Warning: This post contains sarcasm and what some may dub “harsh” judgment.
In a recent baby name discussion, I called a name “incredibly tacky”—because, well, I find the name incredibly tacky. Immediately, I was accused of being “too harsh.” This surprised me; I have seen far worse naming judgments expressed online, or heard far worse divulged in conversation. While I don’t condone flaming or personal attacks, I operate under a strict honesty-or-bust policy, especially regarding names, about which I am very opinionated (and I freely admit this).
“I know everyone’s entitled to their opinion,” the offended mother began her argument.
Yes, exactly. I am entitled to my opinion. I’m glad we agree.
“But every name has been used by a parent and we should be sensitive because a name being discussed might be the name of someone’s child…” she continued.
I am aware that names are given to real children. That is what a name is. It is given to someone, or something. I am also aware that a name being discussed on a social media website (in this case, it was Savannah) is likely to be the name of a fellow contributor’s child. And frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. I am going to keep expressing my opinion, and if I don’t care for a name, I am not going to sugarcoat that opinion and opt for the safe: “It’s not my style.” Because not only is it not my style, but I simply don’t like the name. Sorry I’m not sorry. When I express a dislike for a name, I am doing just that--expressing dislike for the name, not the child. Not everyone is going to like your child’s name--there’s no getting around it. If you can’t handle differing opinions about the name you gave your kid, maybe you shouldn’t have given them a name at all. Then no one could dislike it! Yay!
Because of the varying and diverse naming preferences in this world, not every child is named Savannah, or Michael, or Nevaeh, or Aiden, and I love that. That’s what allows me to enjoy names and naming as a hobby. There are millions of names, because there are billions of people, and those billions of people all have different naming preferences and styles. So, Mom-of-a-Savannah, I am sorry you are offended that I find the name Savannah tacky. But I assure you, I’m not the only one who does. And there are also thousands of parents who would disagree with me vehemently, just as you do.
You are perfectly free to dislike all my favorite names too: whether it be Cecily, Beatrix, Leander, Simon or any of my other name-loves…I don’t expect everyone to like them, and I am not offended when someone doesn’t. I embrace the opposition because ultimately, diversity in naming is what makes a hobby of baby names so exciting. If I had ten friends named Cecily, maybe I would start to find her incredibly tacky. And if every child in the world was named Savannah, maybe even you would start to find the name tacky. You never know.
If that makes me rude or offensive, so be it. I will continue to find Savannah totally unappealing whether it be your daughter’s name or not.
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