… of A Response to Diary of a Mad, Black Alumni's "What's In A Name?"

A Mad Black Alumni posed a simple question: What's in a name? Is there really any significance to a name beyond it being the unique calling card of every human being. Does it really matter what a person is named – does it change who they are as a person? Is it important how a person is identified? Does a person's name directly impact how a person is perceived by society? These are seemingly some of the natural extensions to that simple, yet difficult, question. I believe that the field of personal identity, especially how a person chooses to identify themselves, is at best an intellectual quagmire fraught with a myriad taboo topics that tend to be swept under the carpet; and at worst a philosophical nightmare that coerces a person to directly confront one's perceptions of culture, dyadic relationships, education, gender, race, and even sexuality. I think all this lies at the bottom of how a name serves as the marker that encapsulates all of a person's particular characteristics, flaws, personality, and traits. I mean this is a mental machination that occurs when a name is called out; automatically, instantaneously the mind not only visualizes, but also conjures up the vital details associated with a particular name. Is the person male or female, short or tall, fat or skinny, their race, their looks, how their voice sounds, and the prevailing attitudes you hold towards that person … etc. You get the idea? So, when we try to unpack the baggage associated with a particular name, we run into all the issues associated with the underlying naming traditions of person's culture. Sounds simple, but it really is a difficult proposition since it forces us to confront the reasons why a particular name was chosen amongst the available choices; and then, compare that to a name a person would choose for themselves.

I am certain that most folks, if it were possible, would jump at the chance to partake in their own naming process. I think the major reason behind this desire is that at some time during the formative years we have been embarrassed or been made to cringe at our given names. Such is the cruelty of youth! Most folks are able to overcome this embarrassment, but some fail and resort to using a sobriquet in an effort to avoid using their government name. The only way to even start understanding the reasons why a particular name was chosen for a person begins with an appreciation of the naming traditions of one's particular culture. The most common naming traditions consisted of choosing a name that indicated either the family's aspirations for a newborn or the family's prevailing circumstances at that person's birth. This has led to a proliferation of some humorous, and some rather unfortunate names in some sections of Afrikan societies – there's a lot of kids named Problems (or its traditional equivalent), Fortune, Independence, Trust, Luck, etc.; I mean there's even a president named Goodluck (Jonathan of Nigeria). All these 'new' names emanate from a co-mingling of traditional naming systems with that of the colonizers.

I know this is a rather broad generalization, but it seems that the aspirational naming tradition is particularly prevalent in patrilineal societies. Patrilineal societies have since developed and continue to follow the legal principles of male primogeniture – that primordial right of inheritance that guarantees that first born sons not only inherit the father's name, but also his entire estate. It follows that uterine (matrilineal, if you will) societies would tend to mirror and have similar naming traditions to the patrilineal societies described above, with the emphasis being on guaranteeing the rights of inheritance to first born daughters. There is a third system of inheritance known as the double descent, in which individuals receive some rights and obligations from the father's side of the family and others from the mother's side – regardless of gender. Double descent cultures, as I continue with my very broad generalizations, would seem to favor the naming traditions based on the prevailing circumstances surrounding a person's birth. One of the more common types of naming traditions is that used by Native Americans – hence the prevalence of names like Dark Cloud, Eagle Feather, Whistling Donkey, Farting Chicken, Night Walker … these names are derived from circumstances at a person's birth or as close to it as possible. That's the only significance attached to these sometimes unusual names.

There is a strong cultural heritage in the naming traditions of most societies. However, these and many other traditions were severely disrupted and diluted by political, philosophical, and religious colonization. The conquering cultures quickly imposed their traditions on the defeated cultures. The best way to survive under these new dispensations was to adopt the language and traditions of the conquering culture – those that adapted quickly made the most headway. Assimilation and adaptation seem to be good survival techniques that have been used throughout history and are still effectively employed to this day. It is not uncommon to meet people in these societies that not only speak two languages, but also have two names – their identities just as interchangeable as the languages they speak. Most modern names are drawn from the religious traditions of the conquering culture – mostly from either Christianity or Islam. The second or middle name is inevitably drawn from their own traditional culture. As already intimated above, most of the traditions of the colonized cultures either totally disappeared or became integrated into a new culture. It is interesting that when the colonized and conquered societies began to fight back to reclaim their space, the first traditions to be revived were language and naming rights. There was an easier recovery in Africa and Asia where societies had managed to retain their languages and vestiges of most of their cultures.

The arc of history was much different for Black society in America. By the time Black society started to earnestly fight for equality, they were so far removed from the West African traditions of their heritage that they had neither language nor culture to fall back on. This is the only explanation that I can safely proffer for some of the crazy names extant in the Black American community. I can understand how in the late 60s and early 70s it was fashionable to choose an exotic – read Afrikan – sounding name as a form of protest. Among the most prominent people to change their names were the new Muhammad Ali and the new Malcolm X. Both publicly indicated that changing their names was an effort to break with their recent slave history. The more extreme of these attempts led to the propagation of some unpronounceable and mostly meaningless names – the only condition attached to their use being that they sounded so exotic that even the villagers in Zamunda could relate to them. Unfortunately, these 'exotic' names only elicited the exact opposite reaction – confusion and derision. It is unquestionable that these efforts failed as there was no effort to directly connect with the real Afrikans of their distant past. However, that must remain as a discussion for another time, but these might be some of the reasons why Mad, Black Alumni's mother chose that combination of names. If they hold a specific significance remains a question that only her mother can satisfactorily answer – the rest of us can only speculate as to the reasons for her choice.

A name remains the only identifier that pervades the duality of existence – it is the only thing that constantly straddles both the public and the private person. As Mad, Black Alumni stated “a name is distinctive” and clearly identifies all the person's aspects “... two sides of me; a lighter, happier, and more positive side of me. Then there is a much darker, secretive, confused, and lost side of me.” The latter darker aspects can be mitigated through direct communication with her mother and getting answers to the question of why she was so named. The choice of a name has always been an important decision as most people will bear that same set or combination of names for life, and even beyond their death. Women have a slight advantage in this scenario as they usually have an opportunity to, at least, change their family name after marriage whereas men do not readily have a similar opportunity. There seems to be growing acceptance of the culture most prevalent in double descent societies of husbands double-barreling their family names with that of their wives. This is simply an acceptance of equality in dyadic relationships, especially in marriages, rather than a deliberate effort to change the combination of one's names.

At the end of the day it remains a personal choice what name or names one chooses to be identified. The only limitations to that choice being whether to stick with one's given names or to change them to others of one's choosing (Ocho Cinco or Meta World Peace anyone?). There are various options available to changing one's names: There is the legal route which takes time and financial resources. Then, there is the simpler and less expensive route of insisting (or just telling people) on being called by a certain name or combination of names. It takes a high level of confidence and self awareness to tell people how you wish to be identified. It seems Mad, Black Alumni has done just that. Please, call her Jasmine!

Today's thought is from the novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547 – 1616): No fathers or mothers think their own children ugly; and this self-deceit is yet stronger with respect to the offspring of the mind.

Have fun always!!