One of my most recent fits of laughter occurred as it usually does: with my roommate, Allyson.
We were sitting together studying and working on homework a few days ago in our dorm, and naturally we were miserable. In these kinds of situations we usually turn to our favorite study break, YouTube. That day, however, we opted for a different approach. I am enrolled in a Development Psychology class this semester, and part of course assignments is to take care of a Virtual Child. It is an online program where you raise a virtual baby from birth to eighteen years of age, and you get to see how your parenting choices could possibly influence the trajectory of development. In our syllabus it states that "you and your imaginary partner" will take part in rearing, meaning that each student has their own virtual offspring instead of pairing up with a classmate. Allyson and I decided that it would be much more fun if instead of an imaginary partner, I raised the baby with her.
Thus on this study break we decided to start looking at baby names. Given our personalities there was no way our child was going to get off with a generic name. We debated taking the "celebrity route" of naming our child after abstract ideas, inanimate objects (Jason Lee's son Pilot Inspektor was a big inspiration), or just random names we found. What really got us belly laughing however was when we decided our child would have a generic name with an obscure spelling. Allyson and I both have alternate forms of our names, so we thought it was only fitting that our baby follow the tradition. The difference (and the laughter) came from the level of obscurity we achieved.
It is amazing the spellings that are legitimately suggested when you do a simple internet search. The boy names started with just one or two letter switches; "Scott" was spelled "Skott", "George" became "Gorje". Soon the list became more and more random, giving us names like "Dayvid/Dafydd", "Felip", and "Dafne". Of course we soon took matters into our own hands and created our own literal spellings of names, coming up with "Micinseigh" (Mackenzie) , "Pahtreque" (Patrick), "Sckaht" (Scott), and my personal favorite, "Airwrecka" (Erica). By the end of our search we had tears in our eyes and had probably made a lot of enemies due to our disruptive laughter.
I think my favorite part of this story is that there is no explanation as to why we thought this whole ordeal was so funny. You can argue that it was the unexpectedness and ridiculousness of the alternate spellings, almost sending us into shocked laughter. Or maybe it was the irony that these were generic names made absurd by taking phonetic spelling to an extreme level. Yet when I tried to share the humor with some of my sorority sisters, they didn't seem to get it. It was one of those "You Had To Be There" stories. While the initial lack of enthusiasm of the listener may be awkward and disappointing, those kinds of laughing fits and funny stories are special and necessary because they reaffirm the relationship between the people who are a part of it. This "inside joke" is something Allyson and I share, and it brings us closer to know we share a sense of humor. In my experience this can be one of the strongest bond-building moments, and it seems to me to be one reason why laughter exists.
I couldn't help but laugh while reading this!!! I've been super interested in baby names since I was like 5 (I literally had a notebook that I just wrote the names of my future 8 children in....my favorite was Isabelle Elizabeth....talk about a mouth full). So many celebrity names are so crazy I can't help but laugh. Pilot Inspektor is a classic but I have to say my favorite would either be Fifi Trixabelle or Audio Science-don't ask me who their parents are because I honestly didn't recognize their names but I guess they're famous for something.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have a different spelling of a common name. My favorite thing has got to be when people pronounce Ali like Mohammad Ali instead of Alley-just kidding it's not my favorite at all. It always surprises me when people do that to because my last name is so Italian and those that pronounce my name like Mohammad try to make it middle eastern. Anyway, I feel like we probably laugh at names that are so outlandish because they're not ours! Who the heck wants to introduce themselves as Fifi Trixabelle? Not me! I often get annoyed when people write "Ollie"on my starbucks coffee or mispronounce my name. Names like "airwrecka" make me feel superior.
Hi Kiley, loved you description. Thanks for posting. The baby-name discussion is great.
ReplyDeleteCan I just start by saying that it's extremely unnerving to see Dr. Williams really kind posts with the worlds scariest mug shot?
ReplyDeleteBut, in response to this post:
WELCOME TO MY LIFE. My name is Kira and for the amount of times that I get called Kyra my name might as well be legally changed. I CANNOT STAND IT. Every poor substitute that stood up there reading of names monotonously, "Jake, here, Emily, here, Sarah, here, Brittney, here, …..K-y-Kyra? It's kira. Here."
It's the worst feeling to be called by the wrong name, it causes me to lose my sense of identity. My name was beautiful crafted in the deepest recesses of my parent's brains and it's such a beautiful treasure to be called by your birth name. Saying it wrong just takes a beautiful gift and throws it on the ground, runs it over with a bus, spills coffee all over it, and then tries to wash it, only to shrink it too small. Never to be the same again. This may seem overdramatic but a rose by any other name would smell as well? FALSE. THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO A NAME JULIET.
On the subject of humor, I'm glad that y'all found in enjoyment in other children's misfortune. Can you imagine living life with the name Pilot Inspektor? Imagine the wedding invitations. Absolutely ridiculous. However, humor to the point of belly laughing is good for the soul and I'm happy that you were able to experience that.
*smell as sweet? (not "as well", wow that was an embarrassing error)
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