A Moon Called Frank, and Other Thoughts on Names

A short article a few days ago in the New Scientist Space Blog reported that a tiny new moon, a mere 2 kilometers across, has been discovered orbiting the planet Saturn. That brings the total number of known moons of Saturn to 60, and leads to a predicament for planetary scientists: what do you call the new moon? For the moment, it's official temporary name is "S/2007 S 4," but according to the article, pending a decision by the International Astronomical Union on a final name scientists are calling the little moon "Frank."

And that got me to thinking about how we give names to things.

Names are, of course, critically important. In many cultures, the true name of an individual is a closely-guarded secret, for knowledge of a someone's name is said to give one power over that person. Parents in this country generally try to give their male children strong, masculine names (like "Frank" or "George"), and their female children lighter, more feminine names (like "Donna" or "Michelle"). Of course, some parents afflict their helpless children with silly names - prime examples are rocker Frank Zappa's unfortunate son "Dweezil" and daughter "Moon Unit."

Names of things are also important. Companies spend months of time and millions of dollars on selecting just the right name for new products, hoping the name will help lead to increased sales. Of course, this doesn't always work: the classic example is the urban legend about Chevrolet's attempt to market it's new model, the "Nova," in South America. No one understood why sales were miserable until the realization that in Spanish, "no va" translated as "it doesn't run." According to the Snopes Urban Legends Reference Page (http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp), that story is a myth, but the cautionary lesson is nevertheless real - the names we give to things, and to people, are loaded with meaning and importance, both positive and negative.

Many Muslim imams refer to Jews and Christians as "apes and pigs." Blacks are infuriated when a non-black uses the "n-word," although they tend to use it extensively themselves. "Redneck" is considered in some circles to be an insult, and in others a badge of honor.

Names matter. Whether you're a tiny moon of Saturn named Frank, or the unfortunate daughter of Gwynneth Paltrow named Apple, what you are called shapes your existence in many ways. I chose the screen name Bilbo because of my love for Tolkien's classic tale The Lord of the Rings, and because Bilbo the Hobbit, with his love of friends, travel, good food, books, and learning, was a character with whom I could identify.

Think hard when you give a name to something, or someone, because the act of naming has consequences which may not be immediately obvious. The right name can make you a friend or an enemy. It can mark you as racially and socially insensitive, or as thoughtful and caring. If you're a two-kilometer-wide moonlet orbiting Saturn about 1.35 billion kilometers from the Sun, Frank may not be a bad, if temporary name. If you're a religiously observant Jew or Catholic, hearing a Muslim refer to you as an ape or a pig is unlikely to facilitate understanding and dialog.

And that's the name of that tune.

Have a good weekend. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo