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Help[Opinions] Re: Cohen
in reply to a message by C.Ambrosi
So what if Sophia is meaningful and hurtful to me, or a friend of mine, or my cousin's mother's nephew? The thing is, no matter what name you choose, people will have negative associations with it. Even with popular names like Alexander and Sophia.
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I think I agree with this. When I made this post, I knew nothing about the name, I just heard it in passing and thought I'd ask people's opinions. In my country there was actually a child named Number 69 Bus Stop and I find that more offensive (to the child) than Cohen. Now that I know what Cohen means I still don't think it would bother me enough to not use it because most people where I live are so far removed from most things Jewish. Though we do have people of Jewish descent, a lot of them no nothing about anything Jewish anyway (not all of them though). I think it just depends on your context. There's probably heaps of names that we use that would seem weird or offensive to a small group in some part of the world but that's just how it is. It's like how Korean people will eat dogs, yet we find that horrific and inhumane because they're friends to us. It depends on your context and the society you were raised in. I'm fairly sure if I named my son Cohen (and I'm not likely to anyway), I can't imagine anyone where I live would be offended.
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Nonsensical argument
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No, not really.
You can't compare Cohen to Hitler, and really, it's JUST a name. So what if Jews doesn't use it themselves? Shouldn't stop anyone else from using the name. And if Cohen is offensive, shouldn't other religious names be that as well? I wouldn't be offended if anyone named their son Priest, and I wouldn't be offended if someone named their kid God either (even though I'm an Atheist). I think it's a bit stupid, but not offensive.
And besides, Cohen is a pretty common name nowadays.
You can't compare Cohen to Hitler, and really, it's JUST a name. So what if Jews doesn't use it themselves? Shouldn't stop anyone else from using the name. And if Cohen is offensive, shouldn't other religious names be that as well? I wouldn't be offended if anyone named their son Priest, and I wouldn't be offended if someone named their kid God either (even though I'm an Atheist). I think it's a bit stupid, but not offensive.
And besides, Cohen is a pretty common name nowadays.
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At the risk of sounding dumb, ignorant, or rude, I think I'll make a bad decision and chime in here. I agree with your point about the use of Cohen being more stupid than offensive. "Offensive" seems like too intense of a word for this sort of thing, in my very humble opinion. I personally don't understand how people can become truly offended by the use of a name, and this all sort of reminds me of that kid whose named got changed from Messiah to something else because the judge was deeply offended.
Regardless of whether I think Jewish people should be offended or not, I'll remember not to use this name because I'm not interested in offending people or making anyone upset. I do definitely understand and respect the argument against Cohen that has been presented in this thread.
Regardless of whether I think Jewish people should be offended or not, I'll remember not to use this name because I'm not interested in offending people or making anyone upset. I do definitely understand and respect the argument against Cohen that has been presented in this thread.
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You compared Cohen to Hitler! Twice now. I never did that, nor did anyone else on here. You also compared to to Sophia. Both comparisons were totally fallacious.
It's not just a name! It's a sacred title in a major religion. Sophia, on the other hand, is just a name. Of course you wouldn't be offended if someone named their kid Priest - you're an atheist, so you really can't speak on behalf of the people who might be offended. I am personally bothered by names like Priest (which is never used...) and Deacon (which is), but even they aren't as charged as Cohen.
A gentile using the name Cohen is ultimately okay, just like everything else is ultimately okay. It stinks nastily of ignorance and entitlement, and it is literally cultural appropriation. It is just as okay as ignorance, entitlement, and cultural appropriation are.
...Oh, sorry, there was a Hitler comparison. Well, that's just dumb. LOL
It's not just a name! It's a sacred title in a major religion. Sophia, on the other hand, is just a name. Of course you wouldn't be offended if someone named their kid Priest - you're an atheist, so you really can't speak on behalf of the people who might be offended. I am personally bothered by names like Priest (which is never used...) and Deacon (which is), but even they aren't as charged as Cohen.
A gentile using the name Cohen is ultimately okay, just like everything else is ultimately okay. It stinks nastily of ignorance and entitlement, and it is literally cultural appropriation. It is just as okay as ignorance, entitlement, and cultural appropriation are.
...Oh, sorry, there was a Hitler comparison. Well, that's just dumb. LOL
This message was edited 11/1/2013, 12:17 PM
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This is what I was trying to get at further down.
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Cohen is a title, but nowadays it's also a name. And people get offended way too easily, especially when it comes to religion.
I give up. I'm not even gonna try to make my point again.
I give up. I'm not even gonna try to make my point again.
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Your point is totally clear. It's not really your business to declare whether other people are right to be offended. It's your business to take that knowledge and decide whether you're going to respect those people, or whether you feel entitled to be a jerk about it anyway.
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