What's in a name?

[straightBOS]

I think that it is unfair that people today assume that "traditional" or "Western" names cannot have meaning or that you need to separate yourself from that. Almost everyone in my family was named after some else-- a parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc. So our names have even more meaning because we were named for someone who was special to our parents and someone we can look up to, even though all of them are common names.

Often children with these names have no ties like that. Almost like, they have thrown out the family history with the Western name. I really don't know many kids with the ghetto names that are focused on coming up and doing something better for themselves and their families. If the purpose was to move away from a Eurocentric ideal into a more self-sufficient Black America consciousness it has not worked because there is more work to be done after the name has been given.

Everyone should be proud of his or her name-- (well except for me with my "old-people" middle name) but at times I wonder if the outrageous names are overcompensating for something.