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ArchivesRe: Why make a name unnecessary long?
in reply to a message by Selwyn
I heartily agree! Middle names that are religious confirmation names or commemorate some admired or rich relative who may leave you money :) are okay, I guess. But, what I surmise to be the original purpose of middle names - to distinguish among many people of the same name in the same locale - is no longer needed.
Many of us are scattered far from the places our families once were concentrated. For ID purposes, we are now all numbers, whether we think about it or not (don't get me started on this one!). So middle names for identification pretty much have worn out their usefulness.
My own personal bias is that middle initials are silly and unnecessary, but even sillier is the use of a first name initial when one goes by a middle name (e.g., J. Cadwallader Smythe). Like, who cares about the J.?
(Someday, Selwyn, when I'm in a REALLY pissy mood, I'll publish my Unahyphen Manifesto against people who are not Hispanic and hyphenate multiple last names. Grrr...)
Many of us are scattered far from the places our families once were concentrated. For ID purposes, we are now all numbers, whether we think about it or not (don't get me started on this one!). So middle names for identification pretty much have worn out their usefulness.
My own personal bias is that middle initials are silly and unnecessary, but even sillier is the use of a first name initial when one goes by a middle name (e.g., J. Cadwallader Smythe). Like, who cares about the J.?
(Someday, Selwyn, when I'm in a REALLY pissy mood, I'll publish my Unahyphen Manifesto against people who are not Hispanic and hyphenate multiple last names. Grrr...)
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