When the name you like is suddenly racist.

wassuphoes · July 2015

I get it hipsters, you thought you were safe. Whoever thought there was going to be a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird?

https://jezebel.com/in-go-set-a-watchman-atticus-is-a-racist-whos-gone-to-1717128195

I'm curious to see how this impacts name trends. Atticus had the right combo of old school awesome and I haven't read a book since high school but want to look well read, so will the new book completely erase it's usage again or will the book be a total flop and not have any cultural impact at all?

Also, I find it hilarious that the end of the article mentions Scout goes by her actual name of Jean Louise when she's an adult ( I don't know, maybe because she's a fucking adult and didn't want people to call her Scout?) So, all you people thinking Scout is so cute for a girl, well you just have bad taste.

jnnfrrose6 · July 2015

Only one chapter is out. Could be that he gets redeemed after going "off course" later in the boom. Or he's just become a bigot influenced by those around him.

MixedBerries88 · July 2015

This is hilarious to me. I've always thought that people who say they named their daughter Harper because they love Harper Lee are lying because 1) she's written one book so it's hardly a cannon of work and 2) if it was about the book, they'd name the kid Jean Louise or..God forbid...Scout. Anyway, I think Atticus is still a cool name. Just don't name your potential kid Atticus George Zimmerman and you'll be fine.

wassuphoes · July 2015

I mean, realistically, this book was never meant to be released and is only being published as a shameless money grab, but I live for Schadenfruede.

MixedBerries88 · July 2015

@wassuphoes sometimes I feel like you live inside my soul. I could have written that exact same sentence.

gonetothesea · July 2015

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Atticus is my most favorite name AND book character in the world. I was so looking forward to the new book. This is bumming me out on so many levels.

eliztheforrizz · July 2015

Dammit, @wassuphoes, I was hoping from the thread title that this was going to be some really misguided drive-by post by some clueless noob who I would get to rip to pieces, and then you gotta go and get all literary on me. That said, I am one of the few rubes who has never actually read To Kill a Mockingbird, much to the chagrin of my father who tears up every time when he watches Gregory Peck walk out of the courtroom at the end (not to mention the fact that I have an English degree - God forbid), so I have always presumptuously eye-rolled at anyone who wants to name their kid Atticus, Harper, or, God forbid, Scout, and considered them pretentious, wannabe bibliophiles.

I really have no idea how I never had a high school English teacher to put this work in front of me, but I can say as a pseudo emo kid who fell in love in the most cliche way possible with Catcher in the Rye in 10th grade and never let go of my undying devotion to Salinger, there is a nagging, immature part of myself that would love to birth kids named Holden and Phoebe, but I keep that foolishness in the tiniest, blackest part of my heart because I know how absurd it is. In other words, I do and do not have room to judge when it comes to refusing to give up on first literary love. I have no idea if this new book will stop the Atticus madness, but I can only hope it will at least temper it a bit.

CaboBride2015 · July 2015

If it makes you feel any better @eliztheforrizz I know someone with a Harper and a Holden.... hitting all the literary references there in one shot. Yep...twins.

I also thought this was going to be a post that would inevitably get so much side eye someone would get banned again! Alas... books, fun but in an entirely different way. Someone needs to throw a Nene side eye gif up here so I feel better.

Eta: autocorrect fail

MixedBerries88 · July 2015

@eliztheforrizz you heard @CaboBride2015 lets get some Nene gifs!

wassuphoes · July 2015

@eliztheforrizz I mean, Feb 16 still has people claiming that they'very seen a La-uh if you want.

I should have titled this when your name sake is suddenly racist instead of name.

eliztheforrizz · July 2015

MixedBerries88 said:

@eliztheforrizz you heard @CaboBride2015 lets get some Nene gifs!

If you insist...

MixedBerries88 · July 2015

eliztheforrizz said:

MixedBerries88 said:

@eliztheforrizz you heard @CaboBride2015 lets get some Nene gifs!

If you insist...

Thanks boo! @eliztheforrizz

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