What's in a Name??

            While my experience may not be as dramatic or as ongoing as those of other people, it still bothers me just as much. Being discriminated against because of what you are is a horrible feeling. After 9/11, not only was I discriminated against in my school environment but I was singled out in airports, city buildings, and other everyday situations. The embarrassment I felt was painful and it was all because of my name.

            The devastating day that was 9/11 was not only hard for the people who lost loved ones in any one of the terrorist acts but it was hard for the whole nation. That didn’t mean that they all had to pick on me and other people of middle-eastern descent!! I am Persian (and Mexican, although you’d never know it from my name). My dad is from Iran. He gave me the name “Farzad”. It means “splendid birth”, but no one cares about that when your name sounds like a potential terrorist name.  Since about 3 weeks after 9/11, I have wanted to change my name. I feel slightly ashamed that I still want to change it but honestly, it would be a lot easier to order a drink at Starbucks without having to repeat “F AS IN FRANK, A AS IN APPLE, R AS IN RED, Z AS IN ZEBRA, A AS IN APPLE, D AS IN DOG” three times. Anytime a person hears my name, they ask about its roots and they ask where I am from, when I tell them, they respond with a look of disgust and shock.

            I was only 16. When it all happened, I was as traumatized as the rest of the country. The only thing that set me apart from almost everyone at my school was that one particular teacher made it VERY clear how he felt about people of middle-eastern descent…terrorist or not. Needless to say, he singled me out, stared at me through his entire “patriotic” speech and my final grade in the class was not what it should have been. I never built up the courage to say something about the way I was treated and I never dug deep enough into myself to find out why. My only explanation for his behavior was that he was looking for scapegoat and I was the nearest, easiest target. 

            Since then, other than ridiculous airport security checkpoints at which I have been ruthlessly searched and questioned, and one incident at work, I haven’t had any problems in the “we think you are a terrorist” department. Thank God! It is just so sad that people feel the need to stereotype and categorize in such a demeaning and disrespectful way. I am still looking forward to the day when racism and discrimination as a whole are done away with. Until then, I am Farzad…“F AS IN FRANK, A AS IN APPLE, R AS IN RED, Z AS IN ZEBRA, A AS IN APPLE, D AS IN DOG”.