What's In A Name?

In one of his famous lines from one of his most famous plays ("Romeo and Juliet"), William Shakespeare writes, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

I had to think long and hard when I was deciding which name to give this blog. I didn't want to choose a name that was overly pretentious. I wanted it to be something that suggested the challenge involved in writing about the issues of the day and the intention of delivering thoughtful, rational perspectives -- combined with respect for the ongoing efforts to make this country what it was designed to be.

A name is not something to be taken frivolously. This is a topic that was addressed, in a way, on "Frasier" a few years ago. Niles and Daphne wanted to be on a waiting list for an exclusive school for their as-yet unconceived child, and they needed a name as a "placeholder." They tried a lot of methods but couldn't come up with anything that pleased both of them. In the end, Roz told them that she would choose a name, Niles and Daphne wouldn't have to know what it was, and it would serve its purpose.

Unfortunately, the name Roz chose -- "Ichabod" -- ultimately led the school's selection committee to conclude that Niles and Daphne didn't take the selection process seriously, and "Ichabod" Crane was rejected.

(Even so, I guess Roz's choice was better than the one Daphne came up with at random from a phone book. "Bob" Crane implied too many unsavory things. More unsavory than the "Headless Horseman.")

In making the same point many, many years ago, comedian George Carlin observed, "If Janitor in a Drum made a douche, no one would buy it."

I have a good friend who knows just about everything there is to know about the internet and computing. He believed I should choose a name that will jump to the top of the list when people run a search in Yahoo or Google or some other search engine.

But I was trained and educated as a journalist. Marketing isn't my thing. So the name I picked may not be the best choice for promotion, and it may not be easy to find, but I think it reflects the psychology behind this blog.

I chose "Freedom Writing" because it's a nice play on the name of the participants in an event of political and historical significance in America -- the Freedom Riders.

To test the Supreme Court's ruling in Boynton v. Virginia (1960), civil rights activists rode buses into the then-segregated Southern states. Those activists were called "Freedom Riders" and they embarked on their journey on May 4, 1961.

The Freedom Riders and their mission were overshadowed in the news at the time by the fact that astronaut Alan Shephard, on board Freedom 7, became the first American in space the next day with a 15-minute flight.

But the Freedom Riders have a place in the history of social justice in America, just as I hope "Freedom Writing" will have a place in the public debate about justice in this country.