What's In A Name

[bust]

Reminds me of the unwanted attention Amin Yashed received

The Indian name Swastika, as it appeared on ridesharing app Uber, was deemed offensive due to its fascist connotations. Uber reportedly did not allow Sydney-based Swastika Chandra to use her first name on its app. But, according to The Australian, it has now backed down and made an exception in this case. It said that Swastika’s name, which in Hinduism means spirituality and divinity and is also a sacred symbol, got caught in the middle of their goodwill policy of banning certain terms after the recent unrest in the Middle East.

A distressed Swastika reached out to the Hindu Council of Australia, who then through the NSW government, took the matter up with Uber. Chandra, a regular user of the app, said the Uber booking system’s flagging of her name was a violation of its terms of use and called for a change. Uber said initially that it understood the “cultural significance” of her name but noted the “sensitivity surrounding historical events … and the symbol’s appropriation by the Nazis”.

Good sense however, soon prevailed. A spokesperson said, “Uber is committed to facilitating a safe and welcoming environment. For that reason, Uber has a policy of restricting access to users whose names entered into the app contain potentially offensive words.” She added that the company understands that there are cultural nuances to names, and it evaluates such instances case by case, and has decided “to reinstate Ms Chandra’s access to the app.”

https://www.indianlink.com.au/uber-invalidates-then-reinstates-indian-name-swastika/

[Mekong]

The one that always tickles me is that a UK radio DJ Sarah Cox named her son Isaac.

Fortunately for the poor little blighter she later married the boys father and he took / was given his surname 

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There was a guy in the UK (Kenneth Kennard) who decided to adopt the middle name Fu and officially changed it.

He thought it was hilarious until his passport application was rejected.

[Coss]

In the Maori language there's a phrase that sounds like  "Kor Mea Hough" which means "I'm" or "this is" and is used before one's name, if you are a radio announcer or tv head.

So Kor Mea Hough Mary Smith, sounds just like, Call me a Ho Mary Smith.

Prolly only me that's noticed this.

[bust]

Or you could be this guy