The Fairy Godmother is Getting off Easy...

I recently was watching Cinderella with my girls and it got to the part where the Fairy Godmother shows up and I thought to myself....why didn't Cinderella just punch her in the face?! Cinderella had gone through the death of her father and the relentless torment and physical/emotional abuse of a stepmother and stepsisters. She gets to sleep in the attic after working herself to exhaustion every day and then there is word of a Ball...and then this person shows up with magical powers to fix most anything...I say the Fairy Godmother is an accessory to child abuse! What would you say to a person who watched a little girl get abused for years and then to try and make up for it she throws a nice dress at her and does her makeup when there is a school dance? At the VERY least that person deserves a kick in the shins. Who knows what kinds of opportunities that Cinderella may have had if she was an equal in that household or was taken to another family who loved and cared for her. Sure she meets her prince, but little does he know that he is inheriting a poor girl who will have a mountain of emotional baggage. A girl whose self image is shot and who doesn't know how to receive the care that he would like to show her.

...in the end my point is...the Fairy Godmother is weak...she failed.

Ebenezer - The Death of a Name

Today I received a work email from someone name Ebenezer...which spurred the thought, "hmmm....you really don't see that name used so much anymore." Charles Dickens probably didn't realize the stereotypical impact of cementing...nay...welding the cold-hearted and selfish attributes found in his character Ebenezer Scrooge in the story, The Christmas Carol to the unfortunate soul of an individual with the same name. I imagine when the story was gaining popularity; children across the world were experiencing an outbreak of ruthless hazing that come from their peers in all varieties of educational systems and from various societies as well. How unfortunate would be a child whose parents were unfamiliar with the story in naming him Ebenezer, only to find that The Christmas Carol was added to school curriculums across the world! Even today and even with a huge transformation experienced by the character in the story, anyone who shows any semblance of disdain towards Christmas will be labeled a "Scrooge"...

Over the years, the generations have learned that this name, "Ebenezer" does not carry enough appeal to outweigh the automatic label placed on the bearer. Quite puzzling is the thought that a parent may lean towards "Adolph" (Hitler) before even considering the potential link to "Mr. Scrooge".

So while the email received today is proof that SOMEONE SOMEWHERE has decided to roll the dice with the stereotype-riddled name, I doubt that this will start a trend. Without any forethought, I questioned whether the person sending me this message is a cheapskate who works in a small office with no heating or A/C and who is hated in his community for his ruthless behavior.

So may you rest in peace "Ebenezer"....sleep well.