OK, so how about a rant on something that’s baffled me for as long as I can remember. First, let’s get something straight. I’m not a racist, and I try very hard to appreciate cultural differences. Having said that, I do not get the rationale behind how some African-Americans come up with names for their children. Case in point: last night I saw on interview on the 6:00 news with a woman whose name was (no joke) Enorma. Before you ask, yes, she was a bit on the…um…large side. I found myself wondering if the reporter was also going to interview her sisters, who undoubtedly are named Giganta, Gargantua, and Humunga. Perhaps it’s just some sort of Nigerian naming tradition that I clearly don’t understand, but why would anyone who professes to love their child saddle them with a name like “Enorma”? Surely, these folks realize the potential for their child to be teased mercilessly once they go to school? And the potential for Enorma to be the butt of jokes throughout her life is a gift that just keeps on giving.
Living in the Houston area with it’s large African-American population, it’s easy to run across this sort of thing, and it’s much more common than you might think. While I certainly don’t expect African-Americans to have the same cultural sensibilities as I do, but “Enorma”?? What in the Hell were this poor woman’s parents thinking? Assuming, of course, there actually was anything resembling actual mental functions taking place when these parents came up with this monstrosity of a name.
Then again, I should probably be glad my own parents passed on their first choice for my name: Biggusdickus. Try explaining THAT one, eh?? Never mind living up to it….