) but shouldn’t there of been a social worker out way back when the children were born and given such hideous names?
As for the cake, I don’t believe that the ShopRite store should of said no due to their own beliefs (even though I totally agree!) because they are just another chain store where decisions like that aren’t really up to you. For a smaller non-chain bakery I totally see that denying such a birthday cake is completely acceptable. As I mentioned in my discussion group, I believe the parents crossed another line and tried to create or start controversy when they specifically wanted “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler.” I don’t know about you but my mother never ordered a cake with “Happy Birthday Brittany Alessandra Seigle.” To add such an emphasis on his first and middle name sparks thoughts that they did this to start a ‘war’ (for lack of better terms.) These people are just plain idiots and so are the other mindless people who follow such insane beliefs. Don’t get me wrong I’m open to new cultures and their beliefs but things like this makes me sick!
Okay. I know I said that I am open to different cultures and their beliefs but after reading the article attached to this blog, I am left speechless. Once I read the sentence stating that the names of children happen due to events that happen that day. Examples said that depending of the weather is how the parents would name their children. This shows 1. that they were not considering what the kids are going to go through with that name, and 2. their lack of preparation for the birth. For my having a baby is a great gift given to those who can receive it, and to see such lack of consideration and compassion infuriates me. I guess this goes back to my first paragraph where I wrote to names that celebrities are giving their children these days. I guess I just have no patience for stupidity and to me this is stupidity at its finest!
I completely understand why the Shop Rite bakery would not write out “Adolph Hitler” in icing on their customer’s son’s birthday cake. Sure, you can say it’s “just a name”…but really, it is a direct tribute to the creator of the Holocaust. It isn’t ironic or matter-of-fact…it’s clearly related to the former Nazi leader. The fact that their daughter’s middle name is Aryan Nation? Are they serious? I can somewhat understand that, yes—Adolph and Hitler separately are generic names and not solely associated with the Holocaust. But Aryan Nation? You cannot deny what that means or signifies. I absolutely believe that you can name your child whatever you please—I’m not arguing that in terms of freedom of speech. But at the same time, Shop Rite has the right to turn away a costumer whose request may be seen in poor taste. If the parents of “Adolph Hitler” desire a customized cake so badly, I think they should get a blank cake and right their own child’s name on it. I just really don’t have sympathy for a family who is clearly Anti-Semitic and Neo-Nazi. Am I being ridiculous here? I am not blaming the child at all. It clearly was not his choice to be named after such a horrible historical figure. But imagine if the bakery assistant was Jewish…and had to write “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler”. A lot of people on here are saying that a name is just a name, but when there is a cultural and historical significance to those combinations of words, it becomes something more. I do not believe a name is just a name. It is the first and foremost identification for the rest of your life. It does not define who you are at all, but it will be the first and last thing associated with you in this world. Your parents choose your name and it becomes symbolic of their taste. I am beyond disturbed by this choice of calling their children these names. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs—I’m not arguing that. But I simply disagree with Pro-Hitler or Pro-Holocaust views. It would be different if the child’s name was Adolph. Or Hitler. But both? Together? In that order? And the sister’s name is Aryan Nation? Once again, this is clearly deliberate and meant to signify their beliefs. In which case, I highly disagree with their beliefs, so I have no sympathy for the refusal by ShopRite.
On a note veering away from the Adolph Hitler cake, I think names are beautiful and you grow into them with time and as you get older. I think my name is absolutely like me, simple, classic, short. When I was younger, I wanted a “cooler” name, but now I am so happy my mom didn’t name me something trendy or in at the moment. I love my last name too.
In response to the, “What’s in a Name” blog, I feel like people over react to names too often. A name is just some way to recognize yourself and to identify as an individual in society. Phonetically, a name is a combination of letters making a sound, just like any other word. What’s the difference between naming someone “Red” or “Tree”? It’s just a sound and a way to identify yourself. It has nothing to do with who you are a person and what your character is. I don’t understand why so many people believe a name has more meaning than just an ordinary word.
I feel like naming someone Adolph Hitler is not awful or harmful in any way. This particular family has decided that they like the name Adolph: how it sounds or whatever other reason, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a name that people associate with bad memories and a bad time in history. But that has nothing to do with this little boy. This child could end up being a great citizen but he will always be judged by his name. He will always have people judging him by his name first, then seeing his character second. I completely disagree with how people will most likely treat this boy, solely on the idea that his name reminds people of a dark time in history. I think it is narrow minded and ignorant to judge someone by his or her name. Unfortunately, many people do that in this country.
In my case my parents named me based on what I looked like and how they thought a first name sounded along with my last name. It was more about the appeal to the ear than a significant meaning. But I find people who have names with significant meaning are proud of their names, and sometimes even try to live like what their name means. I find names with significance very interesting and unique. But I also think that people need to understand how a child doesn’t name himself. All too often people will judge a child or will make fun of a child because of his or her name. It’s not the kid’s fault! Until this child is eighteen there’s nothing he or she can do about it. Overall, I feel like people put too much weight on a name; to me it’s just a way to identify oneself as an individual. I fee like people take it too seriously, and don’t understand it’s just a word. They need to stop judging people just on their names and to learn about this person’s character first.
Cayla Rasi
I really started to think about names and how children get named in the United States. And when I really started to ponder about it, I came to a realization that many people have names that don’t mean anything—it’s just a word without a meaning—although the name may have a personal meaning behind it to the parents that named their child.
For example: a friend of mine is named Hannah, right away in the English language “Hannah” doesn’t mean anything specific. Baby books may list the meaning behind these western names – but do people really know the meanings to every western name when they hear a name on the street? NO. the answer is no. But my friend Hannah was named after a good friend of her parents that actually introduced her parents many years ago.
A friend of mine is named Waters. I’m sorry, but who the hell would name their child “Waters”? There may be a real meaning behind it, but he is Waters IV … so he was named after his father who was named after his father and so forth.
My sister’s name is Christina. My father group up Roman Catholic and they named her Christina after Christ (although at times growing up I’m sure my parents wanted to change her name from CHRISTina to Damian). But it’s interesting to thing that the name Christ is hidden in the name Christina and American’s don’t seem anything wrong with the common name “Christina”. But imagine if someone named their child “Christ” here in the U.S – it would cause a huge controversy and a lot of heated debates.
One more example of a name that has to do with a past experience of the parents: I know a girl named “Sandy” and the story of how her parents named her is rather funny (I think). Her parents were trying for years to have a child and as they were giving up conceiving their own child, her parents had a romantic date on the beach and that is where she was conceived. They named her “Sandy” because of the sandy beach. I couldn’t help but chuckle about this. Since the name Sandy is usually short for Sandra I never really thought about the nick name until I read the article about the names for this Blog. Having a child named “Sandy” seems kind of silly when you think about what sand actually is. To me, I don’t’ really care about who is named what because in the end the parents are naming their child that name for a reason. Although I do think that the “never trust a woman” is kind of too far out there. Honestly, that’s a little over the top and excessive and you have to wonder how that kid is going to feel growing up when he goes on a date and the girl he’s taking on a date asks his name and his response is “never trust a woman”. The poor child is going to be scared for life because his father thought his son really wasn’t his and his wife cheated on him. The father shouldn’t have placed his paranoia on the name of his own son.
What’s in a name? A name is just a word. It’s not a name that defines a person or what they do. In this case naming their child Adolph is completely their choice. Maybe they really just liked the name. Whether or not that’s true it’s their decision to make. As the article mentioned, Adolph was in fact a common German name. However, now it is associated with a negative connotation. Does this mean that the name should no longer be used? For example, Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer and pretty much everyone knows who he is. Yet people did not stop using the name Jeffrey.
Naming their child Adolph is one thing. However, naming their child Adolph Hitler is another story. If they had just named their child Adolph, one could think of more positive types of reasons as to why they chose that particular name. If they would have only used the name Adolph there probably wouldn’t be as much of an issue. But by including the name Hitler it automatically makes people jump to conclusions or think in a negative way. I believe it is a person’s choice to choose what they want to name their children or for a person to choose their own name. However, a person cannot expect to name their child Adolph Hitler and not receive some type of negative reaction or attention. The fact that this family made such a big deal about the bakery not writing their son’s name on the cake seems ridiculous. They should have at least expected that type of reaction or behavior from some people. They could not possibly have thought that their child’s life would be easy breezy going through it with a name like Adolph Hitler.
The people at the bakery were probably surprised when they heard the name they were suppose to write on the cake, I would have been too. However, personally I think the bakery should have written the name on the cake. It is their right to be able to name their son what they want and to have his name written on a cake. The people at the bakery are in a way being discriminatory for denying them service. Although, as mentioned before I don’t think the family should be surprised by the way some people may react. Even though people may not have a right to be rude or act inappropriately, it does not mean they won’t.
In conclusion, I think a name is a name and just that. I don’t think people should discriminate against others, for example denying service just because of a name. However, if a person picks a ridiculous or “bad” name that society has negative associations with, they should not be surprised when some people act in inappropriate.
This is definitely a cultural tendency that I have not really thought about other than what it comes off as face value. Everyone needs a name or a way to distinguish themselves between everyone else, but I never really considered why people name their newborns certain names. I guess I have always just assumed that the parent(s) picked a name they liked or a name that is after another relative or grandparent. I never considered naming a child in direct relation to something that is significant with their birth. Personally I feel this is not only very unique, but in a sense quite reasonable in my eyes. I view this act of naming newborns as sort of giving them a basis foundation before they are even old enough to form their own opinions or even talk for that matter. It gives the child a true sense of culture and to know that their name is more representational than simply a word to distinguish between all other individuals. I feel that this “way” of going about naming a child is more complex and forces contemplation before simply picking any old Joe-shmo type of name. Despite the uniqueness and even the surprise I first experienced while reading the blog and the addition article, I can see this naming process as a giving a child certain expectations, maybe even expectations that go against their very beliefs or will such as the man that is named Smile. How is he supposed to feel about his name, or “trademark” for that matter, when he is pissed off or just feeling down? In my opinion I think that naming a child as in the way Zimbabweans do will forever put preconceptions and expectations that obviously directly relate that their name and they will always be expected to fulfill the meaning of their name, not to mention the presumed ridicule and name calling they must experience regarding some of the “stranger” names, especially one that may a direct result of a family feud or even a parent simply being in a bad situation, or mood for that matter, when the child is to be named. I could only imagine what these children go through during their youth being named something like Hatred, Enough, or Never Trust A Woman. I guess it really comes down to whether or not the child is in agreement when they come of age to understand their name and its meaning. It seems as though if the child is in agreement or likes his or her name, then it would seem as though their name’s significance would be a proud worthy aspect of who they are. It gives a bit of history in a sense, even more so a true reasoning for such an important aspect of an individual.
Wow this is an interesting article, well in my opinion the name of this baby it’s a bad memory for a lot of people, but they should have put the name on the cake. Because they need to understand that Hitler wasn’t the only one with that name, the baby’s parents might have a reason why they named him that. A lot of time people take things to seriously, of course I won’t name my son that but it’s because he don’t like that name, if I would like that name I would name him that. It’s not the little boys fault. In my culture they love to name their child after everyone in the bible because they say that these names are good, but are the kids going to be good. Well names are just names, like words are just words but human already put their meanings to it, so like this little boys name a lot of people could be offended and it depends on their culture. My name is Larissa I was named after a castle, how the hell do I know that? Parents told me so if my name was a “bad” name like Hitler they wouldn’t put my name in the cake either, like it’s my fault. That poor little boy it’s never going to have a cake with his name on it then. Like the article said parents named their kids after flowers, bible names and other things, but it depends on their culture, Hispanics are more about the Bible. In America I see more that people have more names of flowers and really old names or they mix their parents name and make up a new name. Like a lot of Hispanics that are in the United States the majority of their kids that are born here have English names, and they probably don’t even know what it means or how to pronounce it. So it depends where you race the child to, all my little cousins have English names and they were all born here, so if they were born in the Dominican Republic like I did, they would have a common name like Jose, Carlos, and Juan etc. Most of older adults are also named after their parents or grandparents, that sometimes it’s horrible because they have this old names that makes a person don’t say their name at all, like myself. I have a second name that was my great grandmother name, I hate this name, I think if I say it to a guy he won’t date me, but I can’t do anything about it but to hide it and don’t tell anyone. Thanks to our parents and their beautiful names.
Now a days it is as if people reject the unfamiliar and are not accepting to things outside of their own culture or outside of what they are used to. How ever it is not just with Americans I feel that in any culture it is hard for them to accept some one who is different or beliefs or ideals that are different or challenge anything in their culture. It seems like in American culture we name our children in regards to how popular the name is. Very rarely do parents name their children outside of the norm, however something that does seem somewhat popular is naming their children after their father or grandfather. I feel as though this is common for most Americans however with only more common names of course. There seems to be absolutely no concept of naming our children after emotions, events, trees, or whatever. There appears to be some sort of set list of name which we are supposed to be chosen from. Perhaps at some point in the history of our culture we shifted from giving names with meaning to giving names that we thought sounded interesting or something. People in Zimbabwe man name their kids after emotions or events however if those people where to come here people would not be able to take them seriously or not receive them as well. Although I find those names interesting however I would most likely take offense to having the name Hatred or Women Can’t be Trusted. Poor Women Can’t be Trusted probably had a terrible time trying to pick up ladies back in the day, because they would infer things from his name. Feminist groups would have this poor guy castrated for even mentioning his name. Native Americans also carry this tradition, however they do so in a different manner, normally with a reference to animals or nature. This also normally always has some sort religious meaning. I think that in different cultures people find names to have certain meanings. For example with the parents who named their child Adolf Hitler and the bakery refused to put their sons name on his birthday cake; maybe some where in his family’s history Adolf Hitler really affected on of their relatives. What makes it right for some one from another culture to judge another persons name? If they’re not from the same culture how can they even begin to understand what is or is not important to that person and their family. I think that if people were more accepting to things that they are not used to then it would have an affect on the way people name their children. I think it would challenge people to put more thought into naming their children and more meaning. It would not just be about what name sounds better or prettier or is more popular and acceptable.
What is in a name? Everything has a name. We name animals, plants and foods. However what we name humans is different every time and a unique aspect of our personality. What are named at birth carries a lot through our lives. A name can determine if we will be made fun of in grade school “Smelly Kelly” is an example. Sometimes that trauma is carried on to adulthood, and the bullying is not intentionally place on the child by the parents it just happens when kids are being kids. However some names won’t be judged by just kids by adults too. Names like “Adolf Hitler” are so infamous that criticism is almost impossible to avoid. What is upsetting is that by naming a child after a murderous dictator you immediately pass on that on to that child all the judgment felt towards him. Young Adolf Hitler Campbell didn’t choose his name and the fate that will come with it all through his years until he is old enough to change it if he wants to, but again no one should have to change their identity. It is clear that his parents are white supremacists but should they place that life style on their son, and daughter too.
Now what if young Adolf doesn’t think like his parents, what if he doesn’t believe in the white, blonde, blue eyed race? The irony of it all would be funny if it wasn’t so not funny. He will be judged at school, by peers, by adults, and by any person he comes in contact with for the rest of his life. What happens in class when he opens a history book and sees his name followed by all the awful deeds the original Adolf had committed? That would be the most awkward situation for a child ever, and he might not quite understand why, because no one else has these issues with their names. Just him. He was singled out by his parents and society to bear this burden.
Personally I don’t care what people name their kids, sky pilot, apple, etc; all these crazy and very unique names today make it normal to have an abnormal name, but when the name affects the way people perceive the child and therefore the child has to overcome more obstacles in life other than the average person then that is inhumane. However the likelihood or possibility of finding a way to prevent that from happening is very improbable. I don’t like my own name it gets made fun of and is one of those names more common names given to a boy but no matter how much I dislike it I am so very happy that my parents had enough sense to give me a relatively average name that won’t make national news stories.
In reference to Mexican immigrants, by and large, my friends from my childhood were mostly very Americanized so it was never considered that they were from a different country. I think an interesting way to look at this is to consider the fact that one of the major “philly cheese steak” stands (either Pat’s or Geno’s, I want to say Geno’s for some reason) had a sign that said something along the lines of, “English only, please.” This sent some parts of Philadelphia into a frenzy of some sort. All the sudden, this great Philadelphian icon was a racist. They clearly didn’t like Mexicans because all the sudden they declined a major patron (those of which who can only speak Spanish).
I could not disagree with this more than anything. The only reason that this establishment decided to do this was because they decided that there was significant language barriers between a small amount of patrons and the employees. While most of their patrons, speaking English, would come up to the window and would order and be done, those speaking Spanish would spend considerable time attempting to convey to the cashier what exactly they wanted. This is turn lead to a decrease in revenue due to the hindrance at the cashier. More time spent on each patron at an establishment like that clearly decreases revenue. So in turn this group decided that to maximize revenue they were only going to take orders in English.
I think what is particularly interesting about this instance is that it was immediately assumed that the store owner was a racist. By requiring that his patrons speak English only automatically qualified him as a racist. Are we so quick to point out a racist we no longer take into consideration the actual logic behind such decisions? It seems as though it is a modern day witch hunt. We are so quickly ready to call another a racist without even considering their reasoning behind their decision, be it true racism or rather business decisions.
In regards to racial jokes and the such, I feel as though this line is tough to judge by any of us. My initial response is to say, “Well, if a person tells such a joke among close friends of said race, then it’s ok. They have previously established their racial tolerance ahead of time and it is maintained that they have no malevolent tendencies intended.” But then the question comes up, well what about the white kid telling a racial joke about black people among a close circle of other white people? Is this ok? Does he have poor intentions in this situation? Or is he just poking fun at the overall conception? I think it’s just at these points that person needs to look inside himself and decide what they really think.
Man, poor little Adolf. I have never had the privileged of knowing an Adolf. I think the oddest named person I have known was a boy named Endurance. Now that I think about it, though, nobody really considered his name that unusual. But lately, these days it seems like in American culture we name our children in regards to how popular the name is. Parents hardly ever name their children outside of the norm, however something that does seem somewhat popular is naming their children after their father or grandfather. I feel as though this is common for most Americans however with only more common names of course. There seems to be absolutely no concept of naming our children after emotions, events, trees, or whatever may have happened around the time of their birth. Americans seem to be going off of a baby book that ever pregnant American woman gets their hands on. Perhaps at some point in the history of our culture we shifted from giving names with meaning to giving names that we thought sounded interesting or something. People in Zimbabwe name their kids after emotions or events however if those people where to come here people would not be able to take them seriously or not receive them as well. Although I find those names interesting however I would most likely take offense to having the name Hatred or Women Can’t be Trusted. Poor Women Can’t be Trusted probably had a terrible time trying to pick up ladies back in the day, because they would infer things from his name. Feminist groups would have this poor guy castrated for even mentioning his name. Native Americans also carry this tradition, however they do so in a different manner, normally with a reference to animals or nature. This also normally always has some sort religious meaning. I think that in different cultures people find names to have certain meanings. For example with the parents who named their child Adolf Hitler and the bakery refused to put their sons name on his birthday cake; maybe some where in his family’s history Adolf Hitler really affected on of their relatives. What makes it right for some one from another culture to judge another persons name? If they’re not from the same culture how can they even begin to understand what is or is not important to that person and their family. If we had more in common wish Zimbabweans and named our kids after what happened around the time of their birth, it would really tell the world more about themselves than just plain old Ashley or Tiffany. I still feel pretty bad about Never Trust A Woman, though. One day Americans will have a less superficial way of naming their children and we’ll eventually stray away from the norm we are so comfortable with. Instead of Sean, maybe we should try Shaant.
By the way, I love the name Samuel.
First off, the notion of names is a fun thing to run with inside my mind. It amazes me how humans are a smart enough species to see an object, make a sound that denotes what to call it, and embody the notion of that object, person, place, etc. itself. I guess I’m impressed with the abilities and powers of language. Thus, names all around us and new names will continue to arise. People have a need to be creative and reinvent themselves by doing innovative things with language. We see more and more people choosing unique, unheard of names for their children. In some regards, it seems as if some people are trying to top everyone else with who can name their child the silliest, most interesting, or, in some cases, most offensive name. For instance, consider the names some celebrities give their kids. Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple, Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller (the magicians) named his kid Moxie Crimefighter, and Robert Rodriguez has named his children Rocket, Racer, Rebel, and Rogue. Some are crazy, some are cool, and some are just stupid.
The above judgments are ignorant for me to make, but I was doing it to help prove a point. Some people think this way and place negative thoughts onto things that ultimately do not affect them in any way whatsoever. I’m basically trying to say, in so many words, that there are two sides to every coin. Sam was attempting to teach us that lesson when he discussed how American culture could be viewed by the Iraqis, granted a notion of media editing and subliminal messages can be tied into that argument and I do not plan on going into all of that nonsense.
I feel people should have the freedom to have fun and make things interesting by using language in the above mentioned creative ways. Some of us might envy the fact someone else has an awesome, unique name. My parents named me Kyle. It is a fine name meaning, ‘strait of water,’ from the Gaelic tongue. It reflects my parents’ choice and where I think my ancestry might lie (Scotland and British Isle area), but I would rather go by FISH, a nickname derived from my last name Fisher. Fish is more memorable and a lot more fun. People choosing the less familiar of names (I just thought of the episode of Seinfeld with the baby named Seven and then George’s proposition of Soda…awesomely funny) could just be attempting to reflect their personality by showing the world they can take a joke. The kid may get some flack, but only by people who cannot take the joke and are simpletons. These people may be naming their kids because it does mean something relevant to them, like the people of Zimbabwe. It makes a huge amount of sense to give your kid a name speaking enough volume to carry some weight. This idea of giving a person more meaning and depth is a great thing which plays off of their family’s spirituality. In can make that person feel like they have more of a significance or identity.
So what about Adolf Hitler? Are the same freedoms given to his parents as well? What if it is just a joke? Well, the funny thing about comedy (get it?) is that sometimes there is not a laugh. Some jokes just carry hatred and evil, hence the weight of the name Adolf Hitler. I feel very sorry of that boy. I hope they get their names changed because in no way can they live a normal life with the names their messed up parents gave them. Yes, another judgment, but one that I deem just.
All I can conclude with is to tell people to have fun with names and nicknames, but know where the line is drawn. It might be tough, so ask others before you do something you’ll regret and cannot change. I am stealing this line from an episode of Even Stevens when Louis Stevens (Shia LaBeouf) says, “nicknames aren’t supposed to make sense; they’re supposed to be fun.”
In many cultures, a name is very serious decision made by the parents. As a Roman Catholic, the meaning of my name Michael, who is viewed as the patron saint of warriors, he has been known as the patron saint of police officers and members of the army. I personally believe that when a child is born, the name should have a meaning behind it, there should be a reason why you were named that. I had heard of the story about the Pennsylvania couple who named the children that included “Arian Nation”, and “Adolf Hitler”, I see it as extremely irresponsible for those parents to almost force their beliefs onto their children who are the ones who need to live with those names. To name a child after a man who killed millions of people, is unbelievable. I understand if some extremists may still decide that they agree with what the German leader stood for, but how many people really do? If you truly believe in those ways, change your own name instead of forcing those radical views onto your child who could be looked down upon by class mates, teachers, and employers. How could the bakery not feel uncomfortable about putting that on a cake? It may be just be a name, a sound that is made to identify a particular person, but the name Adolf Hitler has a stigma attached to hit that will offend millions of people who had their entire families murdered because of what started off as the beliefs of one man.
I felt the same way when my mom would tell me stories when she worked at a hospital in center city Allentown. The names that these parents would give their kids were unbelievable, names that when sounded out properly, sound like curse words but not spelled the same. These people are basically making fun of their own children, making them live their life with these names. People treat this as a game, something that will turn into a long standing joke. I just don’t understand why someone would do it.
A person should take the names they give their children very serious. It is something that they will have for the rest of their life, and it doesn’t matter if they like it or not, they are stuck with it. No matter where you’re from, what language you may speak, a person’s name should have some type of reasonable meaning behind it. Something that when you say what it means to a person its inspiring, not the name of a person who has gone down in history as a heinous murder, I just found out that about 2 weeks ago, the children from the article that I am responding to were taken by child services.
I am aware that Adolph Hilter but essentially, when it comes down to it, is just a name. however, in today’s society one would think that with the education of what the man Adolph Hitler from Germany who was a Nazi did, would make someone else less keen to name their child by this name. Not only would using the name of someone who was a brutal and cruel murderer almost be justifying his actions by glorifying his name, wouldn’t this also create extremely negative implications for this child that will soon grow up and go to school and learn who he was named after?
I am completely not surprised that the bakery in Pennsylvania refused to ice the name Adolph Hitler on a cake. Yes, one may argue that it is discrimination of some sort in that the bakery is discriminating against someones name. but wouldn’t it be just as bad as icing a swastika onto a cake because someone argued that its their favorite symbol and therefore they want it on their birthday cake? Also, not only could the baker have been protecting himself of any accusations of prejudice if other customers saw the cake, im sure he also didn’t WANT anyone to see that he had agreed to make that cake, like I said, in fear for himself and the customers feelings. Making this particular cake with the name Adolph Hitler on it could cause a lot of unnecessary conflict for the bakery if another customer were to see it and would get offended by it. Also, it could have been a more personal reason for the rejection of the service. Perhaps the person icing the cake had family who was subjected to the horrific killings of Hitler. Either way, all reasons for not wanting to ice that name on the cake are legitimate to me.
Something that I am more concerned with, more so than the birthday cake, is the parents. Why would they name their child this name? Knowing that its historical past is an extremely negative and hateful one, it seems highly unlikely that little Adolph was named after his grandfather. Are his parents pro-nazis? If so, why would they impose their views on an innocent child by naming him this. I don’t even want to imagine what this poor child will have to go through when he grows up. Associated with his name is a lot of pain for others with jewish background or even those who are of polish or german decent. Although he wasn’t the person that executed so many people, isn’t his name still a symbol that can be extremely offensive to others since it brings up horrible memories for others?
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