Icelandic girl fights for right to her own name

AP ^ | 01/03/2013

[Einherjar]

A 15-year-old is suing the Icelandic state for the right to legally use the name given to her by her mother. The problem? Blaer, which means "light breeze" in Icelandic, is not on a list approved by the government.

[don-o]

No stalking here. I opened a thread because Iceland is interesting to me. I had no idea that your regrettable comment would appear.

You, otoh, have clearly announced your intent, plan and modus. So, case closed on your suit.

And if upholding traditional morality equates in your mind to Taliban, I am at a loss on how to even begin to understand such a mindset.

[Mich Patriot]

"But, bottom line, sexual immorality is no laughing matter. It undermines the foundation and maintenance of the family."

So because I have hormones AND a sense of humor, I couldn't possibly be a good family man? Got it.

We have enough girly men these days...I'm a REAL man and proud of it, and my lady wouldn't want me any other way.

[Lazamataz]

YOU OPPRESS ME LIKE THE TALIBAN OPPRESSES CHRISTIANS!!!!!

[Lazamataz]

[momtothree]

As a Mom of three kids... I agree. I have to laugh! I adore a good sense of humor. Gets me through the day and with everything going on financially, socially and politically.... laughing helps. Joking is joking... sexual immorality is a whole different ball of wax. It is the acting out that gets a person in trouble... not making a joke.

[Ditter]

I think in Holland a child’s name has to be on the approved list (I was told). My Dutch friend has grandchildren in Holland and they have some pretty weird names so I don’t know if they are on the list or not.

[Disambiguator]

Having worked in the “inner city” for most of my so called professional career, a recurring dream is that I am the principal of an all black high school and I will have to read the names of all the graduates. Make that a nightmare.

You might find this amusing.

[rightly_dividing]

Or a dash maybe. The dash don’t be silent

[CAluvdubya]

Lighten up, Francis.

Get over yourself. Aren't you the one that wanted to police everyone's language because they used asterick's instead of swearing? You seem to be falling into the government control thing a little too easily...

[ksen]

I imagined being a teacher in such a school. On the first day of class, I would have each of the students recite their first name and would then Anglicize it (or convert it to whatever comes close to being an actual name). I would tell them this is their grown-up name that will get them through life, get them a real job and keep them out of prison. Of course, I’d be fired and accused of being racist for doing nothing more than trying to help improve the students. If we had teachers actually willing to do that, it would go a long way into rescuing a culture set adrift to the lowest common denominator.

Yes, there's nothing racist at all about wanting to give black kids more white sounding names. I mean if Toby was good enough for their ancestors it should be good enough for them. :facepalm:

[don-o]

I am the one, but my name is not Francis.

Profanity - I have encouraged the owner to either enforce his own rule (no profanity, personal attacks, violence or racist posting) or else change the rule.

[CAluvdubya]

LOL, you pinged the owner over this?

Frowny faces create more wrinkles than laugh lines. Puckering your lips in a "Tsk, tsk" motion makes a bunch of tiny lines around your mouth that will never go away.

Maybe you should watch Duck Dynasty. They are funny, religious, and even a tad bit risque.....never mind, you wouldn't like it.

[don-o]

LOL, you pinged the owner over this?

Common board protocol to ping one who one mentions in a post.

[Prospero]

Interesting gene pool. Nice lungs.

[ataDude]

This is us in 10 years.

[ataDude]

Bahawaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[fieldmarshaldj]

How many Black parents today are naming their children ACTUAL African names ? "Sharniqua'a Tahwumikaa" isn't an African name, it's a nonsense name. This has been an appalling trend since the 1960s and only condemns most of their children to a permanent position on the lowest rung of the socioeconomic scale. How bad is it when one reads an article about a criminal and because of the name, we instantly know their race ? I contend even naming these children as such is racist, and divisive... cultural apartheid.

By using the Kunta Kinte/Toby analogy, you've completely misunderstood and misrepresented what I've said. Nevermind that was a fictitious character to begin with, you're implying that by replacing a nonsense name (that has absolutely nothing to do with African heritage) with a mainstream name, that it equates to slavery. The whole point is to LIFT them out of the bondage that having such names keeps them in.

BTW, there is a "White" equivalent of that nonsense, with the children of hippies given such absurd names and amongst some today to go on bizarre orthographic expeditions on mainstream names (with the overdose of "e"'s "i's" and "y's").

[HomeAtLast]

As prudes go, I’m in the nationals. Yet I had no idea that “hit” in the Laz sense had any inherent immorality about it. I have always equated it with “hit on,” and “make a pass at.” It’s making advances, given suitable material to work on and a little serendipity. In the event, it would be odd if he did not rise to the occasion. In the abstract, it’s just harmlessly facetious.

It also seems to have a life of its own, a longevity and (microcosmic) universality, qualities common to classic humor, as recurrently funny as a pratfall or a custard pie.

Carry on, Laz. You wicked funny man.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

One has to be careful how you name your child anymore. My Great-grandfather had a good name 150 years ago. His Great-great-great gransdon was given the same name. I would NEVER name a child that name in today’s world.

Years ago, names like Percival was a good name, but no longer, and my Great-grandfather’s name was worse in today’s culture.

[Lazamataz]

Yet I had no idea that “hit” in the Laz sense had any inherent immorality about it. I have always equated it with “hit on,” and “make a pass at.”

When directed at liberal women, it usually involves this: