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Home > Blogs > Springfield Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > January > 05 > Entry
Did these parents go too far?
A Pennsylvania family is in the news after a local supermarket refused to put their 3-year-old son’s name on a birthday cake.
Why would they do that? Because the toddler shares a name with one of history’s most reviled men.
Heath and Deborah Campbell named their first son Adolf Hitler Campbell. That was followed by JoyceLynn Aryan Nation, 1, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, 8 months.
The father says he was raised not to mix socially with other races but doesn’t care if his children do. They chose the names because he liked them and figured no one else would have those names.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that there are not a lot of little ones running around with those names.
I know we have some educators who read here and some of them will probably agree with me when I say that the unique name craze has gotten… a little out of hand. I check to make sure I have the correct spelling of even the most basic names when I am talking to kids and there have been more than a few I wouldn’t have dared to take a guess at spelling.
But the Campbell’s kids may have some of the most outrageous names I have seen. This seems almost cruel and very short-sighted. I can just picture job applications, college applications, etc.
Obviously along with our freedom of speech, religion, bearing arms, etc., we have the right to name out kids as we choose in America. It’s not that way everywhere though.
The Campbells finally got their cake through Walmart, although a spokesman for the company said the corporation would review its cake decorating policies too. Because the original supermarket is a private company, they had the right to refuse to make the order. Father Heath says that Adolf’s birthday party was attended by children of different races.
But in the long run, this isn’t really about a cake. If they are already having these problems at 3-years-old, just imagine what’s in store in the future. Sure, we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover or a person by their name but that’s not a very realistic expectation in every situation.
What do you think? Has this couple crossed a line with their children’s names?
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment | Categories: Parenting
Comments
By james
January 5, 2009 8:41 AM | Link to this
I think they have the right to name their kids whatever they want, however just like every other decision in life, it’s going to have a consequence. It was by their own hand, so if they want that name on the birthday cake, they can do it themselves.By kb
January 5, 2009 8:59 AM | Link to this
I think this whole issue is getting out of hand. You have parents going for shock value and not considering the consequences these children (not the parents) will have to deal with later on. Seems to me the U.S. may need to start reviewing birth certificates before the names are official like some other countries do. I’m not usually a big fan of gov’t involvement in personal lives but this is ridiculous.By Lizaro
January 5, 2009 9:56 AM | Link to this
Ask yourself what your reaction would have been had the baker refused to put a islamic name or jewish name on this cake? This baker is wrong in every since of the word and is discriminating against this family for their political beliefs, thier national origin and thier race and who knows what else. When a person like this idiot baker does stupid crap like this it provides those truly radical biggots the fire power to sway others to their side…as you can clearly see here the white aryan race is being discriminated against and nothing is being done about it…which is classic Aryan Nation/White Power propaganda.By nullW E Midgley
January 5, 2009 10:07 AM | Link to this
what is wrong with people today are they going to name there next boy Charls Manson how about Jack T Riper the hospital should never printed the birth cer. that and should call children servestsBy NameThatMatters
January 5, 2009 10:58 AM | Link to this
A person has the right to name thier child whatever they wish and if they choose to name their child teddy bundy or adolf hitler or jesus f*cking christ it is no one’s business to say they can not. The real tragedy is that these people are being discriminated against because of their aryan affiliation…right or wrong when we authorize someone to say one belief or idea is better than another then we authorize & condone hatred and prejudice. Naming a child after adolf hitler for someone who is in the aryan nation is like naming your child after martin luther king for african amercians or JFK for irish americans, etc…By Dave
January 5, 2009 11:12 AM | Link to this
I believe this would be covered by the 1942 Supreme Court ruling on “fighting words”. Naming a kid after Hitler is NOT like naming a kid after MLK, Jr. The Pennsylvania childrens’ services folks should consider child abuse charges against the parents.By Lea
January 5, 2009 11:37 AM | Link to this
Poor kids.By NameThatMatters
January 5, 2009 12:05 PM | Link to this
Dave-where is the child abuse? What is the difference? They are outspoken leaders of their beliefs, political, admired & loved by thier followers, charasmatic, well spoken. If these parents believe in the ideology of the aryan nation then they have a right to honor that belief through the naming of their children. Right or wrong, this is the United States and we as citizens have the right to believe in what we want (popular or unpopular) without the fear of being persecuted for those beliefs. From the sounds of it these children live in a environment that is more functional then most family environments these days. FYI - I do not agree with the names choosen by these parents…just as I do not agree with anyone who would persecute them for thier ideas and beliefs.By Dave
January 5, 2009 12:34 PM | Link to this
These kids will live with the consequences of their parents’ decision for all their lives. That is abuse. You’ll notice that the parents did not change their own names. No, they make their warped “statement” and let their kids hold the bag.By NameThatMatters
January 5, 2009 1:02 PM | Link to this
I know several people named adolf or aryan and for the life of me I am not sure what thier middle names are…huh…you know what I only can recall the middle names of only my closest friends and none of which would I persecute because of what thier parents named them. Make fun of them a little maybe, but I do that to some of them anyway. I do agree that these parents used poor judgement when they choose the names, but to say it is abuse is being dramatic and drastic. Dave, it obvious that you beleive that people should not be permitted to believe in ideologies that society deems unpopular…you know who also beleived this way…the Nazis.By Dave
January 5, 2009 1:20 PM | Link to this
Namethatmatters, quit trolling and grow up.By NameThatMatters
January 5, 2009 2:04 PM | Link to this
Dave-quit being s facist…and allow others to have their own beliefs.By Rich
January 5, 2009 10:39 PM | Link to this
All I can say is, the Campbells are lucky they never had to undergo the pre-screening before having children that’s typically imposed on foster parents before they’re allowed to adopt. I truly doubt they’d be approved to adopt children, but of course, biological parents need approval from no one to reproduce.By Lea
January 6, 2009 10:19 AM | Link to this
Hopefully someone lets the kids know they can legally change their names at 18. I would.By Dana
January 6, 2009 10:44 AM | Link to this
I don’t want more government control in any area including what we can or cannot name our children. Fortunately there are no laws against foolishness which is, in my opinion, what the Campbells were in the naming of their children. What we sometimes fail to remember is that ultimately, we all must answer to our creator, until then we have to live together.By Dana
January 6, 2009 10:45 AM | Link to this
I don’t want more government control in any area including what we can or cannot name our children. Fortunately there are no laws against foolishness which is, in my opinion, what the Campbells were in the naming of their children. What we sometimes fail to remember is that ultimately, we all must answer to our creator, until then we have to live together.By common sense
January 8, 2009 9:18 AM | Link to this
people have a right to choose….they don’t have a right to choose the consequence of their choice.