What's in a name?

In February of 1977, in Fort Wayne, Constance and Paul Blanks Sr., had a son. After some (shall we say, enthusiastic?) discussion, the name of Jonathan was chosen for their baby boy. I, Jonathan Blanks, have grown up to be a proud man. My friends call me "Jon," but out of respect for my parents and as an affirmation of my identity, I am professionally known as Jonathan.\nAs a few of you may have noticed, my name has been misspelled on three of my columns -- most recently in last Friday's issue. I understand that accidents happen, but more than 20 percent of my columns (thus far) have misrepresented me by changing my name. "Jonathon" is not my name -- it never has been and never will be.\nSo why am I dedicating my last column this semester to typos that most people probably didn't notice?\nMy name is important to me. It represents me and my family -- for better or worse -- and regardless of what career(s) I choose for myself, my name will be closely associated with it. If I write, go into law or go into politics (no, I'm not going to run for office), my name will go hand-in-hand with my reputation. My name is an integral part of who I am and who I am going to become.\nBut it's just a vowel, isn't it? \nWell, yes, it is a quantitative difference of one vowel. But a single vowel can change the entire meaning of a word. One change can turn "taking a foul shot" into engaging in smelly defecation. And you think our basketball team stinks now …\nAren't you overstating the importance of a name?\nNo. In the black community specifically, but not exclusively of course, names are deeply meaningful. For example: Cassius Clay, Malcolm Little and Frederick Bailey were men who went through monumental life changes to become Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X (later El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz) and Frederick Douglass, respectively. Failing to recognize their adopted names was (and is) considered to be great insults to these men. I do not compare myself to these men or their respective greatnesses, but my name deserves the respect that all people's names do. \nOK, so what does your name mean?\nI am SO glad you asked. Jonathan is a Hebrew biblical name meaning "gift from God." I'm not Jewish, but my parents apparently thought of me as a blessing. I can't attest to what they think now -- perhaps they would rename me something that means "royal pain in the ass" or "he who won't shut-the-hell-up." Thankfully, it is too late for that. \nAnything else, gift-boy?\nAs a matter of fact, there is. On my column "Life, liberty and abortion," my "tag" was changed from "The Blanks Slate" to "The Blanks Stare." It would have been funny if it was planned by me or with my permission accompanying a light-hearted article that dealt with my less-than-flattering picture -- but it wasn't. I can only hope it was accidental. More likely, it is just another example of the giant liberal media conglomerates conspiring to hold me down. (I'm kidding ... it's more than just the media.)\nSo what?\nNames are important -- that's why we have them. A name is a written and verbalized symbol of who you are and with it comes an instant image of you in the minds of those who know you. Any manipulation of that name distorts your image and doing so should be avoided at all reasonable costs. A name is an integral part of every individual and it must be respected.\nThat said, in the immortal words of Snoop Dogg, "What's my mothafuckin' name"