My Professor made fun of my name and almost made me cry

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

"I know what your surname is, to have gotten that particular response. What I would have done, just so you can table these for next time (because there will, assuredly, be a next time):

<stand up, while they’re all still laughing, and just LOOK around the room, completely deadpan. Not angry. Neutral. Walk slowly down to the speaker’s area, _and try hard to collect all eyes to you… Then say, very softly, and with Extreme Sweetness - with the Deadly Southern Belle sorta sweet, that is) -

“No, but I am a direct descendant of Lizzie Borden. Do you really think that making fun of me is exactly… wise, oh learned and kindly Professora?”

OR

“Yes. It is nice to be so famous. I’m still trying to come up with the analog for women.” Study her intently, face, torso, legs, feet, then back up slowly. “But I don’t waste my time on idiots.” Turn slowly, and look around the room, meeting eyes. “Yes, just as I thought. This whole room is a complete waste of my taletnts.”

Nod to self, and walk out, whistling happily.

OR

Stand up. Wait for laughter to die down. Then offer, loudly, “If you find me a volunteer, I’ll be happy to demonstrate whether I am or not, since you don’t have the balls yourself, Professor.”

OR

STAND. Wait. Wait, looking around. Look back to the professor.
“Don’t quite your day job.” Walk out, with a disdainful snort in her direction and a distinct, “Too bad your education didn’t include any manners. Moron.” Directly to the professor.

Sometimes, the best answer for an insult is a WORSE insult.

22

I suggest talking with her first. Tell her how it hurt you.

Filing a complaint does nothing for tenured professors anyway. All it will do at this point is perhaps antagonize her and remember, you do have her for the rest of the semester.

I think that if you file a complaint at THIS point, it will only succeed in making you look thin skinned.

what if the scenario is like this:

head complaint taker: hello!
you: Hi, I am Lorena Bobbit.
HCT: haha! like that woman who…
you:er, yeah. I have a complaint about that very nature.

I know it sucks and I don’t condone the teacher’s behavior, but I don’t think that a complaint is the way to go.

I suggest that the next time this happens, say in an icy voicy,“yes, the same name as Lorena Bobbit. I am QUITE sure you understand why I don’t appreciate comments on the name”

Because the sad thing is, if your name is all that horrid, it will happen again.
I have a hard to pronounce last name too. I completely sympathize.

I hope things work out ok.

23

I’m going to put myself in the minority and tell you to get a sense of humor. Why is it “offensive” to ask whether or not you are the real Jane Doe when it is gob-smackingly obvious that you are not?

You DO understand that when the Professor made the obviously witty gag, that he was only joking?

You DO realise that he meant it solely as some light hearted humor?

Yeah, the joke becomes old hat for you pretty quickly, but why get so irked about something as lame as that?

even sven, if having people make light hearted gags about your name is the worst thing happening in your life at the moment, consider yourself lucky.

Have a laugh about, throw something witty back at him (if you’ve got anyting ready to go) and then get on with the lecture. Your name is really not that important to other people.

24

I agree with C Dexter Haven. Get over it.

Grow a thicker skin.

Have a quiet chat with the professor if it really bothers you, but filing a complaint for something like that is way OTT.

I do not share a name with an infamous person, but I have a name that can be construed in a few rude ways. Bad luck for both of us then. Live with it.

Remember, the bigger a deal you make of it, the more (cruel) people are going to use it to piss you off.

25

Well I don’t think I am going to file a complaint because I have this teacher for two classes for the rest of the quarter, and she is a really great professor otherwise.

I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt in this situation that she was either too shocked (somewhat unlikely) or simply didn’t have the presence of mind at that moment to realize that her comments might set the class off laughing. I seriously doubt she was acting with spite or bad intentions.

I guess I view the whole incident as a tragety. Something that was bound to happen and doesn’t really have any blame, but something that still sucks.

I’m going to get around to changeing this name one of these days. It’s just a little hard for me- this is the name I’ve always had and I kind of like it. Plus, I think changing it would offend my mother be hard to put past my friends and family. I’ve honestly considered getting married just to have a valid excuse for changing my name!

BTW my name has been mentioned in this thread. If you look around long enough, you’ll probably find a thread where I mention my first name and then all will be clear. But you know. we’re not supposed to give our names out on the Internet and all…

26

Okay, I can’t resist speculation, either… forgive me…

Paula Jones?
Linda Tripp?
Mary Beth Tinning?
Marie Noe?
Waneta Hoyt?
Andrea Yates?
Belle Gunness?
Rosemary West?
Mary Anne Cotton?
Karla Homolka? (that’s getting really low…)

I’m sure that I could come up with more infamous women if I really wanted to, but right now, I don’t!

Seriously though, I reiterate what I said before: make a complaint to the dean or whoever is in charge!

27

There was an article in the local paper about people who share famous names. Barbara Walters got a call from a telemarketer and there was a long pause after she gave him her name.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

“Not at all. It’s just that I’m Phil Donahue.”

They spoke for ten minutes about the fun and problems of having a famous name.

I’ve told this one before, but there was an elderly Iowa farmer named Adolph Hitler back in the forties. He was asked if he planned on changing his name.

“Let the other guy change his. I had it first.”

Maybe a talk with the prof is in order if you feel that strongly about it. If the other ******** is logically long dead, like Lizzie Borden, or obviously different, like the white Dick Gregory I know, it was a lame joke you are going to have to get used to. On the bright side, as a woman, if you are careful about your husband’s last name, it is a problem that will mostly go away when you marry. If there is some possibility that you are really THE *******, like DPWhite is similar to THE Dan White, then it is a question of some validity, but one that a more graceful person (not me) might have saved for a more private situation.

And the only “tragedy” is how hard you are taking it. As Beastal says, if this is the worst thing happening in your life you are lucky.

28

Sorry for the (almost) double-post. It would have been a double-post, but I corrected my spelling error in the second one, without knowing it was going to double-post.

For one, I respect the decisions you have made: to NOT change your name (at least for now), and to NOT file a complaint against the prof. But I do have one question: did your mother know about your infqamous doppleganger when you were born? Or was it just an unfortunate case of your just happening to have the same name as this person? (I haven’t had a chance to perform a search yet, but I’ll get right on it as soon as I post this reply. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)

I agree that it was bound to happen at least once; hopefully, it will not happen again. If it does, you know what to do: take the wonderful advice of the people in this thread! :slight_smile:

29

dropzone, that reminds me… in my Bathroom Readers, I have a fair number of thse kinds of stories. But I should probably post them in a new thread, or else it would constitute a hijack of the highest order! :smiley: So now I have something else to do… woo hoo! :slight_smile: :smiley: :cool:

30

ahem, I got it. sven, :frowning: It is strange to console someone on their name… But if you are considering marriage, you know you’ve got a suitor this way :wink: Rest assured my last name is as uncommon as they come.

31

I get a lot of “Davey Jones…from the Monkees?” jokes all the time. I get over it. Actually, the other day, I had a woman pause after I gave her my name, look at me quizzically, and then ask, “Are you Welsh?” For some reason, after all the Monkees questions, it was really gratifying for someone to ask that. :slight_smile:

32

Filing a complaint against someone for making a little joke is ridiculous. Is that really the kind of world we want to live in? How about telling the professor to her face that it bothered you, instead of trying to get her in trouble with her bosses.

I’m sorry you’re going through a rough patch, and I hope you’re able to deal with these situations more easily in the future, because it will happen again. DPWhite’s advice for turning it into a joke is good.

By the way, I’ve never heard of even sven. What is she famous for?

33

I agree with the “just laugh along with them advice”. My real name is Maverick. Do you know how many people that that they are the first to make a Top Gun crack when they meet me? “Where’s Goose?” gets me every time let me tell you :rolleyes: However, I love my name and I am proud of it and I am glad that I have a name that people recognize instead of some plain vanilla nondescript name. It can work out in your favor more often than not if people can easily remember you because of your name.

34

The worst part is, she just created an uncomfortable learning atmosphere for you - subconsciously, you’re going to dread that class.

Christ, you’d think an educator would be more in tune with their teaching environment. Talk about bad first impressions…

Esprix

[sub]Scylla[/sub]

35

I’ve never seen the movie, but I’d probably ask after Bret and Bart.

36

Well, if you DID change it because of him you wouldn’t be the first. That’s how we got David BOWIE.

(“David Jones,” eh? Could it BE more Welsh?)

37

Could be “Evan Evans”…

Cyn

38

As for the Welsh names I knew an Owen Cadwallader once.

39

Wife was insulted when the press made fun of Sirhan Sirhan for having two first names because Thomas Thomas is a common combo in her family.

40

Argh, can’t you just tell us? Pwetty pwease?