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December 17, 2008

Some parents just don't understand

Posted by Melissa Wilson at 02:41 PM ET

I frequently bemoan the fact that my mom gave me a name that is both incredibly common for my age group, as well as (apparently) impossible to spell. As of this moment, however, I will cease complaining and be grateful that she did not name me Adolf Hitler.

Little Adolf Hitler Campbell ran into trouble last week when a grocery store in his native Pennsylvania refused to print "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler!" on a cake for his third birthday. His sister JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell will likely face similar disappointment on her birthday.

His dad said he chose the name because he liked it and "no one else in the world would have the name."

Well, almost no one. I hope little Adolf doesn't discover Google and Wikipedia too quickly, or he may quickly be petitioning the court to allow him to change his name, as did a nine-year-old girl from New Zealand whose parents gave her the unfortunate name, Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii.

Both are considerably worse than Melissa Wilson.

However, I'm almost inclined to side with the Campbells on this one. Adolf Hitler is, after all, only a name, and it contains no profanity (though requesting a swastika on the cake is certainly crossing a line).

What do you think?

Are all the Jessicas and Jennifers of my generation thanking their lucky stars right now?

More entries on: Generally Interesting

Previous: Polarized #2: Whale Wars - The Next Generation
Next: Queerly Canadian #2: Escape Claus(e)

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Reader comments:

I think it's clear Adolf Hitler isn't just a name for this kid's parents. Giving their other children the middle names Aryan Nation and Hinler shows a clear intention to honour the Nazi agenda. And I think sending your children out into the world with inflammatory political statements for names is profane in itself; it doesn't matter if there is nothing offensive about the names taken outside of their context.

Posted by: Cate at December 17, 2008 03:35 PM

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Cate, I do agree that giving the child the name is ridiculous, profane and in incredibly bad taste.

However, I think more than anything else my first thought when I read this story was how sad I felt for the child to not only be burdened with a name like Adolf Hitler but to also have to go through life without simple childhood pleasures like a store-bought cake/tooth brush/coffee mug with his name on it (assuming other places would offer the same refusal to print it).

The parents were wrong to give him the name and expect no one would take offense, but the child shouldn't be punished for it.

Side note: My sister was given a relatively uncommon name and went through childhood almost never getting her name on anything, whereas I had bears and spoons and place mats galore. She is 16 now and this is still a sore spot for her.

Posted by: Melissa at December 17, 2008 04:26 PM

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This man is an obvious supremist and a racist and giving him any news time is a waste. He has caused this child's problems and I hope he stews in it. Any person in their right mind would not name one child after a egomaniac yet alone adding the middle name Aryian to another child! Who does he think he is kidding?? Not me for sure! Tell him to stay in the backwoods and keep his racist sentiments to himself. May they all suffer through life for their very bad judgement.

Posted by: Chris at December 17, 2008 04:45 PM

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Yeah, I don't think that we can fall into this deconstructionist fantasy where words are divorced from meanings. We know why this guy chose these names, and we know what he means by them.

Posted by: Graham at December 18, 2008 12:47 PM

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I didn't mention it in my entry, but the judge who allowed Talula Does the Hula to change her name actually ruled the parents' name choice as a form of child abuse because of the teasing and mocking she was likely to experience due to her unusual name. I'm curious why there was no outcry when these parents went to register the child's name. Surely someone would have said something then. Is it possible for a name on a birth registration to be rejected?

If anyone's as interested in poor name choices as I am, here's a neat Slate article about it: http://www.slate.com/id/2196204/

Posted by: Melissa at December 19, 2008 12:47 PM

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