# Airline employee mocks the name of a five-year-old **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348 "2018-11-30T19:46:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/1 "2018-11-30T19:46:02Z")
[Story here.](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/30/us/abcde-southwest-apologizes-scli-intl/index.html) Apparently a mother and her five-year-old daughter, whose name is “Abcde,” were boarding a Southwest flight and one of the staff made fun of the name. While I question the advisability of saddling an innocent child with a name that is sure to cause inconvenience, the employee certainly should have kept his feelings to himself. I sympathize with the employee a little, though. Years ago I dropped my son at a hotel daycare facility, and I overhead a mom calling her small daughter “Dallas,” which for some reason struck me as a funny name. Standing in the taxi queue with my husband so we could go off to do grown-up sight-seeing, I reported my amusement. “Do you think she has a brother named ‘Houston’?” I sniggered. The woman in front of us in line whirled around and shot me a withering look. Oopsy, I guess that was Dallas’s mom. I had not known she was right there, and I certainly didn’t intend for her to overhear me. My bad. In retrospect I don’t even know why I thought the name was so amusing. It’s a lot less of a burden than the name “Abcde,” that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/2 "2018-11-30T19:49:56Z")
The employee shouldn’t have mocked the kid’s name, but I would also argue that deliberately giving a kid a name that is sure to invite mockery is something that borders on negligence or child abuse. Reminds me of the kid named [Tatula Does the Hula](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/jul/24/familyandrelationships.newzealand). Poor kid didn’t dare reveal her name to classmates. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/3 "2018-11-30T19:58:53Z")
There’s a long Pit thread on the subject here - [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=866372](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=866372) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/4 "2018-11-30T21:09:21Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > “Do you think she has a brother named ‘Houston’?” I sniggered. I’ve met two men named Houston. A former college classmate and a relative of a coworker. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/5 "2018-11-30T22:03:31Z")
Houston is actually a name in my family. A G-grandfather was named that so alot of boys ( and girls, now) are named Houston. Place names are real popular. The lil’wrekker had a teacher whose husband was named Rocky. Her kids were Stony and Boulder. Talk of the school, let me tell you. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/6 "2018-11-30T22:07:06Z")
It’s wrong they mocked the kid. they should have set up a gofundme for the kids name change ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/7 "2018-12-01T02:48:23Z")
People who go name their kids “abcde” should have the kid taken away and be sterilized. Burdening a kid with a messed up name is cruel and unusual punishment. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/8 "2018-12-01T03:40:45Z")
I knew a software engineer who named his daughter Xyzzy (pronounced Zie-zee). ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/9 "2018-12-01T03:48:35Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I knew a software engineer who named his daughter Xyzzy (pronounced Zie-zee). Well, at least she’s got a handy cheat code for life. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/10 "2018-12-01T03:54:27Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I knew a software engineer who named his daughter Xyzzy (pronounced Zie-zee). > [@Balance](#): > > Well, at least she’s got a handy cheat code for life. Aye; that is a name that you can hold your head high with. Much props. It’s fun to say , too. (Although I always pronounced it “zih-zee” in my head, just like I say “whis-ee-wig” for WYSIWYG.) ---
**Author:** ![RandomNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RandomNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomNerd)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/11 "2018-12-01T12:30:42Z")
My baby is named Xanithor the Destroyer of All Things. However, he is a cat, and no one can forget the fluffiest, cutest, smartest, completely clumsy little furball with the memorable name. Somehow the name suits him even though he only destroys what he has been trained to, ironically the only one of our cats that does not randomly scratch up furniture or carpets (trained him a couple times as a kitten and it stuck since he is very observant for a cat). Although for my brilliance I have negotiated full naming rights for all cats, but I have no say on human baby names (other than a veto to prevent them being named abcde or stripper names). ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/12 "2018-12-01T12:41:43Z")
Wow. That’s way worse than I thought. Before I read the story, I was thinking maybe the employee just thought it was a typo and he was making fun of that. But no, they were being blatant dicks. SMH. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/13 "2018-12-01T16:28:23Z")
I guess we can be thankful that little brother Fghij wasn’t on the flight as well. mmm ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/14 "2018-12-01T16:33:39Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I’ve met two men named Houston. A former college classmate and a relative of a coworker. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Houston is actually a name in my family. A G-grandfather was named that so alot of boys ( and girls, now) are named Houston. Place names are real popular. > The lil’wrekker had a teacher whose husband was named Rocky. Her kids were Stony and Boulder. Talk of the school, let me tell you. Is that pronounced HYOO-ston or HOW-ston? > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I guess we can be thankful that little brother Fghij wasn’t on the flight as well. > mmm Brother’s name would have been “L&M,” but they were kicked out for smoking. I still can’t get over, “La-a.” Ladasha ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/15 "2018-12-01T19:30:26Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Is that pronounced HYOO-ston or HOW-ston? Like the city in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/16 "2018-12-01T19:46:53Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Like the city in Texas. Pflugerville? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/17 "2018-12-01T20:36:08Z")
The mother has a legitimate complaint regarding any information posted by the airline employee that could cause problems not related to the name. That seems to be a big part of her complaint in the video linked by the op. She has no legitimate complaint about people’s opinion of the name Abcde. she may not like their opinion but that’s life. They’re doing her a favor saying it aloud. For every person who comments on it publicly there are many more people thinking it. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/18 "2018-12-01T22:07:01Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I still can’t get over, “La-a.” Ladasha [An urban legend](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/le-a/), and one whose racial politics [make many of us uncomfortable.](http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2009/10/ledasha-legends-and-race-part-one) > [@snopes](#): > > What we have found through searching online Social Security databases (which are not complete repositories of information and thus aren’t the final say in the matter) showed that while there were more than 4,000 “Lea”s, there weren’t any “Le-a”s. For what it’s worth, references in various news stories document that “Ledasha” (fully spelled out, not in a “Le-a” form) has indeed been used as a girl’s name. > [@baby name wizard](#): > > Why does it matter? We tell funny stories all the time without believing them. (Does anybody really think that a priest, a rabbi and a chicken walked into a bar?) I believe it matters in the case of urban legend names because they’re not merely humor…and they’re not random. They exist in a complex social setting, and they serve a subtle and consequential purpose. They are proxies for talking about race. > > I am not saying that telling the story of Le-a, or Lemonjello and Oranjello, or Male and Female (that’s MAH-lay and feh-MAH-lay, of course) makes you a racist. People of every color and background repeat the stories because they’re clever and amusing. What I _am_ saying is that as a group, the legend names have a context and meaning we shouldn’t ignore. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/19 "2018-12-02T00:34:05Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > [An urban legend](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/le-a/), and one whose racial politics [make many of us uncomfortable.](http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2009/10/ledasha-legends-and-race-part-one) Those may be urban legends but I personally know a LTD and his sister TTT. Those aren’t abbreviations, that is their full names. ---
**Author:** ![fedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@fedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348/20 "2018-12-02T01:01:10Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > [An urban legend](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/le-a/), and one whose racial politics [make many of us uncomfortable.](http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2009/10/ledasha-legends-and-race-part-one) unfortunately, they aren’t all urban legends; my girlfriend is a teacher in St Louis who had student named “vagina” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-employee-mocks-the-name-of-a-five-year-old/825348.md?page=2)