What's In a Name?
Netflix is showing a locally-created documentary called “The Strange Name Movie” (Boston Digital Productions/Walleyed Productions, 2017) and as the title states, it’s about people with strange names – the names that run the gamut of odd, unusual, sexual, well-known, alliterative, and any combination of letters that somehow manages to stand out for some reason. My own last name is a little long and unusual, and the mere fact that no one could ever pronounce it was what would initially make it stand out. An old classmate of mine is featured on it; his name is one of those names that are easily made fun of because part of it is used in everyday slang. It’s a fun watch, especially if you have a name that attracts attention for one reason or another. “Who are you?” That’s the opening question, and the premise has to do with how we identify with our names, whether or not we do, and whether or not we do because of the attention our names attract. An obvious side subject is bullying, ...