I slightly cringed when the first Latina member of the Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, mispronounced Kamala Harris’ name at the Inauguration. Then I forgot all about it, but it was understandable that people from India probably did not. David Perdue, former Republican Senator from Georgia, repeatedly mispronounced her name like a schoolyard bully. He made fun of her. Then Tucker Carlson who spends a great deal of time playing the victim complained about all the focus there was about getting the pronunciation of her name correct when others should just move on to more important things. “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me.” is an expression to silence a name caller. It was something that I heard on the playground when I was growing up.
What’s in a name? For one thing, my name is very important to me when receiving a call from certain telemarketers who ask for Mr. Squirrel. It is difficult for them to double back on that mistake. But, on a serious note, there is a great deal of importance to one’s name.
We use names to show affection or a special familiarity. Hence the use of a nickname which goes back to early in the 14th century. It literally meant “an additional name”. Nicknames can uplift, demean, or point to an interpretation of a name. It would be demeaning to call someone Fatty. It would be uplifting to refer to someone as Fearless Leader. We refer to our dog, Sadie, as Bubba.
Words meant much more in biblical times. For example, when one of the patriarchs of the Jewish people changed from an ordinary citizen to someone such as the first patriarch, Abram changed his name to Abraham which means “Father of a Nation” in the Hebrew. Abraham’s wife changed her name as well from Sarai to Sarah. The change of name here symbolized a change in vocation. We see this change in Saul, a persecutor of Christians, who becomes Paul when he changes to be an evangelist for Jesus. Israel is a name that means he who runs with God. In Christian baptism, a child is named into the Christian community at the time of pouring water over a child’s head and using chrism to make the sign of the cross on his or her forehead.
If names weren’t so important parents wouldn’t spend so much time, and perhaps arguments, in coming up with just the right one. Perhaps it is a name handed down from generation to generation. A name becomes an inheritance of sorts.
A name can be a call as well to the moral life. I am always impressed when Joe Biden references various sayings that he quotes from his father that made a big impact on him. My father didn’t speak as many sayings as President Biden’s dad did. However, there is one saying that all of us can use as central to us as a guiding ethical principle. When seated on the front porch feeling the heat on a summer night, I remember him saying, “Remember that, at the end of the day, your name is all that you have. Never do anything to tarnish it.” For my father, that should be our ethical brand.
It is no wonder that the people in New York, and perhaps elsewhere, are trying to remove TRUMP from all of their buildings. His brand has been what was most important to his family for business reasons. Now the name reminds us of a legacy for corrupt behavior that they now have earned. Perhaps in the future instead of asking, “Did you lie about that?” People may be saying, “Did you Trump that or is it true? Your name is really what people remember or forget at the end of the day. As my dad said, “Don’t do anything to tarnish it.
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