The Taranaki Daily News (yep world class journalism here), has published an article that talks about "parents being branded abusers because of what they name their kids".
This is because of a single case of a couple naming their daughter "Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii". Now clearly they are mad, but really that's about it surely? No, the Family Court judge apparently "was so disturbed at the effect on the nine-year-old that he ordered her temporarily placed under court guardianship so a suitable name could be chosen".
Nice to see the criminal justice system protecting kids from - being teased. I mean, surely any boy named Richard Short could claim the same, indeed I am sure you can think of a few people you know whose names you're glad you DON'T have (and besides adults can change names anyway).
However what was actually somewhat incorrect about the article was that it listed a bunch of strange New Zealand registered names, ignoring the possibility that some of these may have been chosen by adults:
Fish
Chips (twin sibling of Fish)
Masport
Mower (twin sibling of Masport)
Yeah Detroit
Spiral Cicada
Kaos
Stallion
Hitler
Cinderella Beauty Blossom
Twisty Poi
Keenan Got Lucky
Sex Fruit (which a commentator on the Stuff website says is actually "Count Lawrence Cinnamon Sex Fruit and he changed his name by deed poll as an adult")
Of course this ignores the fact that being named Helen Clark would be a problem for some, the name Lolita has been unusable since the 1950s, George Bush can't be entirely uncommon, let alone Gordon Brown, and let's not forget the endless number of trashy names around which imply "you're a bogun, you'll grow up to be a drug dealer or a stripper etc etc".
UPDATE: Well apparently the story is largely nonsense according to DIA (Hat Tip Not PC)
1 comment:
Scott, I've been torn by this story. (And the TDN used to be a good wee paper in years gone by; haven't read a copy for a long time though, but that's by the by).
It featured largely on ZB this morning. There were numerous stories of some truly stupid names registered here. One nurse from National Women's related the following:
The teenage mother announced she was calling her new babe "Papakura Bus Stop" because ... that's where the babe was conceived.
And the 37 year old grandmother loved the idea. A right old family of success stories, that lot.
The same nurse said she had to politely advise a Polynesian family that while Chlamydia had a nice sound to it for the name of their new daughter, it wasn't a good idea given its meaning.
I also remember the story that made global news years ago of the baby boy in the UK being saddled with the first name of every player in the line-up of Man U at that time, poor wee mite.
I mean, really. I'm as strong an advocate of personal freedom as you are & all that goes with it, but when you saddle a fucking travesty upon a tiny babe, where's the personal responsibility? Papakura Bus Stop? Jesus!
Thoughts? Anybody?
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