What’s in a name; or how it’s your parents fault you’re a baddie!

The other day my fiancée accused me of over thinking something.  Now I should point out that this is not a criticism usually levelled at me as I am more often prone to spontaneity (some translate as lack of organisation) and have a great ability to disengage my brain at will.

The problem really is films, tv programmes and books.  I have an annoying habit of breaking them down and pulling out all the inconsistencies, plot holes or generally things that just don’t make sense to me. 

Hi I'm Wormtongue, I'm just here to read your meter.

Now, you might be thinking, ‘But surely that’s a good thing!  We need to hold film makers to account over something that we pay hard earned money to watch and that they receive money by the bucket load to make!”  And you are right…or at least you would be about 90…well maybe 80% of the time.  The problem comes, however, when I get caught up on something so moronically pedantic that I’m (almost) embarrassed to give it voice.

This brings me back to my fiancée’s criticism.  The following is, essentially, a transcript of the conversation:

Me: (out of the blue) why would someone have a bad sounding name from birth?

Fiancee: What? You mean like (edited out so as not to cause offence)?

M: No I don’t mean an ugly name I mean an evil name?

F: What?

M: I mean, you pretty much nail your colours to the mast with that one don’t you!

F: Seriously, what?

M: Like in Lord of the Rings you’ve got Wormtongue…WORMTONGUE! How did they not know that dude was bad! Victor von Doom is another one; he wasn’t exactly becoming a teacher was he!

F: Oh my goodness you’re not even talking about real people. They are characters from films and comic books…..let it go!

M: No but my point is that they with names like those it was a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy surely? And we can’t then be surprised when they turn out to be villians?

F: But they have bad names because they are bad.  The creator of the character did it on purpose.

M: Yeah but in real life..

F: It isn’t real life though!

M: But still it’s a chicken and egg scenario! If you call your kid Narcissa (Harry Potter ref.) they are gonna be a baddie! And that’s another thing…Harry Potter! Why would you have a school house whose only purpose appeared to be fostering bad guys? Eh?

F: They aren’t all bad in Slytherin though and anyway you’re missing the point it’s just a plot device of course it wouldn’t happen in the real world!

M: Still I feel I have made my point.

F: You really haven’t. This was silly.

Ironically it was after this she told me I was over thinking things.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that for every valid criticism I have of films or books I usually end up having some pretty weird (stupid?) ones.  It’s just the way my mind works.  This was just one of those fun, debatable topics that came up (I’m sure you have experienced the same!)

DISCLAIMER: THE NEXT FEW SENTENCES CONTAIN A SPOILER ON THE UPCOMING FILM ‘GREEN LANTERN’…IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SPOIL IT JUST ASSUME THE REST OF THE ARTICLE IS WITTY AND INSIGHTFULLY CONCLUSIVE AND STOP READING NOW.

I reckon most of you will probably agree with my fiancee on this one but I still maintain my point is valid!  Case in point will be the upcoming film ‘The Green Lantern,’ I mean his mentor’s name is Sinestro….Sinister..oh..I mean come on.

Steve