Saturday, October 29, 2011

What's in a Name?

"Adolf Hitler And Aryan Nation: Parents Who Gave Children Nazi Names Lose Custody"

An American couple lost custody of their children after an anonymous call informed the police of child abuse. The call was made after a bakery refused to put "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler" on a birthday cake. The investigation did not find any evidence for abuse, but the children have not been returned because there was evidence of possible mental illness in the parents. The father has a swastika tattoo on his arm and the parents collect Nazi memorabilia. What it all comes back to though is the children's names. This never would have started if their names weren't so controversial. And is it possible that if something had initially started, the children would be returned to their parents now if not for their names? Names are a huge symbol of someone's identity, yet we don't even choose our own names? Does this influence us later in our lives? Should people be able to name their children names like this? What exactly is a name a symbol of?

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