Obama Supporters Adopting Middle Name "Hussein" As Their Own

New York Times:

Emily Nordling has never met a Muslim, at least not to her knowledge. But this spring, Ms. Nordling, a 19-year-old student from Fort Thomas, Ky., gave herself a new middle name on Facebook.com, mimicking her boyfriend and shocking her father.

"Emily Hussein Nordling," her entry now reads.

With her decision, she joined a growing band of supporters of Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who are expressing solidarity with him by informally adopting his middle name.

The result is a group of unlikely-sounding Husseins: Jewish and Catholic, Hispanic and Asian and Italian-American, from Jaime Hussein Alvarez of Washington, D.C., to Kelly Hussein Crowley of Norman, Okla., to Sarah Beth Hussein Frumkin of Chicago.

Jeff Strabone of Brooklyn now signs credit card receipts with his newly assumed middle name, while Dan O'Maley of Washington, D.C., jiggered his e-mail account so his name would appear as "D. Hussein O'Maley." Alex Enderle made the switch online along with several other Obama volunteers from Columbus, Ohio, and now friends greet him that way in person, too.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[DCCommuter]

I think this is a positive! They are not doing this to be culturally insulting, they are actually showing that prejudice can be overcome! [And when they get negative feedback from some people, that will give them a small taste of what it is like to be in an unpopular minority.]

[Tropiholic]

The best way to tackle outrageous accusations is to turn them around on the accuser. This is brilliant!

[filo]

How about John Hussein McCain? ....or just Hussein McCain? That rhymes nicely. lol

[eden4barack08]

King HUSSEIN of Jordan, the son, and before him the father, have been the greatest ally in that region to the US for so long. King HUSSEIN Sr, was even married to an American who converted to Islam.
Yet, somehow, the right-wing nuts always manage to attribute the pejorative associations (saddam hussein), to anything as simple as a name, in the name of 'fear mongering'.

Isn't it time we start ignoring them?

[ProfessorDuh]

Smart political move, and very Frank Capra. Take your supposed weakness and turn it into a strength.

[excitablerooster]

Hussein? WE SANE!

[queotic]

LMAO!

[LuvDaH8ters]

Thats hilarious

[Bluejay00234]

Blue Hussein jay? Hmmm does have a spicy ring to it. lol

[inthecolour]

It's been going on for a while now online.

I think it's fantastic.

Hussein = handsome and good (Semitic)

Barack = blessed (Semitic)

Obama = leaning (Luo)

[rainbowblue]

This is offensive. People are taking a part of a respected culture and bending it to their own political will. By trying to make Hussein as normal as Joe, one reduces its cultural meaning. It is no better than the Republicans turning it in to a racial slur. Not to mention that it is a male name, and it is inappropriate for women to be borrowing it. Almost all cultures get unsettled (to put it mildly) at cases where gender rules are broken (look no further than to the treatment of gays), and to misuse the language intentionaly is disrespectful. If we are to find common friendship with our Arab brothers than it can only be found through respect of their culture and language. Reducing their language to a political tool, even if it is through a misguided attempt at a positive, is disrespectful. Maybe it is time for more Americans to start learning more languages--after all languages are the key to understanding a culture. I suggest Chinese and Arabic.

[Krikkit]

Lighten up. It's called "taking a negative and making it a positive." Ever hear the term "Yank"? As in "Yankee"? As in "Yankee Doodle Dandee"? Brits used to call the colonial rebels yanks as a term of derision. So the yanks started calling themselves Yanks and made it a term of pride.

That's what these people are doing, and you should be applauding it. The detractors who use Obama's middle name (Barack HUSSEIN!!! Obama) don't give a rat's petootie about what Hussein means culturally. They just intend to use it to deride the man.

Rove likes to take a person's strength and undermine that to weaken him. This is the reverse -- taking a perceived weakness and making it a strength. If you don't wanna play that game, then take your toys home with you when you go.

[Bettysdad]

I'll lighten up just as soon as the children doing this assininity stop handing the right clubs to beat us with.

If you think that this will diminish the power of the name "Hussein" you are astoundingly naive and self-congr­atulatory.

It will just be used to show how delusional we are.

[Bettysdad]

It is much, much more important to rid ourselves of the merest whiff of political incorrectness than to take back our government from fascist thugs.

I hate to burst your bubble, but this election is NOT about finding "common friendship with our Arab brothers."

It's about saving America, and you'd better get your priorities straight.

[e2008usa]

My middle name is RollsRoyce ... It has nothing to do with my culture nor with my personality

Look, the notion of a middle name in the 21st century has sometimes been criticized as a form of discrimination against people who carry multiple middle names for cultural or religious reasons just like in the case of a Catholics with Faith on Jesus like Obama. Many West Europeans carry name like Nadia, Aicha etc... Even though they are 100% Europeans.­..

So, don't make it a big deal… then one more think…
They do that.. Because they think positive..­. smart!!! ....

And today with the Internet Peoples have 100 middle names registered in the government database. It’s not a problem because every person has a crypt middle name just like this (op0356jdfr0qw7um2) and every time you change your username or Internet name… you get a new middle name like this (pdh+3645j­d8ftogpy75­9675jf784k­f74kvgeuP)­. That’s your modern Identity … but you don’t know it… that’s it !

So…. No more discrimination against people who carry multiple middle names

[excitablerooster]

Lighten up Hussein.

[allonfla]

in many places Hussein is as normal as joe. The point is that a name does not make you exotic, radical or that much different from the next person.

[angryliberal]

This is exactly the kind of reckless fanaticism we need to show the political center that we're not all a bunch of left wing loons. Yes we can't

[kevenhusseinseven]

Take a pill.

[foreffectivegovernment]

angryliberal: This fits right in with the suggestion that all Obama supporters start wearing Flag Lapel Pins to show support for Obama. I don't wear a Flag Lapel Pin because I don't wear anything with a lapel. That is too elitist for me.
If I really wanted to show my patriotism, I would wear my DD 214 or a receipt for the money I donate to Veteran's groups to help do the things the Government doesn't do for our Vets.
Only juveniles should be allowed to play these silly games, adults should be more serious about electing the next President of the United States. Don't abdicate your responsibility to your teenager just because you sent him/her to college and you couldn't afford it. Experience is still the best teacher. Better than Professor Obama and Professor William Ayres.

[justobserve]

How do you define "experience"? Some people still can't learn from their bad experiences despite their age!

[AlexVonHussein]

Its not fanaticism its support of issues , we are not loons, we go to the website and read all issues and stand on issues if we dont like it we say and write.

If Hillary had won we could have supported her in Respect of Obama, its for Democratic party and American not for some other selfish reason. I would never vote Mccain if Obama had lost. I support the party in the same way

Use of Hussein is protest against Republicans, to show that, being called Hussein is not a sin , and it is in support of all people called Hussein out there.

If they persecuted a Gay, I would say a, gay too.

there is more to it that fanaticism

[dadele]

Democratic headquarters in our county gives out sheets of little flag stickers, so you can wear them on your t-shirt, work shirt, prom dress.

[Cookie100]

Juvenile?
Signed,
Andrea Hussein Davis
54 year old white taxpayer

[Bettysdad]

Why do you have a problem with Ayers?

No law enforcement agency does, and he's never been arrested.

[bygollymissmolly]

I do so love the smell of Republican fear in the air.

[SGreen]

angryliberal,
I am 100% left wing loony. And I am proud of that.
It feels better to be a Left Wing loony than to be a Republican Hillbilly.
At least. then we would be true pro-life and not kill humans in mass in other countries or at home by death sentence, not kill the nature and environment by drilling holes and carbonation, not kill animal world for pleasure and taste, instead use fetuses and embryos to save life.
Sounds fanatic to you to respect lives, respect difference, and to resist discrimination and xenophobia, in pop-culture style? No, we loonies think we can show more love for life.
And you are a liberal? What do you stand for? "Center" that compromises with the Right and falls prey to its idiocy? As your name suggests, you are "angry." Maybe, seeing a shrink could benefit your mental well being if your anger level is already on the verge of leaning toward Right Wing.

Sam Hussein Green

[kevenhusseinseven]

The funny bit is that when I debuted the moniker I was attacked a few times as a name tr0ll.

[Krikkit]

I like what you're doing. Progressive desensitization is what's necessary to take the sting out of "flag words" used against us by Rove-types.

[SgtLucifer]

I just remember why I'd never want to be between the ages of 19 and 25 again. I wish these twits will find something better to do with their lives.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

You truly dont get it do you? I'm trying hard to stay an Agnostic but you and Mr 666 on this board are making it a challenge.

[4wehttam]

Oh hush, there are plenty of us not in the age range that gladly support this idea. Don't hate, appreciate. Oh wait you can't. Sorry ..........­....Lucife­r.

[kevenhusseinseven]

I'm pushing 50.

[Krikkit]

And I'm sure they would like to see you do something better with your life than waste time shooting down their ideas. Got Life?

[bygollymissmolly]

I'm 60 and I have done this on another blog. Do you have anything insulting you would like to say about me?

[HumeSkeptic]

H!llary Huss-ein Cl!nton.

.

[4wehttam]

ROFLMAO!!!! You are hiLARIOUS!

[VOTER]

AGREE!

Still laughing..­..........­..........­.

[HumeSkeptic]

HumeHussein? Naah.
HusseinSkeptic? Naah.
HumeHusseinSkeptic? Blah!

I think I'll stay with HumeSkeptic.

BTW, "The boy's name Hussein hu(s)-sein is pronounced hoo-SAYN. It is of Arabic origin, and its meaning is "good; small handsome one".

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Hussein

[AurigaRa]

Breaking News:
Following the Hussein trend Obama followers are taking up, McCain supporters (all 3 of them ) are adopting his middle name "Sidney."

[tel8034]

He has that many? ..........­...... 3 of them? ..........­... Seems like a lot.

Are you sure you are not giving McCain the benefit of the doubt?

[scouserinlondon]

Now you are being silly. There is his mum, then there is his wife, then there is ....eerrrr­rr, uhhmmmmmm, Sorry you're ridght .I stand corrected.