By The Way...

Note to anyone traveling: The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a mess. Yes, I realize the Pennsyvania Turnpike is always a mess -- indeed, one could say it is what defines the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Be that as it may. You might want to bring a pillow. Or a good book.

Now then, here's a story of great social and political import: More Americans are naming their children after commercial products:

Children have been named after big brands as diverse as beauty company L'Oreal, car firm Chevrolet and designer clothes company Armani.

There are even two little boys, one in Michigan and one in Texas, called ESPN after the sports channel.

Now, I don't want to go to the system like they have in some European countries, in which the government has veto right over the parents' choice of name for their kids, but could someone have pulled aside the parents of the child named ESPN and asked, as nicely as possible, "look, are you high?" Kids have a hard enough time of it in grade school without being called after a sports network. And what happens if that kid grows up to hate sports? Or, in the case of young Chevrolet, decides he or she may wish to purchase a Hyundai? The ramifications are many and all not good.

Would you ever name your child after a commercial product? If so, why? Also, are you high? Really, now.

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• #3 Comment from hempenhomespun 
  11/16/03 12:20 AM | Permalink

  One of the teens I work with thinks that Pepsi would be a fabulous name for a daughter. He asked me how I like it. I suppose if he HAD to go with a Cola, it's not as traumatic a name for the child as Coke.
• #2 Comment from blondbabe9196 
  11/15/03 10:56 AM | Permalink

  i know parents who name there kids, out-of-this-world names are crazy. or like you said really high! some parents really are like that when they name you. like me! my mom named my Chevyamlie(Chevi-a-mlie) Prety crazy stuff. Most people i know can't evevn say it. my middle brothers name is Makino.(makin-o). yeah well just thought i'd share that. later
• #1 Comment from lousantiag 
  11/15/03 7:09 AM | Permalink

  As a teacher in New York City I come across some fantasic names. I knew a family that had 7 kids and each named after a car. Then there are the names that sound like someone dropped something and then wrote down the sonds phonetically. I had a kid named Tshaka and then there are all forms of names ending in qua (shanequa. tashequa,)