Place names?

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

Inspired by a recent post... what do you think of place named when you're not from the place or have no heritage there... like for example Ireland. I am not Irish, directly or have any past heritage from there... but I may love the name and the place, the culture, the people. Same with people naming their children Asia and having no heritage there. Yay, Nay? what say you?

Comments

[freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com]

I agree with this wholeheartedly! So many people mix up culture and ethnicity!

On a side note, I am also ethnically German and Russian, and was raised in reform Jewish culture!

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

actually... my culture does hold aspects of all those cultures. Studying arts I can tell you that I do have native american culture infused in my spaniard culture, african and italian... not to mention middle eastern. Sure, I don't follow every one of those to a T because that would be impossible but they are part of me as much as any other... I was raised catholic but also grew up around santeria and other aspects. I think my point still stands... I have ties with said cultures in my features and in my heritage and way of life so... why would the names be off limits?

Sure I am not 100% raised in any of these because i haven't lived in all the places but I also don't exclude what they brought into me to make me... well, me.

[pythianlegume7.livejournal.com]

Honestly I think that is just a biproduct of American culture...with the melting pot/mosaic metaphor and what not. But you have a different way of looking at it than me :).

[pythianlegume7.livejournal.com]

Yeah, its a pretty obvious distinction to me as someone who has taken a lot of anthro courses, but I guess not to everyone. About the side note, that's cool! I guess a lot of Jews are German/Russian.