To not understand how this is cultural appropriation?

[NewUsername18382828]

Namechanged for this.
DH and I decided to give DD (who is now 6) a name which is originally from another country. Neither of us have relatives or any connection there, we just liked the name. There is an English variant of the name but we didn't like the sound of it as much so went with the one we liked most. Didn't think it would be a problem, a name is a name.

Well anyway, a mum of a girl in DD's class at school was born in that country. She heard me call DD at the gates and started talking to me about her name. She was asking what our ties were to the country, and so on. When I said there weren't any and we just liked the name, she muttered something about cultural appropriation and left with her child. Fast forward another couple of weeks and I've just been informed by another parent that she's been badmouthing us, saying we shouldn't use a foreign name when we have no ties to the country, it's cultural appropriation.

AIBU to have no clue how this is cultural appropriation? I always thought a name was just a name.

“ I work with quite a few Malaysians and they have all adopted English names. I did try and pronounce their actual names and it was not easy at all.”
So they change their names rather than you learn to pronounce theirs. Right......!

I don’t see the issue with this.

I’m British Asian (parents are of Indian origin) and my Dh is South African (Dutch and Xhosa). My dd has a Greek name, one ds has an Indian name and the other one has an American name. We chose them because we liked them.

@FromEden

Couldn't agree more! It's like saying poor ol' Cecil Rhodes was African!

It’s a shame we don’t seem to be able to have a sensible conversation about this. I think it’s interesting. Do you think it would be OK for a child in the U.K. with absolutely no Muslim connections to be called Muhammad or Hadiyah, for example?
I'd be interested to hear from a Muslim poster what they think about it. From the POV of someone who finds the name Mohammad religiously significant, it may be offensive. So I am on the fence for now.

Anglo Irish Prods are not really Irish to most of us

I am quite flabbergasted honestly.

I read the OP and also thought it might be Amelie - but then i have a DC names that and haven’t ever thought I was guilty of cultural appropriation before - this has been an interesting read for me. We chose the name because we liked it better than the anglicised version ‘Amelia’ and came across it in the film. I do have a close friend who is french who hasn’t ever accused me of appropriation but maybe she’s being polite??!

Anglo Irish Prods are not really Irish to most of us

I am quite flabbergasted honestly.

Yes, careful with this kind of shit thanks. Just because they don’t fit your narrow definition. What else are they if not Irish?

hey @Betrand.

When in Rome...………….

If they choose to do that, why does it upset you? No-one made them do it, they just got pissed off with people making a hash of their name.

I would be amazed if it was something like Amelie.

I have a Russian name, but have no Russian relatives as far as I know.

My real name is Greek in origin & usually used in Greece, the USA & the Balkans.

I'm English with some Scottish & Jewish ancestors...

I love my name but get fed up with people who say 'oh but you can't be English' just because my surname is unusual too.

They are English people who came along and pushed the natives into shit poor conditions. You know, a bit like the Anglo Indians did in India!

So you may put your ghasted flabbers away!

@holly40 Aoife is so common as a whole now in the UK most even know how to pronounce it! Same with Siobhan etc

I’m Irish and know lots of Irish Deer-drees.

I remember reading some of your posts before Laurie, am I right in thinking you're in NI? Maybe that's the difference, any Deirdre I've met in ROI is always Deer-dra

@TitusOatesLivesNextDoor - I’ll quote you the next time there’s a thread about a mil or a teacher using the wrong name for a child and not being able to remember what the real one is and everyone says it’s up to them to learn how to pronounce it.....

Will we ever discover the name?!

The Chinese adopt an English name partly because it is seen as 'cool,' but also because we are too thick to pronounce their real names correctly.

It's not a matter of being "thick".

There are sounds in Asiatic languages that westerners cannot physically pronounce (and often they can't even hear the sound accurately to have a go at it). It works the other way round, too.

At birth babies have the potential to make every sound in every language. However, they become acclimated to the spoken sounds they hear around them because those are thrones which have meaning for them. They learn the sounds they need, and the configuration of tongue and lips to produce them - and like any other skill the more they practise it the easier it becomes - but it also means that by concentrating on those sounds, they lose the ability to hear/produce some others.

That is why when out of us speak a foreign language, we speak it with an accent that immediately betrays where we are from. We can have a decent stab at the sounds of languages which are similar to our own, but when they differ hugely eg Chinese and English it is much more difficult.

They are English people who came along and pushed the natives into shit poor conditions. You know, a bit like the Anglo Indians did in India!

Some of them have English ancestors. That was 500 years ago, in the meantime they’ve lived here, been part of Irish life and don’t have to fit your ideas of Irish identity.

Others have had family here for much longer and converted for whatever reason.

Your narrow mindedness is really distasteful btw.

@betrand.

You may do so with my blessing and with no fear of a copyright suit being served upon you! :)

Yes, careful with this kind of shit thanks. Just because they don’t fit your narrow definition. What else are they if not Irish?

Historical figures like the duke of Wellington arent considered Irish though. Not by anyone in ireland anyway. They themselves didnt identify as irish and were part of the class of people that invanded the country and oppressed the native irish population.

Where did the OP go?
What's the name?
Should we just start guessing?
So many questions
YABU for not telling us!!!

@TitusOatesLivesNextDoor
Do you have a handy guide of how Irish people in Ireland actually are?
Some quick guide based on ethnic origin and religion presumably?
A sliding scale perhaps? Who do put at the top?

I'm working on being polite here but I'm not sure you have really thought through what you are saying.

I remember reading some of your posts before Laurie, am I right in thinking you're in NI? Maybe that's the difference, any Deirdre I've met in ROI is always Deer-dra

Born there yes. Catholic though. I live in Dublin now.

I have come across Southern deer dras you, but perhaps not so many come to think of it.

Is Cliff Richards Indian then?

Poor ol Duke must be turning in his grave if he's now being culturally appropriated as Irish!

Mind you, so must Bobby Sands if he's aware of this new think!