Mom Accuses Southwest Airlines For Name-Shaming Her 5 Year Old, Internet Name-Shames Her Even More
The world can be an unkind place and one little girl got a taste of this when her name was a subject of public shaming by a gate agent at John Wayne International Airport. Five-year-old ‘Abcde,’ (pronounced “Ab-city,”) who suffers from epilepsy was catching a flight to El Paso, Texas along with her mother Traci Redford when the incident occurred.
According to the Social Security Administration database, 328 girls have been given this unique name in the United States. Abcde shares a spot along with such unusual girls’ names as Ianthe, Uri, and Abiona, just to name a few.
Abcde and her mom had gone to the gate for priority boarding when the gate agent began to mock the girl
Redford explained in an interview with ABC7 that “The customer service started laughing, pointing at me and my five-year-old daughter, talking to other employees. So I turned around and said, ‘Hey if I can hear you, my daughter can hear you too, so I’d appreciate if you’d just stop,” she recounted. Despite the confrontation, a photo of her daughter’s boarding pass with her name ended up on social media.
“She said ‘Mum, why is she laughing at my name?’
“I said not everyone is nice and not everyone is going to be nice and it’s unfortunate. While I was sitting there, she took a picture of my boarding pass and chose to post it on social media, mocking my daughter. It was actually brought to my attention by somebody who had seen it on Facebook and reported it to Southwest Airlines.”
An incensed Redford filed a formal complaint with the airline. The company responded two weeks later with disciplinary action against the mocker and a formal apology to the family: “We take great pride in extending our Southwest Hospitality to all of our Customers, which includes living by the Golden Rule and treating every individual with respect, in person or online.”
Well, Southwest Airlines might treat people with respect online, but the rest of the internet wasn’t as sympathetic to the situation
Many people started saying that it’s all the parent’s fault
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Other people just could not hold it in and started joking about the name as well
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What do you think about this situation?
If this article was supposed to generate sympathy for the mother, it failed. I truly feel sorry for that child, though. She has to go through life with that name because her mother is an attention starved dingbat.
Trust me, it wasn't.
This is why some countries make it a requirement that babies names be approved by the government before it becomes official.
Ebola is a river in the northern DRC. the Ebola virus was very arbitrarily named after it because they didn't want to stigmatise the village it actually originated in
I'm not in favor of it either. There was one US couple living in South America that could not get their babies name approved because they didn't put any Spanish typical names in it and wanted the child's middle name to be Prince. They fought the court and lost. But then you get stories of another couple that wanted to name their kid Ebola.....why?
I'm not in favor of that, really. I don't think governments have any business dictating what names are or aren't acceptable, but idiots like this "mother" prove there should be at least the occasion exception.
I just upvoted you to put you at an even 100. Lol What did this mom expect, that everyone would congratulate her for giving her child a unique name? And how could she possibly expect anyone to know how to pronounce it?
It seems like it, doesn't it. When in reality it just makes her be more of the attention getter and her child is just the pawn in this.
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Dingbat !!!!! Youbeaudy Bonza mate !!!
Well said Rob !!!
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I agreed with you until you had to call the mom an "attention starved dingbat". You can disagree with people without calling people names.
Plus, I also think the airline employee was in the wrong also. I don't care if the girl's mom named her Sprite Fart, an unrelated adult has no right to post about someone else's child on social media. The airline employee probably couldn't care less about the child and more about hope many upvotes she would get.
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Oh her mom is a dingbat? Ohhhhhhhhh. Never mind, that totally excuses laughing and pointing at a child. Should have said so earlier!! That mom should have picked a name that 46.2 million other people share, like Robert. That would be way better. (sarcasm)
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the actions of the employee is a cunt, there's no doubt about it, no hilarious name should justify that unprofessional shitty behaviour.
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Abcde is a shit name but so is Braylee, Nayvee and whatever other trash names are popular now. Even the name John is a worse failure. I’d rather be Abcde than some overused cultural name like Annie, John, etc. Or Laquita. It’s hard to name a child. Abcde is like giving up and just picking anything weird. But I’m willing to bet the people mocking her all have trash ass names.
Ok, so I agree that you definitely should NOT name a child ABCDE, and that the child is gonna get mocked at for the rest of her life (or until she changes her name). However, for the airline staff to take the photo and post it on social media is absolutely unprofessional as well.
ind of, but I must admit that I would have had a hard time keeping a straight face in a similar situation and I have an unusual name myself. But at least my parents put some actual thought into it instead of just writing down the start of the alphabet.
Nothing wrong with Virgil as a name - historical Roman and artistic references. Name your child Caligula on the other hand - you are just asking for problems.
My name is Luna and my sister is Nova. Our mom gave us unusual names without setting us up to be laughing stock. IT CAN BE DONE, Y'ALL.
@DykeFromTheDreamworld Those are really pretty names
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You can’t keep a straight face when you hear something dumb? How is this possible if you’re over the age of 12?
To be fair - the staff were not the ones posting photographs of the child. An attention-grabbing name such as that got what the mother originally wanted.
Totally agree.
It's an extraordinary event. A "pictures or it didn't happen" moment. And the mother has absolutely no one to blame but herself.
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yes she did, blame a shitty employee who laughed at her kid to her face and shared all her info.
I saw another article where elementary school TEACHERS were posting their students' names online when the new school year started and they found something amusing. That should be immediate grounds for dismissal. And btw my favorite was 'Ya'Highness'.
There was a great website, called something along the lines of "Baby's Named A Bad Thing" that used to have anonymous submissions of terrible names. Many, of course, were teachers. I went on there once, years ago, and ended up reading the entire site in one very long sitting, laugh-crying at some of the commentary. I think things like this are harmless so long as it's kept anonymous, and for all that it was hilarious, it was a great website to point out how a name can really affect a person's life. It's something that should be carefully chosen, with a bit of thought into how people will react to the name. I think that this "mom", relishes the attention, though. But that was obvious the moment she made her kid's name all about herself with zero consideration for the child.
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I would think that it would be illegal for them to post student's names. I hope they don't post their pictures as well..that could be considered child endangerment to put that info out for any pedophile to study. Makes it easier for them to convince kids that "Mum sent me over to get you.." when the dirtbag knows the child by name and sight.
There is a UK children's vitamin supplement called Abidec. Judging by this it would be good to go for a kid's name in some parts of American society - luckily it is probably trademarked.
Been thinking the same. Both participants in the story are but*holes, except for the victim. Mother is an idiot for doing this to her daughter and air line staff is composed of retards, what kind of a**hole morons laugh in the face of the person they find funny? And posting pictures on social media without permission?! They got what they deserved but unfortunately we can't say the same about the mother of this poor little girl!
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Also laughing and pointing in a child’s face when the airline employees probably had trash names too.
We have rules in my country and you definitely couldn't name your child Abcde. I used to think it wasn't a good law but looking at it now...I really can't blame them.
What country?
Any sensible country.
France has a law against any name that "may harm the child's interest".
Spain, too. And most countries in Europe.
There are multiple countries that have implemented laws and restrictions regarding what you can name your child. Some even have approved lists you have to pick from.
In Hungary there is also a book for legally acceptable first names
Italy, for example.
New Zealand, for one.
Perú too
We have it too here in Belgium, remember a girl's name was refused that was basically "clitoris" and the parents sued to get it but it was rejected Thx God.
Portugal have too. They do reasonable exception for foreign kids but no matter where you come from you can't give your child name as ABCD , 1234, sado maso, TV or bullshit. ,😂😂😂😂
Australia has laws regarding naming a child. I'm not sure that Abdcde would be allowed here.
I'm from the Czech Republic but I agree with all of the replies here (well...except one) - basically, any sensible country has those.
Sweden is one.
"Johnny Wall", go fuck yourself.
I was told by a German friend that they can only give their babies approved names. It seems a little controlling until you meet someone who names their child ABCDE.
There are numerous kids names, popular in one country/culture, but in another, they are regarded as insults or have a sexual connotation - Becky, Cara and Gary to name but a few.
Sorry, now I'm curious :) what do they mean and in which language? :)))
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LOL but your garbage names like Pamela, Olga, Petri, and Sergio are fine? Ug your mothers must have been drugged up whores.
You shouldn’t talk Abrasax even if that’s not your real name. You created the username after all.
If this article was supposed to generate sympathy for the mother, it failed. I truly feel sorry for that child, though. She has to go through life with that name because her mother is an attention starved dingbat.
Trust me, it wasn't.
This is why some countries make it a requirement that babies names be approved by the government before it becomes official.
Ebola is a river in the northern DRC. the Ebola virus was very arbitrarily named after it because they didn't want to stigmatise the village it actually originated in
I'm not in favor of it either. There was one US couple living in South America that could not get their babies name approved because they didn't put any Spanish typical names in it and wanted the child's middle name to be Prince. They fought the court and lost. But then you get stories of another couple that wanted to name their kid Ebola.....why?
I'm not in favor of that, really. I don't think governments have any business dictating what names are or aren't acceptable, but idiots like this "mother" prove there should be at least the occasion exception.
I just upvoted you to put you at an even 100. Lol What did this mom expect, that everyone would congratulate her for giving her child a unique name? And how could she possibly expect anyone to know how to pronounce it?
It seems like it, doesn't it. When in reality it just makes her be more of the attention getter and her child is just the pawn in this.
This comment has been deleted.
Dingbat !!!!! Youbeaudy Bonza mate !!!
Well said Rob !!!
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I agreed with you until you had to call the mom an "attention starved dingbat". You can disagree with people without calling people names.
Plus, I also think the airline employee was in the wrong also. I don't care if the girl's mom named her Sprite Fart, an unrelated adult has no right to post about someone else's child on social media. The airline employee probably couldn't care less about the child and more about hope many upvotes she would get.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Oh her mom is a dingbat? Ohhhhhhhhh. Never mind, that totally excuses laughing and pointing at a child. Should have said so earlier!! That mom should have picked a name that 46.2 million other people share, like Robert. That would be way better. (sarcasm)
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
the actions of the employee is a cunt, there's no doubt about it, no hilarious name should justify that unprofessional shitty behaviour.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Abcde is a shit name but so is Braylee, Nayvee and whatever other trash names are popular now. Even the name John is a worse failure. I’d rather be Abcde than some overused cultural name like Annie, John, etc. Or Laquita. It’s hard to name a child. Abcde is like giving up and just picking anything weird. But I’m willing to bet the people mocking her all have trash ass names.
Ok, so I agree that you definitely should NOT name a child ABCDE, and that the child is gonna get mocked at for the rest of her life (or until she changes her name). However, for the airline staff to take the photo and post it on social media is absolutely unprofessional as well.
ind of, but I must admit that I would have had a hard time keeping a straight face in a similar situation and I have an unusual name myself. But at least my parents put some actual thought into it instead of just writing down the start of the alphabet.
Nothing wrong with Virgil as a name - historical Roman and artistic references. Name your child Caligula on the other hand - you are just asking for problems.
My name is Luna and my sister is Nova. Our mom gave us unusual names without setting us up to be laughing stock. IT CAN BE DONE, Y'ALL.
@DykeFromTheDreamworld Those are really pretty names
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
You can’t keep a straight face when you hear something dumb? How is this possible if you’re over the age of 12?
To be fair - the staff were not the ones posting photographs of the child. An attention-grabbing name such as that got what the mother originally wanted.
Totally agree.
It's an extraordinary event. A "pictures or it didn't happen" moment. And the mother has absolutely no one to blame but herself.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
yes she did, blame a shitty employee who laughed at her kid to her face and shared all her info.
I saw another article where elementary school TEACHERS were posting their students' names online when the new school year started and they found something amusing. That should be immediate grounds for dismissal. And btw my favorite was 'Ya'Highness'.
There was a great website, called something along the lines of "Baby's Named A Bad Thing" that used to have anonymous submissions of terrible names. Many, of course, were teachers. I went on there once, years ago, and ended up reading the entire site in one very long sitting, laugh-crying at some of the commentary. I think things like this are harmless so long as it's kept anonymous, and for all that it was hilarious, it was a great website to point out how a name can really affect a person's life. It's something that should be carefully chosen, with a bit of thought into how people will react to the name. I think that this "mom", relishes the attention, though. But that was obvious the moment she made her kid's name all about herself with zero consideration for the child.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I would think that it would be illegal for them to post student's names. I hope they don't post their pictures as well..that could be considered child endangerment to put that info out for any pedophile to study. Makes it easier for them to convince kids that "Mum sent me over to get you.." when the dirtbag knows the child by name and sight.
There is a UK children's vitamin supplement called Abidec. Judging by this it would be good to go for a kid's name in some parts of American society - luckily it is probably trademarked.
Been thinking the same. Both participants in the story are but*holes, except for the victim. Mother is an idiot for doing this to her daughter and air line staff is composed of retards, what kind of a**hole morons laugh in the face of the person they find funny? And posting pictures on social media without permission?! They got what they deserved but unfortunately we can't say the same about the mother of this poor little girl!
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Also laughing and pointing in a child’s face when the airline employees probably had trash names too.
We have rules in my country and you definitely couldn't name your child Abcde. I used to think it wasn't a good law but looking at it now...I really can't blame them.
What country?
Any sensible country.
France has a law against any name that "may harm the child's interest".
Spain, too. And most countries in Europe.
There are multiple countries that have implemented laws and restrictions regarding what you can name your child. Some even have approved lists you have to pick from.
In Hungary there is also a book for legally acceptable first names
Italy, for example.
New Zealand, for one.
Perú too
We have it too here in Belgium, remember a girl's name was refused that was basically "clitoris" and the parents sued to get it but it was rejected Thx God.
Portugal have too. They do reasonable exception for foreign kids but no matter where you come from you can't give your child name as ABCD , 1234, sado maso, TV or bullshit. ,😂😂😂😂
Australia has laws regarding naming a child. I'm not sure that Abdcde would be allowed here.
I'm from the Czech Republic but I agree with all of the replies here (well...except one) - basically, any sensible country has those.
Sweden is one.
"Johnny Wall", go fuck yourself.
I was told by a German friend that they can only give their babies approved names. It seems a little controlling until you meet someone who names their child ABCDE.
There are numerous kids names, popular in one country/culture, but in another, they are regarded as insults or have a sexual connotation - Becky, Cara and Gary to name but a few.
Sorry, now I'm curious :) what do they mean and in which language? :)))
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
LOL but your garbage names like Pamela, Olga, Petri, and Sergio are fine? Ug your mothers must have been drugged up whores.
You shouldn’t talk Abrasax even if that’s not your real name. You created the username after all.