It’s settled: I’m changing my name. No longer shall anyone call me “Juan Blea.” From now on, I go by M102824. This label is composed of the letter indicating my chosen gender, my date of birth, and the last two (2) digits of my social security number. I have decided on this name because it appears to be non-offensive and relatively neutral. My previous name was not.
“Juan Blea” is offensive, apparently, to two (2) distinct groups of people: 1) The Native communities of New Mexico who are deeply traumatized by what it represents; and, 2) White Nationalists who are deeply disgusted by what it represents.
My ancestors wronged the native communities. “Juan” was the first name that Spanish Conquistador Onate carried. Because of the shared first name, I will no longer offend native communities by wearing the name “Juan.” Nevermind that I chose to go by Juan, even though the huge majority of my family called me “John-John” or “Johnny.” My great-grandmother, who was evicted from what was San Ildefonso, NM because of the Reservation laws imposed when the US took over the region, called me “Juanelo” and since I spoke Spanish before I spoke English because of her, I chose Juan. But, apparently, that’s bad. So, it goes away.
Now, the second group of people for whom I shall change my name are the White Nationalists who want to rid the world of immigrants. My original ancestors were immigrants and I speak Spanish like they do, therefore I am part of the group that White Nationalists want to eradicate. Therefore, I have to eliminate my Spanish name so that don’t disgust those folks who hate me. I can’t change the color of my skin, however, so when they see me, I’ll still disgust them, but at least they won’t mispronounce my name in a pejorative way or deport me because of it.
Therefore, because other groups of people’s heritages and beliefs are more important than mine, I will appease them and change my name to keep from causing any negative emotions. From now on, if you know me, call me M102824. Or, just M, for short.
