What is your name…
You named him what? Today’s
parents seem to believe they can alter their child’s destiny by picking
the perfect, preferably idiosyncratic name.
While a name may be
a palimpsest for parental aspirations, a name also reflects high hopes
for the child himself. Choosing an uncommon name is perceived as an
opportunity to give your child a leg up in life, signaling to the world
that he or she is different.
There are names you probably don’t
think about at all the equivalent of a black suit. And there are busy
purple scarves of names, names that cannot be ignored, that must be
reckoned with.
"People are always going to ask me why I am named
EeLeen. And they are probably going to assume I am Elaine, whereas I’m
not."
Whether people swoon over or even disdain my name is
beyond my control. Ultimately, self-esteem and the esteem of the world
dictate the degree to which I hold my name dear. Like my vocation or
hometown, they tout their name as a distinguishing mark if it "fits."
If
it doesn’t, they might say that, like an inaccurate horoscope, I don’t
believe in that stuff anyway. They’ll change their name, disregard it
or consider it just a synonym for me.
- What is you name…
