Why do some countries regulate baby names?

[Pappa]

Aside from the fact thst some people are quite attached to their culture and would prefer not to see it die, cultures and languages are the manifestations of a certain ways of thinking about the world. When those ways of thinking are gone, they can't ever be recovered. What we think of as "human nature" nowadays is just a tiny subset of the plethora of thought patterns that used to exist, but died for some reason or another. Mostly, those cultures didn't die because they were defective, but because they were pushed out of existence by some other, more dominant culture. Understanding other cultures and their thought patterns and norms tells us quite a lot about what it really means to be human. Unfortunately, much of the world has become quite beige.

[Coito ergo sum]

Aside from the fact thst some people are quite attached to their culture and would prefer not to see it die, cultures and languages are the manifestations of a certain ways of thinking about the world. When those ways of thinking are gone, they can't ever be recovered. What we think of as "human nature" nowadays is just a tiny subset of the plethora of thought patterns that used to exist, but died for some reason or another. Mostly, those cultures didn't die because they were defective, but because they were pushed out of existence by some other, more dominant culture. Understanding other cultures and their thought patterns and norms tells us quite a lot about what it really means to be human. Unfortunately, much of the world has become quite beige.

Cultures don't die in one person's lifetime. So, we're not talking about someone in their 20s protecting something that will apply to them when they're in their 50s. What the cultural protectionism does is allow the present generation to reach out and control what future generations do.

If people want to speak Spanish in the US, more power to them, I say. Don't require me to speak it, but if they want to do it, fine. And, the government serves the people, not vice versa, so if there are significant populations of speakers of different languages, like in Quebec and such, then the State should accommodate those languages.

If people who speak Spanish breed faster than people who speak English in this country, then maybe Spanish will continue to rise in influence. And, maybe the languages will more and more merge together and create a new culture of Spanglish speakers. Who knows? Do the WASPS in the US have a vested interest in preserving their culture? There's a dangerous road there....

[hadespussercats]

Aside from the fact thst some people are quite attached to their culture and would prefer not to see it die, cultures and languages are the manifestations of a certain ways of thinking about the world. When those ways of thinking are gone, they can't ever be recovered. What we think of as "human nature" nowadays is just a tiny subset of the plethora of thought patterns that used to exist, but died for some reason or another. Mostly, those cultures didn't die because they were defective, but because they were pushed out of existence by some other, more dominant culture. Understanding other cultures and their thought patterns and norms tells us quite a lot about what it really means to be human. Unfortunately, much of the world has become quite beige.

Cultures don't die in one person's lifetime. So, we're not talking about someone in their 20s protecting something that will apply to them when they're in their 50s. What the cultural protectionism does is allow the present generation to reach out and control what future generations do.

If people want to speak Spanish in the US, more power to them, I say. Don't require me to speak it, but if they want to do it, fine. And, the government serves the people, not vice versa, so if there are significant populations of speakers of different languages, like in Quebec and such, then the State should accommodate those languages.

If people who speak Spanish breed faster than people who speak English in this country, then maybe Spanish will continue to rise in influence. And, maybe the languages will more and more merge together and create a new culture of Spanglish speakers. Who knows? Do the WASPS in the US have a vested interest in preserving their culture? There's a dangerous road there....

That right there is an excellent point.

[pErvinalia]

Aside from the fact thst some people are quite attached to their culture and would prefer not to see it die, cultures and languages are the manifestations of a certain ways of thinking about the world. When those ways of thinking are gone, they can't ever be recovered. What we think of as "human nature" nowadays is just a tiny subset of the plethora of thought patterns that used to exist, but died for some reason or another. Mostly, those cultures didn't die because they were defective, but because they were pushed out of existence by some other, more dominant culture. Understanding other cultures and their thought patterns and norms tells us quite a lot about what it really means to be human. Unfortunately, much of the world has become quite beige.

[Ayaan]

...I think Lee might be the only truly androgynous name left...

Sam? Alex?

Ah! Yes. You're right.

Robin?

[hadespussercats]

...I think Lee might be the only truly androgynous name left...

Sam? Alex?

Ah! Yes. You're right.

Robin?

I think that's a girl name.

[Ayaan]

...I think Lee might be the only truly androgynous name left...

Sam? Alex?

Ah! Yes. You're right.

Robin?

I think that's a girl name.

Quite a few men named Robin.

[hadespussercats]

...I think Lee might be the only truly androgynous name left...

Sam? Alex?

Ah! Yes. You're right.

Robin?

I think that's a girl name.

Quite a few men named Robin.

http://www.rationalia.com/forum/viewtop ... 5#p1373462

That's true, but it sounds girly to me. Sorry, Robin Williams and all.

Like Stacy and Courtney. Officially androgynous, but not really.

[pErvinalia]

Robin Hood, man! He wasn't no girly boy!

[hadespussercats]

Robin Hood, man! He wasn't no girly boy!

Also not contemporary. But yes, awesome.

[JimC]

Robin Hood, man! He wasn't no girly boy!

The tights were a bit suss, though...

[pErvinalia]

Yeah, but there's no way you could mistake Russel Crowe for a girl. He grunts and most men go running.

[klr]

Yeah, but there's no way you could mistake Russel Crowe for a girl. He grunts and most men go running.

... to change the channel.

[mistermack]

Aside from the fact thst some people are quite attached to their culture and would prefer not to see it die, cultures and languages are the manifestations of a certain ways of thinking about the world. When those ways of thinking are gone, they can't ever be recovered. What we think of as "human nature" nowadays is just a tiny subset of the plethora of thought patterns that used to exist, but died for some reason or another. Mostly, those cultures didn't die because they were defective, but because they were pushed out of existence by some other, more dominant culture. Understanding other cultures and their thought patterns and norms tells us quite a lot about what it really means to be human. Unfortunately, much of the world has become quite beige.

I don't think that's how it is. Cultures are constantly dying. They only exist as a constantly changing thing, so every culture consists of the dying old and the growing new. At any point in time, the very old people would tell you how things were different in their day.

There are as many dead cultures, as there are points in time. You can't save everything.
And it's not just points in time, it's points on the globe.
When I was a kid, the Forest of Dean was a very different culture to Gloucester. It was actually quite hard to understand what they said. And it's only fifteen miles away.
And the old foresters had a different culture to the young ones.

I don't think you can preserve stuff like that.

Beige it is, I'm afraid. I blame communication.

[Callan]

Yeah, but there's no way you could mistake Russel Crowe for a girl. He grunts and most men go running.

To fetch some Febreze, if gossip is to be believed.

Apparently he's one of those chaps who regard soap and anti-perspirant as effeminate affectations...