“Dear Abby” columnist Jeanne Phillips took an interesting stance in one of her most recent columns.  Valarie Kaur wrote to Phillips that she is unsure of what to name her next child. Her first child is named Kavi, which means poet. Not only is the name beautiful, but it also holds meaning to the family, as both of his grandparents were poets. Phillips answered that by naming a child a foreign name, they are more likely to be picked on. Kaur was, of course, enraged by this, stating that Phillips was being racist. The question is whether she truly is, though.

The short answer is yes. Saying that a foreign name does not sound as beautiful in English as it would sound in their native language is putting the English language on a pedestal higher than whatever other language it is being read in. Of course, America is a primarily English-speaking country, but the problem is not with the name. The problem is the way Americans view beauty and how that translates into how children are raised.

Instead of foreign parents being worried their children would be made fun of for a name in their first language, white parents should be concerned with how they raise their children. Of course, if the name is something that is difficult to pronounce as a native English speaker, that is OK. No one is expecting children or adults to learn every language that is spoken in the U.S. It is perfectly acceptable to ask about pronounciation. What is not acceptable is to ask with malice, mock someone for their name or judge someone based on their name. Especially when someone is in a position of power and influence, as Phillips is, people should use such platforms to warn other parents into raising children to be tolerant and accepting of everyone, even when they are differen, especially when they are different than themselves.

Americans, whether it be through magazines or through “personal preferences,” view people who are Aryan white as the standard for beauty. Obviously, this is not true. The sooner media accepts that celebrities like Naomie Harris or Viola Davis are as beautiful and talented as Jennifer Lawrence or Megan Fox, the sooner parents can name their children whatever they want without fear of other parents raising their children to be disrespectful.

Photo from Ray MacLean via Flickr