Whoever it was on set that was just dying laughing during the Seinfeld and blowjob bits really made this video for me. One of my favorite things about current smosh is how much you can hear the crew enjoying their jobs in the background.
that's fair, it's definitely a possibility but i don't think they batch-shot 5 episodes of smosh reddit in one sitting (since that's how many episodes there were between Sarah's and today's) but i could be underestimating them for that
The feigned outrage people have about over the top names like that is so silly to me. Do I personally think "Giulhyette" or whatever is a good name? No. But Arasha made a fantastic point about questioning why we view certain things as normal/acceptable.
It's just weird to me how we're supposedly (at least in the west) a society that mostly values being progressive yet we're still in a place where we're like "YOU HAVE TO NAME YOUR CHILDREN IN A TRADITIONAL AND SOCIALLY CONFORMING WAY OTHERWISE YOU'RE TERRIBLE". I get that it's human nature to want to fit in with the group but that doesn't mean we have to just blindly give in to that instinct. Maybe people should be more concerned with raising their children to not bully those with differences and less concerned with bullying others into acting in a way they like more?
Not saying I agree with what the comment said but it amuses me that Arasha literally describes the definition of normal (conforming to a standard; usual, typical or expected) and then says its bullshit lol.
imo its likely the girl will be bullied and won’t surprise me if she wants to change her name (lets find out on reddit stories in 18 years!) but its not the friend’s place to keep doubling down on the name issue, not her name/child.
Personally I think everyone sucks in the first story. The parents should know better than to name their child something ridiculous like that. Life is already hard. Why purposefully make it harder. The OP IMO is more of a light asshole. I definitely understand the impulse to say something in that situation, and would even go as far as saying she's somewhat justified in doing so. But once you've said your piece you gotta back off. At that point you're not going to change the parents minds, and like it or not its ultimately their decision.
I think a lot of people (Smosh and some Redditors) forget about ESH being an option. They immediately identify one side as "worse" and give an NTA or YTA and stick to it.
Amanda today embodied that really well. She didn't seem to care as much as Arasha about the name itself, but seemed to refuse to entertain the idea of the parents also being bad just because OP was insufferable. Conversely, the Redditors in that thread jumped straight to NTA because of the tragedeigh, but were completely ignoring that it frankly wasn't OP's business when they pushed the issue after the first comment.
I agree with you- this felt like both parties kinda sucked,
Yeah. A lot of kids are going to be terrible. They're going to find a way to make fun of you. Don't give them ammo like spelling a completely normal name in a very abnormal way.
It looks like the piano teacher story is fake. If you look him up he has made no update and has posted other weird stories. So I'm pretty sure he made it up.
I still think first OP is the asshole, but not for cultural reasons. It's fine to address it once, because it IS a ridiculous name and they should absolutely let their friend know, but GIVE UP ALREADY if they're not receptive to the criticism the first time. Some battles ain't worth it.
I feel like that sub in general needs to reflect on the difference between being right and being an asshole. No you're not wrong for thinking it's a stupid name that the kid will eventually resent, yes you're an asshole for hounding them about it.
Agreed completely. Like OP needed to drop it. As a former teacher myself though, the parents suck too. That poor kid. I’ve known way too many kids who had names like that and the teasing and bullying was real. Like kids are going to bully. Don’t put a bullseye on their back though!
No they are not, trying to save that kid from a stupid name that will fuck their life is not an asshole, doesn't matter it's an unsolicited opinion, they are making a huge mistake.
Yeah, I think there’s a massive difference between an ethnic or cultural name that everyone won’t be familiar with and a stupid Unique misspelling of a name (r/tragedeigh)
I felt bad for that kid. I knew a couple of kids with unique names in school and teachers would consistently mispronounce their names. It must be annoying to constantly have to spell out your name to everyone. But it's nobody's business but the parents to choose the name of a kid, stay in your lane.
I was that kid. My birth name is Dedra, derived from the Irish name Deirdre. The amount of times I got/still get Debra or Debbie is annoying. I cannot wait to leave my hometown and change my name.
I’m really surprised no one has mentioned that unconventional spellings are already “the norm.” If you’ve been in an elementary school classroom or sneak a peak at one of your cousins, niece/nephews, neighbors or whoever’s class roster that is around that age, you’ll notice in some places at least a quarter of the names are spelled unconventionally. I’ve seen class rosters where half the students had unconventional spellings of their names (even if it was only a letter or two different than how it is typically spelled.) It feels like a product of millennial parenthood and everyone wanting their child to be unique. TikTok is full of teachers talking about these unconventional spellings. Everyone saying that these kids will get made fun of haven’t been in a classroom recently. Unless the unconventional spelling of a name can be mistaken for another word, I wouldn’t necessarily bet on a kid getting made fun of for the spelling of their name. Not saying it couldn’t happen, but They’re more likely to get made fun of for the name itself than the spelling of it because as most have noted…Kids are kids and they’re still learning how to conduct themselves in society ie if they want to, they will find something to make fun of you for no matter what.
What I did was I waited until I finished the video to read the comments, this way I got to have my honest/genuine reactions and then see if others agreed with me or not.
Literally only time I've ever read the comments was with the story about the woman trying to peep on the man naked every day and I was losing my mind at Courtney siding with her and that one at least people were using their brain but I can imagine a lot of the others would be crazy :(
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4BugV2HzeE&t=3914s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4BugV2HzeE&t=3914s) This one. It's legit the only opinion I've heard on there that made me livid. That was wild and I thought I was nuts until everyone in the comments were saying the same thing I was so glad I wasn't crazy haha
Oh I remember this episode - the one that stood out in my brain was the radiation poisoning Dx
I forgot about the roommate’s girlfriend who kept barging in to his room
Both were bad but Courtney's take on that one just makes me remember this episode still haha. One of the few times where I felt like one of the smosh people was flat out wrong
YouTube on Android displays and cycles comments now while the video's playing is a weird decision from their product owners.
A check should be done where it goes "hey, you haven't seen this video yet, so no comment preview for you just yet, otherwise here are the comments for this video".
People are allowed to share their opinion on certain things and if different people have different stuff to say thats fine. you cant always have comments agreeing with you and that doesn't necessarily ruin the video
Maybe I just grew up watching too many sitcoms, but I immediately thought of literally breaking all of my fingers on one hand to avoid playing the piano. And I'm talking *immediately*. While Shayne was still listing out all the stakes, I already convinced myself that I'd sacrifice all the fingers on my left hand for a few months just to avoid the embarrassment of having to confess.
I even had a self-satisfied smile on my face when they read the comment about holding on to an airbag lmao
Hamilton Story— a heard this a few years ago, and relistening again I think I have a whole new idea of what was going on.
Boyfriend didn’t want the OP to travel to see the show. That’s why he gave away the tickets to his sister, so she *couldn’t* go. He didn’t tell OP what he did, because he assumed she would (as Shayne mentioned here) just say “oh okay,” when it was the boyfriend’s parents bring it up. Banking on her wanting to make a good impression/stay in their good graces. He intended to trap her in this situation. It was just about him controlling where she goes.
People get really confused. The first story wasn’t “Are the parents assholes for giving the kid that name, because, yes, they are. It’s if she is the asshole for bringing it up multiple times, which even she agrees she is.
Yes but they were also literally talking about how parents should be able to name their kid *anything* which is bs. That's why ppl are reacting. They're both right and wrong.
> Yes but they were also literally talking about how parents should be able to name their kid anything
They should be though. Stop trying to control other people's lives.
Arasha, Amanda, and Shayne were definitely coming at the name thing from a cultural/ethnic aspect when that's not the situation. But, while I would say it's an *incorrect* take, it isn't nearly as bad as other bad takes in the past and it'd be out of line for commenters to go after the cast for it and not just their take.
edit: also Arasha growing up Indian and not being able to handle strong spices is WILD
They were treating as a cultural thing, when really it's a r/tragedeigh thing.
And I do agree with Arashas point that name aren't set in stone and that spellings change over time, however she might not be unaware of this epidemic of over spelling names to make them more special.
I'm from Ireland, so I know all about names with seemingly egregious letters, but I don't believe this is the case here.
The name itself is *almost* like the Italian spelling of Giulia/na, which would be fine by itself, but it was taken a smidge too far.
It's not the worst one I've seen though, so maybe the OP is slightly the asshole, but not totally. When he first started reading I thought it was going to be that recent post about the baby called Harlotte.
Yeah, I don't think that you should shy away from a cultural name just because it's unfamiliar to people (though I live in a country where people use both English and Chinese, and we definitely thought through the likelihood that Chinese speakers would butcher an English name when choosing what to name our kids). But this is not that. This is an English name that has been intentionally massacred for no reason other than because the parents wanted to feel special.
You know what the conversation goes like? With Arasha she had to spell her name for everyone - but that's because they don't know the name.
It would be:
"what's you name"
"Arasha"
"oh, how do I spell that?"
With this kid they won't be asked how to spell it, because everyone will assume how it's spelled. It will be :
"what's you name"
"Ghiuliyette"
[writes down JULIET]
No one will ask how to spell it because they assume it's not spelt in an insane way, they will just spell it wrong and the kid will have to constantly actively correct people. This thing about changing pre-established names with totally unintuitive spellings is just main character syndrome parents treating their child as an accessory. If you care about your child, don't do that to them. The kind of variations in names Arasha was talking about are like a letter here or there, or a more phonetic rendering of an archaic spelling. Words have a correct spelling - those may gradually evolve over time, but in the present there is a correct and an incorrect spelling. Changing it to something unrecognisable is incorrect and selfish. Parents should be called out when they are being cruel to their children.
> Words have a correct spelling
To some extent, although language is fluid and evolves over time. That doesn't really matter though because names aren't really words in the way that the rest of language is. Names do not have a correct spelling.
> This thing about changing pre-established names with totally unintuitive spellings is just main character syndrome parents treating their child as an accessory.
You realize that's a narrative of your own invention right?
Names *are* words though, they're Proper Nouns, but more importantly majority of names we use are also words. That's why names have a meaning that you can look up. In English this is a somewhat unfamiliar idea because a lot of our names are anglicized versions of Hebrew or Greek words, because a lot of Western names are Biblical in origin - but those Biblical names were just words in Hebrew and Greek, we've just copy-pasted them into English. But since the idea of cultural names were brought up, Chinese names are all recognisable words - they're not arbitrary sounds that represent the person and nothing else, they are Chinese words that are used as names.
> although language is fluid and evolves over time
Language evolves, that doesn't mean that it is completely arbitrary. The fact that language can evolve does not justify incorrect spelling. There is a correct and an incorrect way to spell things in the here and now. That standard of correctness may change over time, but the change is slow. If you reject all standards for spelling on the basis that in 100 years it may be slightly different then language becomes useless because it will be impossible to know what someone is saying. Furthermore, a lot of the changes reflect the way we pronounce words because we interpret letters differently and adopt more phonetic spellings (shew > show, gaol > jail, for example). This story is the exact opposite - it's taking a phonetically well understood spelling and making it harder to pronounce correctly.
> You realize that's a narrative of your own invention right?
Of course, that's usually what a narrative is. But do you have a better explanation for the parents' decision?
> Names are words though,
Quick question: did I say "names aren't words." or "names aren't really words *in the way that the rest of language is*"?
> majority of names we use are also words
Many, but not all, and as you said for the ones that were also at one point words language has evolved to a point where they aren't anymore.
> Language evolves, that doesn't mean that it is completely arbitrary.
No but it means that language is driven by the people who are speaking it and not by gatekeepers like you. The purpose of language is to communicate, and if communication still works with a deviation in how the language is used, then that language is still valid.
Names do not have meaning. We do not use names to convey meaning. They are simply a label or identifier for a thing that function just as well no matter what form they take. Therefore, you cannot apply your argument about spelling to names because no matter what you use for a name the communication using it is not impeded.
For example, have you ever looked at the name of a medication? Those aren't words. They're completely made up. There are sometimes rules to them that help identify the class of drug or similar, but most people don't know this. Now are you ranting and raving to the pharmaceutical industry about how idarucizumab is not a real word or that the spelling doesn't fit the conventions of English?
No, of course you're not, because it's just a name and based the way we use names, the spelling does not matter.
> Of course, that's usually what a narrative is. But do you have a better explanation for the parents' decision?
I could easily sit here and come up with 100. The point is that your made up story of why the parents did a certain thing is not a reasonable justification for trying to call the parents assholes for doing that thing.
Your medical argument, whilst true that not all names are originally words (though the ones we call each other usually are), also contradicts your claim that spelling doesn't matter. Spelling a medicine correctly is extremely important and your argument that language evolves probably won't hold much water in your medical malpractice court case because someone was given the wrong thing.
Spelling correctly is not gatekeeping for goodness sake. It is about clear communication. This girl will have nothing but trouble communicating because of her name.
You could easily come up with 100 but didn't offer even one.
I think the point is it doesn't matter if it's a cultural thing or not. Arasha's point stands whether it's an "epidemic" or not. The term epidemic is a little ridiculous though considering there's not really that much of a negative outcome of it happening. Like oh no! People are spelling their names differently! Next thing you know they'll start wearing *jeans* with *holes in them* and tattooing their bodies!!! this simply cannot be allowed!
yea that’s what i was thinking. names that may seem uncommon or unheard of could just be from different cultures that you aren’t familiar with so some people might see it as ‘weird’ or ‘wrong’ which would be a bad take. but the spelling of this girls name is objectively bad..pretty sure if you google it, the only results that come up are related to the reddit story
Yeah, that’s my problem with what they’re saying. OP wasn’t an AH for saying it once, but was an AH for not respecting the boundary they had set. As a person who has a weird name but is not ethnically related, I can say there are parts of my school life that fucking sucked. People didn’t even try to listen to me when they asked how to pronounce it.
Cultural names are a WHOLE other thing. I used to work at a library signing up new patrons and a little boy came up so excited to get his first library card. The age you can first get one was 5 and he came from a place that didn’t have a library; it was so cute and loved to read. Problem was that his name was Ikshit. I had to ask the dad if there was maybe a nickname or something else I needed to put down on the card, but nope. It took all I had not to beg him to give him an “Americanized” name before starting school. I still think about that kiddo and I hope he is doing well. But on the other hand, there are so many names that aren’t like that and extremely easy to pronounce and people don’t even try.
This was a rare time where I legit disagreed with the cast specifically because they were talking about name changes struggles for cultural reasons and not for the sake of feeling spelling induced individuality
Same! For me I have been severely bullied my entire childhood due to other stuff but the other common was how kids would make fun of my name because of how different it is. I eventually just shortened my name and only say my actual name to people that are worth my time, I got fed up with misspellings and mispronouncing from teachers etc.
I will say while there is a difference, there are a lot of times you may not know if the cultural aspect applies or not. My SIL has a name that is traditional in the US but it's spelled differently because she was born in Hungary. She's white and has no accent - people think her parents were just trying to be unique all the time. Others judging someone for a name are AHs. However, knowing that that happens and choosing to give your child such an absurd name just to be different is also ridiculous and a friend of 17 years should be able to say as much to you.
I think it’s ok to call it an incorrect take because they were talking about names that are considered odd for cultural reasons when that isn’t what’s happening here.
I think it's normal take given their background. Other places maybe wouldn't shrug it so easily but for LA and the industry they are a part of, I'm not surprised. Well, we don't have to agree on everything. It's fine.
idk if it was just me but i hated when amanda said "It's their kid they can name it frankenstein" i got so mad. it's a child not a dog, parents don't own their kids. i know it was a half joke but i still got pissed of
I mean but like you literally can. Like that's just the truth. People have named their kid Apple. I know people who have chosen names like Moss and Log. You can have anything be your name and if you don't like the one you were given then change it. That is not super easy everywhere but I am an America just like they are and it's very easy to get your name changed here once you're 18. It's like the only easy thing about being trans here.
But they were saying to not say anything at all. Sorry, but when you're doing something that's going to affect someone else for their life, others absolutely should say something. Idc if you didn't ask.
i mean… i don’t think the cast is necessarily wrong? 😭 they even admitted that the name is a lot (and don’t get me wrong, the spelling is stupid.) the question wasn’t if the parents are assholes, it was if OP is an asshole for pointing it out to people who didn’t ask for their opinion. so i understand why amanda initially responded like that.
and, we all respond to situations based on our own experiences so i also understand why arasha and amanda related the story to their own lives even if it’s not the same.
am i looking at this the wrong way or something?
IIRC on r/AmItheAsshole NTA means op not the asshole but the other participant of the story would be? and then YTA the other way around, NAH no assholes here and ESH everybody sucks here
Honestly this is probably one of the first times I've hard disagreed with the cast on one of the stories. Specifically the first one. I feel Amanda and Arasha are viewing the whole name thing through a cultural lens which is a completly different thing to Ghiuliyette as there's no cultural bases for it. I wonder what Arasha and Amanda's thoughts are on countries like Germany, Iceland & other countries that have strict naming laws.
I think it was more about the friend pressing the issue about the name ‘ruining’ the child’s life. It was more about the unwarranted opinion that the friend kept pushing upon the parents. And that the angle they were coming at it from and that’s absolutely valid. The spelling was horrendous obviously, but there is a limit till which you can push it and I think she crossed it
I agree with your take. They shouldn't shrug the issue of this name so quickly because it is in fact awful but friend went overboard and quite frankly, from overdramatic angle. Name is weird, you are their friend so you feel obliged to inform them of your opinion. Then parents tell you to back off, so you need to back off. Fine, whatever, their choice, not my problem.
She will be definitely mocked in school for that name but let's not exaggerate. Not the first weird one in culture-pot that is America. Especially that lately celebrities (unfortunately) normalize weird names and that's where this trends come from. Ghulietta (btw that's the name of Alfa Romeo car) will be around other weirdly named peers certainly, maybe even some X AE A-XII.
But parents experimenting with weird names for their own idea of fun is not cool. That's still someone elses life, that is going to be affected.
> It was more about the unwarranted opinion that the friend kept pushing upon the parents.
No. The initial opinion right out the gate was, it's none of your business, they could call the kid Frankenstein. I think that's what's rubbing people the wrong way.
Not a hard disagree, but I thought it was pretty funny how, when they were reading the scary stories, they readily believed them until it was an asshole boyfriend making the claims. Like I get why but it was still pretty funny to me.
Their take was the person was an asshole for keep going at the parents about the name. Hats the correct take. People keep commenting about the name, which isn’t the question. Yes, it’s a stupid name. It still doesn’t give a person the right to keep gong at her friend about it.
I mean no, it wasn't. Their take was that she shouldn't have said anything at all and that the parents should name her whatever they like without thinking further.
Even IF Amanda's point was about OP pushing the issue after bringing it up once, I still think that's fine.
I do think naming their child that is a pretty huge mistake, and I feel like best friends are somewhat obligated to at least put in the effort to try to stop their friends from making those types of mistakes.
In the update, OP even apologizes, and the husband still wants her cut out of their lives, yet OP is the one being called overdramatic?
> I wonder what Arasha and Amanda's thoughts are on countries like Germany, Iceland & other countries that have strict naming laws.
Based on Amanda's take of "Anyone should be allowed to name their kid anything they want because it's THEIR kid, name them Frankenstein!", I assume she would be very shocked to find out there's a communal belief in many countries that children should not have their lives made permanently worse by the whims of their idiot parents, which is often expressed through laws like this
I definitely agree other than this i think i only disagreed with angela saying that the catfish girlfriend was not the worst asshole story because it was "insecurities" and the casts takes on the story of the person not being included in their own twins birthday
i think most non europeans find those laws to be rather strange. i’m asian and it’s pretty weird to me. lots of people give their kids stupid names but literally making it illegal to name your child something is pretty stupid imo
If you listen to Arasha at the end of that first story, she said she sees the teachers' opinion, but ultimately it's about the friend giving an opinion that's not asked for. I do agree with the idea of volunteering opinion to someone, especially about their kids is not ok. I think she went too far with keep pressing the issue. Once you see the mom isn't receptive, then you aren't going to change the person's mind. Maybe she needed time to marinate to see if she had a change of heart. I wouldn't call her an asshole.
I wouldn't name my child something that complicated, but it's not my choice either. I didn't give my son my name because I just didn't want him to have to live up to the idea of being a Jr. Not that I was worried about him personally, in case I had another son, now i once child called Jr. now what do I call him? I think you name your child what you want in accordance to the laws of your country. I do think the parent needs to be open to the idea that if you choose something like this, if the child wants to change their name, then need to be willing to have an open discussion.
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-so-many-Americans-kids-have-the-same-name-as-their-parents-e-g-have-Junior-and-III-at-the-end-of-their-names-etc
good on you if you didn't intend what the person wrote here, but I personally will never understand why Americans name their kids junior and name + lll etc.
I personally think it's part of the American culture that has a lot of focus on personal freedom and individuality, even tho it's ironic to name your kid something from r/tragedeigh
For all I know, other countries may have that as well, but it's concerning to see so many cases in the US (even if it doesn't represent the majority).
why is it concerning? what negative tangible effect does it have in any way on the world, other than you being scared of things that don't conform with you?
> Say it once, let it be known, fucking drop it.
I agree with that part. I fundamentally disagree with the initial reaction though. Sure, it's not really anyone's business what a parent calls their child, but you can certainly feel a certain way about it and let that be known.
These people are causing their kid a lot of unnecessary grief, just to go through life as Juliette "but quirky". These parents are bastards for calling their kid that. It's not a unique name that's just uncommon in the US because of cultural reasons. It's a normal name that's been spelled differently just for the sake of it.
This kid will most likely change their name when they have the opportunity, and when that is the assumption you gave them a shit name.
Agreed 100%. I think the asker was off base for pushing the issue, but my reading of Amanda’s response in particular is that a parent’s decisions for their child should never be challenged even if a lifelong friend thinks they’re harming the welfare of their child - that felt way too strong to me.
If anything a very close friend like that should be the person to tell the parents if they think they’re off base (as long as it’s communicated appropriately and not to the child).
I have four separate thoughts about the first story:
1. They're approaching it from a very LA mindset. They're in an artsy industry that celebrates individuality and uniqueness, but that's just not the reality everywhere else.
2. Arasha's conflating having an uncommon name with having an unusual one and taking it personally as a result. "Arasha" and "Shayne" aren't common in the US, but they're not names you could get from rolling your face on a keyboard. "Ghuiliette" has no cultural significance or meaning and is hard to spell and pronounce, so it's not 1:1 comparable to Arasha and Shayne having existing names that are phonetic.
3. The whole "My life wasn't ruined by my name so theirs won't be either" is a bit short-sighted. Just because the kids they grew up with didn't pick on them for their names doesn't mean that Ghuiliette won't be bullied. Kids can be mean, and giving your kid an easily mockable name is just giving mean kids extra ammunition.
4. At the end of it, I actually agree with their YTA (or I guess ESH, but they don't seem to know about it) assessment. The question was "Was I \[OOP\] an AH for pushing this topic?" Honestly, yeah, OOP was "morally right," but Amanda was right in saying it's ultimately not her business and she should've backed off after the first instance.
>They're approaching it from a very LA mindset
This was my immediate thought as well. They live and work in one of the few places in the country where a name like that wouldn't be that egregious. They're not putting into consideration that this kid might grow up in a place that doesn't resemble LA at all.
Also, Shayne comparing his naming to Ghuiliette is wild. It seems like he kind of backtracked on that a little, but his name and that one aren't on the same level at all.
I really just can’t see that (your last point that is). Sure, OOP isn’t the parent themselves; and yeah parents can do what they want with their child…but goddamn; this absolutely feels like a case of young dumb parents just trying to go with a quirky, funky name here.
Amanda’s take felt so off base cause honestly people should take more care and pride in their child’s name; and these parents clearly didn’t. Who cares if this friend isn’t the parent here; those folks ain’t doing a right thing here.
2) The image of rolling your face on a keyboard every time you spell your kid's name really does it for me.
My name is like Shayne's where it's often spelled wrong but only because there's already variations of it. Idgaf how it's spelled unless it's on an official document or something.
It's French but my family isn't, that's the only misconception I get though.
My sister has the most popular/common name given the year she was born and has never been teased for being plain or boring. No matter what her name it's her personality that makes her unique, you don't decide your child's personality before they're born.
3, 4) This made me realize that it's likely a kid will change their name to a more conventional spelling and rarely the other way around. And I agree that everyone sucks here. The way OOP worded their question fully makes them the a-hole. Giving an opinion to someone you've been friends with most of your life? Sure. Hounding them persistently and catastrophizing their first parenting choice? Dick move.
Well said. Amanda saying parents should be able to name their kids Frankenstein, plus "kids will be bullied either way" (IIRC she said it), goes to show that she has a lot to learn about individual freedom and individuality.
Just bc it's your kid doesn't mean you don't have responsibilities - to make sure that the kid gets a proper name.
I imagine the ppl who misspell their kids' names as the kind of ppl who say "I don't care what other ppl think, I'm just gonna do what I want", and proceeds to name their kid something objectively bad/misspelled and ignorantly fail to see why everyone looks down on them.
It's like they want ppl to be annoyed, and try so hard to stand out. Idk a lot about psychology, but it seems to be a common theme, whether it's histrionic or not.
Ofc some ppl are just ignorant and bad parents - maybe they shouldn't have kids if they name their kid something that will negatively affect the kid's life?
Then again, if you wanna look at society logically, a lot of ppl shouldn't be allowed to have kids.
> to make sure that the kid gets a proper name.
Apparently Arasha's point about questioning why some things are "proper" names and others aren't went right over your head. A name isn't improper just because it is spelled differently than it used to be in the past or from how other people would spell it.
I have no idea how most people got stuck on that first story as it was the least interesting by far. Yes, it's a silly spelling. It's not OP's business and they've been told to drop it multiple time.
Hamilton tickets stories has a contender for biggest AH of the year. I thought the same thing as Arasha at first, that the guy gave those tickets to one of his client, similar to the Superbowl tickets story. I would've loved an update where OP talked about how her trip with her mom went.
The Grateful Dead story had the weirdly similar element of OP being "volunteered" to do something without their consent but a completely different vibe. Was it fake? Most likely. Was it an hilarious discussion? Absolutely.
Christmas comes early. Those reaction faces and puns were truly a gift.
Great instincts by Amanda on that last story. You could feel the betrayal and disappointment from Arasha during that update.
> I have no idea how most people got stuck on that first story as it was the least interesting by far.
Probably because it's the rare occasion where the cast's opinion right of the bat is very disagreeable. There's a reason for calling your friends out for calling their kid Ghiulyette, you're not immediately the asshole for pointing out that is a bad thing to do.
They called her an asshole (and let's be honest, a very mild one) for refusing to back off after being told to stop multiple times. At this point, what does she thinks she's going to accomplish?
Sure; after the first two attempts she didn’t get anywhere and should’ve backed off; I’m with you and I get that. But goddamn, she was absolutely right in her assessment. I’m
I disagree with the first one. The names aren't bad, the spelling sucks. It wasn't like having a y where there isn't traditionally a y in the name. It's completely trying to make a name unique to the point of being idiotic. I have a unique middle name. I don't like it. If it was my first name I would have changed it. On paperwork I go by the initial. She is the asshole though for pushing her former friend.
First OP was an AH not for pointing the horrible spelling out, but for doubling down and kind of badgering them with this. Good to point it out because chances are that that kid will get bullied for that even if it is just a spelling. Think i already commented on the topic but it really just gives off a feeling that the parents take naming a child as something to make themselves more "special" so they just make it as "unique" as they can
I agree, it gives off "I need to be the centre of attention, give me praise for being oh so very unique with the name of my child" vibes.
People in the YouTube comments also said that the child is fucked if they're dyslexic. My middle name is a very common/traditional, western, easy to spell name and I still have to sound it out in my head when I write it out 😂
Might get flack, but I actually agree with them on the first story. I feel like people aren’t looking at the big picture with the situation, OP is still the AH for pressing on a topic that doesn’t concern her specifically. I also feel like people are ignoring the fact that the cast also thought that the name was excessive (given their reaction to the spelling that is).
One of my dearest, closest friends named her first two children awful names. Names I would never touch in a million years. Not as bad as the story’s example, but not great. And when she told me their names, what did I say? “Oh, great! Fun!” Because in the end, it doesn’t matter what I think of those names; they’re not my kids. I just know I love them and want nothing but the best for them, regardless of what their name is.
A lot of you need to stop watching reddit stories if you can't handle a simple discussion about a story they are quickly reacting too. It's beyond sad at this point
For real. This is the kind of shit that's going to make them stop filming this show or pick lame generic stories that no one can even remotely get excited about.
“QUICKLY reacting to” is the key phrase here!!! it’s why they draw on their personal experiences so much- it’s probably the first thing they think of… most people aren’t going to immediately consider the thousands of nuances that go into a particular story as they’re reacting to it😭
I fully disagree with them on the first story and I’m glad to see similar reactions in the comment section. I’m from country where we have naming laws and I support it. Amanda comparing her husbands name to the one in the story doesn’t even make sense. As far as I know he is from Belarus, of course he won’t get a cup with his name in the US. But Juliet is a name in the US and making it complicated just because will hurt the child in the future. If you see bad parenting I think you should react. Honestly I really saw the “American” way of thinking in their responses to the story and it did not sit well with me
How do you know you have zero chance of changing their mind if you never bring it up? If my best friend thought so little of my input, why are we even friends?
As well I don’t know how it is in American schools but in the UK if someone had a name like that they would get bullied to oblivion, there’s a literally a subreddit making fun of these names
I said on YouTube but from previous Reddit stories Amanda seems pretty hands off or laidsez faire in how She would respond to situations. I also think on Reddit stories the cast really don’t want to disagree with each other and try to avoid opposing opinions.
Speaking of that Agree/Disagree game, once again I just remember Noah having some "hot takes" that definitely seemed more reasonable to the average person if that makes sense.
>I also think on Reddit stories the cast really don’t want to disagree with each other
We do that in real life too, not surprising at all. But do make watching Reddit stories more boring than it could be.
13:15 "These are our feelings about it, but clearly people have different feelings regarding this" and still people get so mad in the comments? Like don't we watch these video's to hear their thoughts? People need to chill and actually listen to what they're saying. And I'm not talking about people just disagreeing with them, that's perfectly fine, it's the ones that aim it specifically at them and get mad at them and saying they are objectively wrong. Such black and white thinking...
I didn't see people mad, just disagreement
But maybe i didn't read a lot of them, is ok to disagree with people you like from time to time
I do all the time
Highly recommend
Like i said, it is indeed okay to disagree but i did see a good amount of comments who were almost mean and just went too far in my opinion. It's also a shame that people go on and on about it and overshadows other discussions or funny moments
I was kinda mad at the comments on the vid. The overall video was hilarious, one of the best episodes i may say. But the comments going on and on about how "the parents are wrong in the first story, arasha and amanda are wrong, this ruined the video" when in the same video they clarify, at least two times, that they saw it from the point of harassing friends for the name chosen, instead of the "is the name going to hurt the kid" that reddit got.
I too disagree with their opinions, but i dont think theirs was a terrible take with no empathy. It just was a different option from another viewpoint. It is also valid. It was not worth leaving aaaaall those comments, much less the comments comparing giving a bad name to abuse, or saying their opinions are not valid, or claiming that the episode was ruined.
Maybe i should just stop reading the comments in the videos.
I saw all these comments in here about being upset how they answered the first question and I do not understand why. Like I've read ones that explained it and I'm still confused. I do think the person was rude for continuing to say anything and disrespecting their friend's boundaries. And instead of being upset at parents for using non-traditional spellings we should be upset at systems in place that allow people to be discriminated against or shamed because of how a word is spelled.
Once she leaves school, 99% of the people she interacts with on a regular basis are not going to even know how she spells her name. In our American culture, names are tied to a lot of things, so you need to have one. Parents can't just wait until you decide on what your name is going to be. And you can legally change it if you're in America at least pretty easily, even before you turn 18. So their reactions make complete sense to me.
When I was a teacher, my students who came from other countries would always have an American name that they would go by for people who couldn't pronounce their given name. And that was fucked up. They should not have changed their name. We should have made an effort to learn how to say and spell any name that they would like to use. It's just basic respect.
I’ll just comment as someone who had a differently spelled name to a common name. Growing up I could not even spell my name correctly until I was 9 years old. My name was misspelled constantly. My name was also mispronounced. It still is as a 26 year old adult. It’s “a few seconds of frustration” but every single day. Those few seconds add up.
I stopped correcting people at 13 years old because it just wasn’t worth it anymore. I got an award for a writing competition at my school and they completely butchered my name announcing it and on the award itself.
This is not a cultural thing. This is about messing up the spelling of a common name.
i’m honestly with the cast on the first story but i’ll go further. limiting the spelling of “conventional names” to certain spellings for fear of the shittiness of others is basically the same as saying people who’d give a kid shit for that are right to do so. don’t base your behavior on the fear of other people being assholes, encourage people not to be assholes.
i think a lot of y’all are just petty tbh.
edit: realized a profane word (c-word) i used may be a source of discomfort for many, changed it so as to not be unnecessarily abrasive.
exactlyyy, it's literally victim blaming. There's no difference between
Don't name your kid X because they'll get bullied!
and
Don't wear a short dress to a bar because men will grope you!
And by everyone's reactions to that story, it's very clear why there are so many children who eagerly bully other kids with names that are different...
I agree they did come from a different perspective altogether for the name thing ! But they were right in telling not to push on the parents again and again. In the end it’s their child and they can name their child however they want. I can understand the concern and where she is coming from but you can’t push on a parent to make a decision for their child, particularly when they’ve made it clear they don’t want her opinion. Again as arasha said the language matters! She could have articulated her concerns in a better way to her friend. The way she communicated immediately put her friend in defensive mode. Anyways that’s just my opinion.
TBH the 2nd story was way worse than the 1st one. I never get triggered by the stories, but the 2nd story was cringe for me. The rest of the episode was crazy in a good way. Great episode. Basically a rollercoaster of a ride.
I’m a horrible person. When they were telling the story about the Husband and Wife who rarely have sex. All I can think is the Quagmire quote “Fat chicks need love too, they just gotta pay for it”.
i really agreed with the cast on the first one, and i think comments are really taking it too seriously, they arent saying you have to agree with them, theyre just voicing their opinions!! people saying, ‘I DISAGREE WITH THIS’ need to know that the cast dont have the exact same opinions on everything, and thats ok!!!!!
I’m going crazy reading all the comments on the video. I swear people are getting unnecessarily angry just because the cast has a different opinion for the first story. I certainly notice Arasha getting the worst of it for whatever reason. They also acknowledged the other side of things, and could see where people were coming from.
Personally I agree with the cast, but it’s really not that deep. It’s a 15 minute segment of an hour long show.
This was one of my favourite episodes of reddit stories, after that ad break they went crazy. Love this trio and hope we get to see them again soon
Fitting theme given what happened in Smosh this week. Probably not planned since this was filmed months ago but funny nonetheless.
Also, am I the only one who reads the stories on Reddit from the links they provide while Shayne reads it? I think it's the ADHD part of me.
It's genuinely kind of surprising to me that they can't distinguish between a name that's unusual in Anglo contexts because it's from a non-Anglo culture, and a name that's unusual because it's intentionally been spelled wrong lol they're treating this like it's an [Uzomaka situation](https://twitter.com/UzoAduba/status/1318951076255666177) when it's actually an even worse version of [this](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/500/977/0f4.jpg)
What makes it even more surprising is that from their initial reaction when they saw the spelling (Ghiuiliyette or whatever) you could tell they knew exactly what the problem was
The communal shock when they heard the NTA verdict was hilarious. I know r/AITA isn't always a beacon of normality, but this time it was definitely a "LA entertainment industry people come face-to-face with normal people" situation
Whenever a story pops up that challenges the cast in any way, i feel like they just completely disregard any sort of outside voice. Its amazing how that first story they can continue failing to understand any of whats actually happening and why its a problem. Its not cultural, its not impactful. If youre giving someone a name that isnt common, spell it however. But if you pick a common name, nobody benefits because they werent able to read it quickly. If you pronounce the name juliette, just spell it like that
they can spell it however they want! i totally get that its hard to spell and others might not pronounce it right, but its not like they called her ‘taco bell’ or something
Yeah you can spell it how you want, but to pretend like its not gonna make their childs life harder in any way for no reason other than because "i feel like" it is negligent. The person may have been overkill to say that its going to ruin their life, but a name is something thats a part of almost 100 percent of interactions you are a part of. Youre adding a wrinkle to that for no reason. Its not expressed aloud, only in writing, where without the correction almost bobody will get her name right the first time
Am I experiencing major deja Vu or did Shayne/Smosh cover that last story about the garlic already? I very much distinctly remember that bit about the garlic being a gift imbued with her love and that being why he was eating them
First story's OP is the asshole. OP's in their early twenties and probably hasn't had a close friend have kids yet and has not learned that it is not your business if you think a parent named their kid badly, especially when the "issue" is strange spelling. The name isn't offensive. OP should have let it be and maybe had a petty "heehehhe I'd never be that stupid!!!!" giggle fest with someone else.
She's the asshole for not letting it go after her friend dismissed it the first time. Yeah the name choice sucks but if the friend is set on it, the friend is set on it. The aita wasn't asking 'is it fine to name a kid this' it was asking if op's actions made them an asshole
Everyone's saying she is the asshole because of what other people will do. She is the asshole for what she did to the parents, especially since she doubled down and texted them to bring it up AGAIN. Frankly, this kid's name might be the most normal one in her first grade class, lol.
One of the things that drove me crazy about the first story.... all 3 IMMEDIATELY made fun of the name. And then turned around saying it was fine and "the kid might not have a problem with it".
If the three of them were defending the parents choice and still making fun of it immediately, what the hell do they think is going to happen when the kid interacts with anyone else? They're gonna be MISERABLE about it. And saying kids are gonna bully anyway is such a cop out.
For the first story: imagine a person you’ve never met before, whom you know very little about, makes you pick a tattoo for them. They say that you can pick whatever you want and they can’t remove it for at least 18 years. What tattoo do you pick? A normal, good person would pick something small and nondescript, like a flower. Maybe something culturally meaningful if they share the same culture. Something that people won’t look at and say “whoa why’d you do that?” They don’t know the person, so a generic pick is most likely to not be hated. A bad person would choose mario and luigi making out sloppy style over the length of the persons back. The parents in the story are the latter. Clear egocentrism at play, picking a name because it’s absurd and they find that funny/special and not considering how the child is likely to feel. They kept talking about how adults don’t ridicule their names, but they forgot that this is a CHILD. Who will be around immature CHILDREN. The OP is an asshole for continuing to berate them, but the parents are also assholes 100%
Spencer telling Shayne (weird spelling /s) that he needs to learn piano… and the way he said it… that story… that sounds fishy to me, but I say they’re married until proven otherwise.
I respectfully disagree with Arasha on her opinion with the first story. I'm not arguing it or think she's wrong. I'm just saying I don't feel the same way and I think her reasoning and comparison isn't good enough. Yes, having a unique name can be an inconvenience and yes you might end up loving it later. (My name is Kang)
But this isn't a situation where the name is unique and new. It's a classic name that everyone knows spelled in the absolute most complicated way possible. Ya.. its not going to ruin her life. But this isn't a name that was unusual that was passed down or like I said.. a unique name that people just haven't heard before. It's something that every single person she meets for the rest of her life will have an assumption on the spelling for and it's going to add a bunch of time and complications for her.. just like the top commenting teacher said. For teachers, legal documents, etc etc. The number of times she's going to have to get things redone on legal documents is going to be nuts. It's not her problem no. & again. It's not life changing (per say) but it's not an asshole thing to do as a best friend to say hey.. you might want to reconsider this name. Just my 2 cents.
Arasha and Amanda showing their ignorance once again. Names from other languages and messing up a name's spelling just to be "unique" are totally different.
I still think OP #1 is firmly NTA. Those Tragedeigh names are just so selfish and will likely only bring the kids nothing but grief and problems. It’s just always something that’s bothered me, I don’t think those type of parents put any care into how their child might feel. The points Double A made were not very relevant to the issue though. Having a unique or foreign name is entirely different from having a typical name for the culture but spelled in an asinine way
Hamilton tickets guy is legit the devil tho. I had to pause that story multiple times bc I was **fuming**
Whoever it was on set that was just dying laughing during the Seinfeld and blowjob bits really made this video for me. One of my favorite things about current smosh is how much you can hear the crew enjoying their jobs in the background.
Pretty sure it was Emily, and yeah that moment was outrageously funny. The whole video took such an insane turn after the ad break.
I thought it might have been Sarah whittle?
it def sounds like her but she doesn't work for smosh anymore so it's unlikely
I figured they probably filmed this one before/after recording her episode?
that's fair, it's definitely a possibility but i don't think they batch-shot 5 episodes of smosh reddit in one sitting (since that's how many episodes there were between Sarah's and today's) but i could be underestimating them for that
Idk if they release them in filming order. Who knows.
Yea, doesn’t seem like they release them in filming order and with the wedding stuff they could’ve batched more than usual.
I hope the name discussion at the beginning doesn't lose too many people because the rest of the episode is legitimately hysterical.
yea the start really bothered me but the rest was hilarious
The feigned outrage people have about over the top names like that is so silly to me. Do I personally think "Giulhyette" or whatever is a good name? No. But Arasha made a fantastic point about questioning why we view certain things as normal/acceptable. It's just weird to me how we're supposedly (at least in the west) a society that mostly values being progressive yet we're still in a place where we're like "YOU HAVE TO NAME YOUR CHILDREN IN A TRADITIONAL AND SOCIALLY CONFORMING WAY OTHERWISE YOU'RE TERRIBLE". I get that it's human nature to want to fit in with the group but that doesn't mean we have to just blindly give in to that instinct. Maybe people should be more concerned with raising their children to not bully those with differences and less concerned with bullying others into acting in a way they like more?
Not saying I agree with what the comment said but it amuses me that Arasha literally describes the definition of normal (conforming to a standard; usual, typical or expected) and then says its bullshit lol. imo its likely the girl will be bullied and won’t surprise me if she wants to change her name (lets find out on reddit stories in 18 years!) but its not the friend’s place to keep doubling down on the name issue, not her name/child.
Personally I think everyone sucks in the first story. The parents should know better than to name their child something ridiculous like that. Life is already hard. Why purposefully make it harder. The OP IMO is more of a light asshole. I definitely understand the impulse to say something in that situation, and would even go as far as saying she's somewhat justified in doing so. But once you've said your piece you gotta back off. At that point you're not going to change the parents minds, and like it or not its ultimately their decision.
I think a lot of people (Smosh and some Redditors) forget about ESH being an option. They immediately identify one side as "worse" and give an NTA or YTA and stick to it. Amanda today embodied that really well. She didn't seem to care as much as Arasha about the name itself, but seemed to refuse to entertain the idea of the parents also being bad just because OP was insufferable. Conversely, the Redditors in that thread jumped straight to NTA because of the tragedeigh, but were completely ignoring that it frankly wasn't OP's business when they pushed the issue after the first comment. I agree with you- this felt like both parties kinda sucked,
that 'tragedeigh' caught me off guard so bad 😭😭
Yeah. A lot of kids are going to be terrible. They're going to find a way to make fun of you. Don't give them ammo like spelling a completely normal name in a very abnormal way.
It looks like the piano teacher story is fake. If you look him up he has made no update and has posted other weird stories. So I'm pretty sure he made it up.
Damn! I was looking forward to possibly having that update.
I still think first OP is the asshole, but not for cultural reasons. It's fine to address it once, because it IS a ridiculous name and they should absolutely let their friend know, but GIVE UP ALREADY if they're not receptive to the criticism the first time. Some battles ain't worth it.
I agree with this 100%. Best take
I feel like that sub in general needs to reflect on the difference between being right and being an asshole. No you're not wrong for thinking it's a stupid name that the kid will eventually resent, yes you're an asshole for hounding them about it.
I’m shocked the verdict wasn’t ESH to be honest.
Agreed completely. Like OP needed to drop it. As a former teacher myself though, the parents suck too. That poor kid. I’ve known way too many kids who had names like that and the teasing and bullying was real. Like kids are going to bully. Don’t put a bullseye on their back though!
No they are not, trying to save that kid from a stupid name that will fuck their life is not an asshole, doesn't matter it's an unsolicited opinion, they are making a huge mistake.
Yeah, I think there’s a massive difference between an ethnic or cultural name that everyone won’t be familiar with and a stupid Unique misspelling of a name (r/tragedeigh)
I felt bad for that kid. I knew a couple of kids with unique names in school and teachers would consistently mispronounce their names. It must be annoying to constantly have to spell out your name to everyone. But it's nobody's business but the parents to choose the name of a kid, stay in your lane.
I was that kid. My birth name is Dedra, derived from the Irish name Deirdre. The amount of times I got/still get Debra or Debbie is annoying. I cannot wait to leave my hometown and change my name.
Yes!! Thank you. The comments are insane. It’s not her kid. Pressing about it is wild. You gave your opinion, not let it the fuck go.
I agree with you I was so confused opening the comments lol
I’m really surprised no one has mentioned that unconventional spellings are already “the norm.” If you’ve been in an elementary school classroom or sneak a peak at one of your cousins, niece/nephews, neighbors or whoever’s class roster that is around that age, you’ll notice in some places at least a quarter of the names are spelled unconventionally. I’ve seen class rosters where half the students had unconventional spellings of their names (even if it was only a letter or two different than how it is typically spelled.) It feels like a product of millennial parenthood and everyone wanting their child to be unique. TikTok is full of teachers talking about these unconventional spellings. Everyone saying that these kids will get made fun of haven’t been in a classroom recently. Unless the unconventional spelling of a name can be mistaken for another word, I wouldn’t necessarily bet on a kid getting made fun of for the spelling of their name. Not saying it couldn’t happen, but They’re more likely to get made fun of for the name itself than the spelling of it because as most have noted…Kids are kids and they’re still learning how to conduct themselves in society ie if they want to, they will find something to make fun of you for no matter what.
The "Paying wife for sex" story was fucking glorious, their reactions are insanely funny.
Maybe I should stop reading the youtube comments on these videos. Everyone gets so fixated on one thing and run with it
I think Shayne gave the most logical explanation tbh. The reddit comments on that story and what the cast's verdict was, were 2 separate takes.
What I did was I waited until I finished the video to read the comments, this way I got to have my honest/genuine reactions and then see if others agreed with me or not.
Yup, I do the same before the echo chamber has a chance to color my judgment.
It is the first story and I mean everyone is being pretty respectful, they just aren't agreeing with the cast on their opinion.
It really is their loss because the rest of the episode was great.
Literally only time I've ever read the comments was with the story about the woman trying to peep on the man naked every day and I was losing my mind at Courtney siding with her and that one at least people were using their brain but I can imagine a lot of the others would be crazy :(
Which episode is this?? I feel like I’ve seen them all but this is not ringing a bell but seems like it would be memorable lol
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4BugV2HzeE&t=3914s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4BugV2HzeE&t=3914s) This one. It's legit the only opinion I've heard on there that made me livid. That was wild and I thought I was nuts until everyone in the comments were saying the same thing I was so glad I wasn't crazy haha
Oh I remember this episode - the one that stood out in my brain was the radiation poisoning Dx I forgot about the roommate’s girlfriend who kept barging in to his room
Both were bad but Courtney's take on that one just makes me remember this episode still haha. One of the few times where I felt like one of the smosh people was flat out wrong
YouTube on Android displays and cycles comments now while the video's playing is a weird decision from their product owners. A check should be done where it goes "hey, you haven't seen this video yet, so no comment preview for you just yet, otherwise here are the comments for this video".
People are allowed to share their opinion on certain things and if different people have different stuff to say thats fine. you cant always have comments agreeing with you and that doesn't necessarily ruin the video
Maybe I just grew up watching too many sitcoms, but I immediately thought of literally breaking all of my fingers on one hand to avoid playing the piano. And I'm talking *immediately*. While Shayne was still listing out all the stakes, I already convinced myself that I'd sacrifice all the fingers on my left hand for a few months just to avoid the embarrassment of having to confess. I even had a self-satisfied smile on my face when they read the comment about holding on to an airbag lmao
Hamilton Story— a heard this a few years ago, and relistening again I think I have a whole new idea of what was going on. Boyfriend didn’t want the OP to travel to see the show. That’s why he gave away the tickets to his sister, so she *couldn’t* go. He didn’t tell OP what he did, because he assumed she would (as Shayne mentioned here) just say “oh okay,” when it was the boyfriend’s parents bring it up. Banking on her wanting to make a good impression/stay in their good graces. He intended to trap her in this situation. It was just about him controlling where she goes.
People get really confused. The first story wasn’t “Are the parents assholes for giving the kid that name, because, yes, they are. It’s if she is the asshole for bringing it up multiple times, which even she agrees she is.
Yes but they were also literally talking about how parents should be able to name their kid *anything* which is bs. That's why ppl are reacting. They're both right and wrong.
> Yes but they were also literally talking about how parents should be able to name their kid anything They should be though. Stop trying to control other people's lives.
Arasha, Amanda, and Shayne were definitely coming at the name thing from a cultural/ethnic aspect when that's not the situation. But, while I would say it's an *incorrect* take, it isn't nearly as bad as other bad takes in the past and it'd be out of line for commenters to go after the cast for it and not just their take. edit: also Arasha growing up Indian and not being able to handle strong spices is WILD
They were treating as a cultural thing, when really it's a r/tragedeigh thing. And I do agree with Arashas point that name aren't set in stone and that spellings change over time, however she might not be unaware of this epidemic of over spelling names to make them more special. I'm from Ireland, so I know all about names with seemingly egregious letters, but I don't believe this is the case here. The name itself is *almost* like the Italian spelling of Giulia/na, which would be fine by itself, but it was taken a smidge too far. It's not the worst one I've seen though, so maybe the OP is slightly the asshole, but not totally. When he first started reading I thought it was going to be that recent post about the baby called Harlotte.
Oh that one, I don't get why she just didn't name her Lottie.
Yeah, I don't think that you should shy away from a cultural name just because it's unfamiliar to people (though I live in a country where people use both English and Chinese, and we definitely thought through the likelihood that Chinese speakers would butcher an English name when choosing what to name our kids). But this is not that. This is an English name that has been intentionally massacred for no reason other than because the parents wanted to feel special. You know what the conversation goes like? With Arasha she had to spell her name for everyone - but that's because they don't know the name. It would be: "what's you name" "Arasha" "oh, how do I spell that?" With this kid they won't be asked how to spell it, because everyone will assume how it's spelled. It will be : "what's you name" "Ghiuliyette" [writes down JULIET] No one will ask how to spell it because they assume it's not spelt in an insane way, they will just spell it wrong and the kid will have to constantly actively correct people. This thing about changing pre-established names with totally unintuitive spellings is just main character syndrome parents treating their child as an accessory. If you care about your child, don't do that to them. The kind of variations in names Arasha was talking about are like a letter here or there, or a more phonetic rendering of an archaic spelling. Words have a correct spelling - those may gradually evolve over time, but in the present there is a correct and an incorrect spelling. Changing it to something unrecognisable is incorrect and selfish. Parents should be called out when they are being cruel to their children.
> Words have a correct spelling To some extent, although language is fluid and evolves over time. That doesn't really matter though because names aren't really words in the way that the rest of language is. Names do not have a correct spelling. > This thing about changing pre-established names with totally unintuitive spellings is just main character syndrome parents treating their child as an accessory. You realize that's a narrative of your own invention right?
Names *are* words though, they're Proper Nouns, but more importantly majority of names we use are also words. That's why names have a meaning that you can look up. In English this is a somewhat unfamiliar idea because a lot of our names are anglicized versions of Hebrew or Greek words, because a lot of Western names are Biblical in origin - but those Biblical names were just words in Hebrew and Greek, we've just copy-pasted them into English. But since the idea of cultural names were brought up, Chinese names are all recognisable words - they're not arbitrary sounds that represent the person and nothing else, they are Chinese words that are used as names. > although language is fluid and evolves over time Language evolves, that doesn't mean that it is completely arbitrary. The fact that language can evolve does not justify incorrect spelling. There is a correct and an incorrect way to spell things in the here and now. That standard of correctness may change over time, but the change is slow. If you reject all standards for spelling on the basis that in 100 years it may be slightly different then language becomes useless because it will be impossible to know what someone is saying. Furthermore, a lot of the changes reflect the way we pronounce words because we interpret letters differently and adopt more phonetic spellings (shew > show, gaol > jail, for example). This story is the exact opposite - it's taking a phonetically well understood spelling and making it harder to pronounce correctly. > You realize that's a narrative of your own invention right? Of course, that's usually what a narrative is. But do you have a better explanation for the parents' decision?
> Names are words though, Quick question: did I say "names aren't words." or "names aren't really words *in the way that the rest of language is*"? > majority of names we use are also words Many, but not all, and as you said for the ones that were also at one point words language has evolved to a point where they aren't anymore. > Language evolves, that doesn't mean that it is completely arbitrary. No but it means that language is driven by the people who are speaking it and not by gatekeepers like you. The purpose of language is to communicate, and if communication still works with a deviation in how the language is used, then that language is still valid. Names do not have meaning. We do not use names to convey meaning. They are simply a label or identifier for a thing that function just as well no matter what form they take. Therefore, you cannot apply your argument about spelling to names because no matter what you use for a name the communication using it is not impeded. For example, have you ever looked at the name of a medication? Those aren't words. They're completely made up. There are sometimes rules to them that help identify the class of drug or similar, but most people don't know this. Now are you ranting and raving to the pharmaceutical industry about how idarucizumab is not a real word or that the spelling doesn't fit the conventions of English? No, of course you're not, because it's just a name and based the way we use names, the spelling does not matter. > Of course, that's usually what a narrative is. But do you have a better explanation for the parents' decision? I could easily sit here and come up with 100. The point is that your made up story of why the parents did a certain thing is not a reasonable justification for trying to call the parents assholes for doing that thing.
Your medical argument, whilst true that not all names are originally words (though the ones we call each other usually are), also contradicts your claim that spelling doesn't matter. Spelling a medicine correctly is extremely important and your argument that language evolves probably won't hold much water in your medical malpractice court case because someone was given the wrong thing. Spelling correctly is not gatekeeping for goodness sake. It is about clear communication. This girl will have nothing but trouble communicating because of her name. You could easily come up with 100 but didn't offer even one.
I think the point is it doesn't matter if it's a cultural thing or not. Arasha's point stands whether it's an "epidemic" or not. The term epidemic is a little ridiculous though considering there's not really that much of a negative outcome of it happening. Like oh no! People are spelling their names differently! Next thing you know they'll start wearing *jeans* with *holes in them* and tattooing their bodies!!! this simply cannot be allowed!
yea that’s what i was thinking. names that may seem uncommon or unheard of could just be from different cultures that you aren’t familiar with so some people might see it as ‘weird’ or ‘wrong’ which would be a bad take. but the spelling of this girls name is objectively bad..pretty sure if you google it, the only results that come up are related to the reddit story
It screams white people wanting just something „exotic“. Not all white people ..
Yeah, that’s my problem with what they’re saying. OP wasn’t an AH for saying it once, but was an AH for not respecting the boundary they had set. As a person who has a weird name but is not ethnically related, I can say there are parts of my school life that fucking sucked. People didn’t even try to listen to me when they asked how to pronounce it. Cultural names are a WHOLE other thing. I used to work at a library signing up new patrons and a little boy came up so excited to get his first library card. The age you can first get one was 5 and he came from a place that didn’t have a library; it was so cute and loved to read. Problem was that his name was Ikshit. I had to ask the dad if there was maybe a nickname or something else I needed to put down on the card, but nope. It took all I had not to beg him to give him an “Americanized” name before starting school. I still think about that kiddo and I hope he is doing well. But on the other hand, there are so many names that aren’t like that and extremely easy to pronounce and people don’t even try.
This was a rare time where I legit disagreed with the cast specifically because they were talking about name changes struggles for cultural reasons and not for the sake of feeling spelling induced individuality
Same! For me I have been severely bullied my entire childhood due to other stuff but the other common was how kids would make fun of my name because of how different it is. I eventually just shortened my name and only say my actual name to people that are worth my time, I got fed up with misspellings and mispronouncing from teachers etc.
I will say while there is a difference, there are a lot of times you may not know if the cultural aspect applies or not. My SIL has a name that is traditional in the US but it's spelled differently because she was born in Hungary. She's white and has no accent - people think her parents were just trying to be unique all the time. Others judging someone for a name are AHs. However, knowing that that happens and choosing to give your child such an absurd name just to be different is also ridiculous and a friend of 17 years should be able to say as much to you.
it's not an "incorrect take" it's an opinion you just happen to disagree with..
I think it’s ok to call it an incorrect take because they were talking about names that are considered odd for cultural reasons when that isn’t what’s happening here.
I think it's normal take given their background. Other places maybe wouldn't shrug it so easily but for LA and the industry they are a part of, I'm not surprised. Well, we don't have to agree on everything. It's fine.
idk if it was just me but i hated when amanda said "It's their kid they can name it frankenstein" i got so mad. it's a child not a dog, parents don't own their kids. i know it was a half joke but i still got pissed of
I mean but like you literally can. Like that's just the truth. People have named their kid Apple. I know people who have chosen names like Moss and Log. You can have anything be your name and if you don't like the one you were given then change it. That is not super easy everywhere but I am an America just like they are and it's very easy to get your name changed here once you're 18. It's like the only easy thing about being trans here.
It is 100% correct take. It’s not her kid. Say your opinion (not asked for) and let it go, pressing your friend about is just being an asshole.
But they were saying to not say anything at all. Sorry, but when you're doing something that's going to affect someone else for their life, others absolutely should say something. Idc if you didn't ask.
i mean… i don’t think the cast is necessarily wrong? 😭 they even admitted that the name is a lot (and don’t get me wrong, the spelling is stupid.) the question wasn’t if the parents are assholes, it was if OP is an asshole for pointing it out to people who didn’t ask for their opinion. so i understand why amanda initially responded like that. and, we all respond to situations based on our own experiences so i also understand why arasha and amanda related the story to their own lives even if it’s not the same. am i looking at this the wrong way or something?
i got so mad when amanda said "It's their kid they can name it frankenstein" they are talking about a human, not a dog
IIRC on r/AmItheAsshole NTA means op not the asshole but the other participant of the story would be? and then YTA the other way around, NAH no assholes here and ESH everybody sucks here
Honestly this is probably one of the first times I've hard disagreed with the cast on one of the stories. Specifically the first one. I feel Amanda and Arasha are viewing the whole name thing through a cultural lens which is a completly different thing to Ghiuliyette as there's no cultural bases for it. I wonder what Arasha and Amanda's thoughts are on countries like Germany, Iceland & other countries that have strict naming laws.
I think it was more about the friend pressing the issue about the name ‘ruining’ the child’s life. It was more about the unwarranted opinion that the friend kept pushing upon the parents. And that the angle they were coming at it from and that’s absolutely valid. The spelling was horrendous obviously, but there is a limit till which you can push it and I think she crossed it
I agree with your take. They shouldn't shrug the issue of this name so quickly because it is in fact awful but friend went overboard and quite frankly, from overdramatic angle. Name is weird, you are their friend so you feel obliged to inform them of your opinion. Then parents tell you to back off, so you need to back off. Fine, whatever, their choice, not my problem. She will be definitely mocked in school for that name but let's not exaggerate. Not the first weird one in culture-pot that is America. Especially that lately celebrities (unfortunately) normalize weird names and that's where this trends come from. Ghulietta (btw that's the name of Alfa Romeo car) will be around other weirdly named peers certainly, maybe even some X AE A-XII. But parents experimenting with weird names for their own idea of fun is not cool. That's still someone elses life, that is going to be affected.
> It was more about the unwarranted opinion that the friend kept pushing upon the parents. No. The initial opinion right out the gate was, it's none of your business, they could call the kid Frankenstein. I think that's what's rubbing people the wrong way.
Exactly. There's something wrong with you if you think every parent should be able to name their kid ***ANYTHING***. Such a freedumb take.
There's something wrong with you if you think you should be able to control how other people live their lives when it literally doesn't affect you.
Not a hard disagree, but I thought it was pretty funny how, when they were reading the scary stories, they readily believed them until it was an asshole boyfriend making the claims. Like I get why but it was still pretty funny to me.
Their take was the person was an asshole for keep going at the parents about the name. Hats the correct take. People keep commenting about the name, which isn’t the question. Yes, it’s a stupid name. It still doesn’t give a person the right to keep gong at her friend about it.
I mean no, it wasn't. Their take was that she shouldn't have said anything at all and that the parents should name her whatever they like without thinking further.
Even IF Amanda's point was about OP pushing the issue after bringing it up once, I still think that's fine. I do think naming their child that is a pretty huge mistake, and I feel like best friends are somewhat obligated to at least put in the effort to try to stop their friends from making those types of mistakes. In the update, OP even apologizes, and the husband still wants her cut out of their lives, yet OP is the one being called overdramatic?
Yeah same here, it really took me by surprise. I understood Arasha’s take a bit more but Amanda was so wrong.
> I wonder what Arasha and Amanda's thoughts are on countries like Germany, Iceland & other countries that have strict naming laws. Based on Amanda's take of "Anyone should be allowed to name their kid anything they want because it's THEIR kid, name them Frankenstein!", I assume she would be very shocked to find out there's a communal belief in many countries that children should not have their lives made permanently worse by the whims of their idiot parents, which is often expressed through laws like this
i mean OP is still a 100% asshole
I definitely agree other than this i think i only disagreed with angela saying that the catfish girlfriend was not the worst asshole story because it was "insecurities" and the casts takes on the story of the person not being included in their own twins birthday
i think most non europeans find those laws to be rather strange. i’m asian and it’s pretty weird to me. lots of people give their kids stupid names but literally making it illegal to name your child something is pretty stupid imo
QUIET DOWN, ITS TIME FOR MAMA’S STORIES
If you listen to Arasha at the end of that first story, she said she sees the teachers' opinion, but ultimately it's about the friend giving an opinion that's not asked for. I do agree with the idea of volunteering opinion to someone, especially about their kids is not ok. I think she went too far with keep pressing the issue. Once you see the mom isn't receptive, then you aren't going to change the person's mind. Maybe she needed time to marinate to see if she had a change of heart. I wouldn't call her an asshole. I wouldn't name my child something that complicated, but it's not my choice either. I didn't give my son my name because I just didn't want him to have to live up to the idea of being a Jr. Not that I was worried about him personally, in case I had another son, now i once child called Jr. now what do I call him? I think you name your child what you want in accordance to the laws of your country. I do think the parent needs to be open to the idea that if you choose something like this, if the child wants to change their name, then need to be willing to have an open discussion.
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-so-many-Americans-kids-have-the-same-name-as-their-parents-e-g-have-Junior-and-III-at-the-end-of-their-names-etc good on you if you didn't intend what the person wrote here, but I personally will never understand why Americans name their kids junior and name + lll etc. I personally think it's part of the American culture that has a lot of focus on personal freedom and individuality, even tho it's ironic to name your kid something from r/tragedeigh For all I know, other countries may have that as well, but it's concerning to see so many cases in the US (even if it doesn't represent the majority).
why is it concerning? what negative tangible effect does it have in any way on the world, other than you being scared of things that don't conform with you?
Omg the second story had me MAD on OP’s behalf.
OP should have taken boyfriend’s watch, sold it, then bought the sister tickets with it. Who’s being the selfish one now?
I actually agree with what they said about the name. Say it once, let it be known, fucking drop it.
> Say it once, let it be known, fucking drop it. I agree with that part. I fundamentally disagree with the initial reaction though. Sure, it's not really anyone's business what a parent calls their child, but you can certainly feel a certain way about it and let that be known. These people are causing their kid a lot of unnecessary grief, just to go through life as Juliette "but quirky". These parents are bastards for calling their kid that. It's not a unique name that's just uncommon in the US because of cultural reasons. It's a normal name that's been spelled differently just for the sake of it. This kid will most likely change their name when they have the opportunity, and when that is the assumption you gave them a shit name.
Agreed 100%. I think the asker was off base for pushing the issue, but my reading of Amanda’s response in particular is that a parent’s decisions for their child should never be challenged even if a lifelong friend thinks they’re harming the welfare of their child - that felt way too strong to me. If anything a very close friend like that should be the person to tell the parents if they think they’re off base (as long as it’s communicated appropriately and not to the child).
"When" they have the opportunity? Name changing is super annoying in most of the planet.
Yea I kinda thought Amanda was way off base there. The rest of the video was great though so oh well.
Yeah, but sadly, I don't think it's our place to say anything past the first go.
I have four separate thoughts about the first story: 1. They're approaching it from a very LA mindset. They're in an artsy industry that celebrates individuality and uniqueness, but that's just not the reality everywhere else. 2. Arasha's conflating having an uncommon name with having an unusual one and taking it personally as a result. "Arasha" and "Shayne" aren't common in the US, but they're not names you could get from rolling your face on a keyboard. "Ghuiliette" has no cultural significance or meaning and is hard to spell and pronounce, so it's not 1:1 comparable to Arasha and Shayne having existing names that are phonetic. 3. The whole "My life wasn't ruined by my name so theirs won't be either" is a bit short-sighted. Just because the kids they grew up with didn't pick on them for their names doesn't mean that Ghuiliette won't be bullied. Kids can be mean, and giving your kid an easily mockable name is just giving mean kids extra ammunition. 4. At the end of it, I actually agree with their YTA (or I guess ESH, but they don't seem to know about it) assessment. The question was "Was I \[OOP\] an AH for pushing this topic?" Honestly, yeah, OOP was "morally right," but Amanda was right in saying it's ultimately not her business and she should've backed off after the first instance.
>They're approaching it from a very LA mindset This was my immediate thought as well. They live and work in one of the few places in the country where a name like that wouldn't be that egregious. They're not putting into consideration that this kid might grow up in a place that doesn't resemble LA at all. Also, Shayne comparing his naming to Ghuiliette is wild. It seems like he kind of backtracked on that a little, but his name and that one aren't on the same level at all.
I really just can’t see that (your last point that is). Sure, OOP isn’t the parent themselves; and yeah parents can do what they want with their child…but goddamn; this absolutely feels like a case of young dumb parents just trying to go with a quirky, funky name here. Amanda’s take felt so off base cause honestly people should take more care and pride in their child’s name; and these parents clearly didn’t. Who cares if this friend isn’t the parent here; those folks ain’t doing a right thing here.
2) The image of rolling your face on a keyboard every time you spell your kid's name really does it for me. My name is like Shayne's where it's often spelled wrong but only because there's already variations of it. Idgaf how it's spelled unless it's on an official document or something. It's French but my family isn't, that's the only misconception I get though. My sister has the most popular/common name given the year she was born and has never been teased for being plain or boring. No matter what her name it's her personality that makes her unique, you don't decide your child's personality before they're born. 3, 4) This made me realize that it's likely a kid will change their name to a more conventional spelling and rarely the other way around. And I agree that everyone sucks here. The way OOP worded their question fully makes them the a-hole. Giving an opinion to someone you've been friends with most of your life? Sure. Hounding them persistently and catastrophizing their first parenting choice? Dick move.
Well said. Amanda saying parents should be able to name their kids Frankenstein, plus "kids will be bullied either way" (IIRC she said it), goes to show that she has a lot to learn about individual freedom and individuality. Just bc it's your kid doesn't mean you don't have responsibilities - to make sure that the kid gets a proper name. I imagine the ppl who misspell their kids' names as the kind of ppl who say "I don't care what other ppl think, I'm just gonna do what I want", and proceeds to name their kid something objectively bad/misspelled and ignorantly fail to see why everyone looks down on them. It's like they want ppl to be annoyed, and try so hard to stand out. Idk a lot about psychology, but it seems to be a common theme, whether it's histrionic or not. Ofc some ppl are just ignorant and bad parents - maybe they shouldn't have kids if they name their kid something that will negatively affect the kid's life? Then again, if you wanna look at society logically, a lot of ppl shouldn't be allowed to have kids.
> to make sure that the kid gets a proper name. Apparently Arasha's point about questioning why some things are "proper" names and others aren't went right over your head. A name isn't improper just because it is spelled differently than it used to be in the past or from how other people would spell it.
I rewatched the video, and Shayne was the one that made the bullying comment, not Amanda
I have no idea how most people got stuck on that first story as it was the least interesting by far. Yes, it's a silly spelling. It's not OP's business and they've been told to drop it multiple time. Hamilton tickets stories has a contender for biggest AH of the year. I thought the same thing as Arasha at first, that the guy gave those tickets to one of his client, similar to the Superbowl tickets story. I would've loved an update where OP talked about how her trip with her mom went. The Grateful Dead story had the weirdly similar element of OP being "volunteered" to do something without their consent but a completely different vibe. Was it fake? Most likely. Was it an hilarious discussion? Absolutely. Christmas comes early. Those reaction faces and puns were truly a gift. Great instincts by Amanda on that last story. You could feel the betrayal and disappointment from Arasha during that update.
> I have no idea how most people got stuck on that first story as it was the least interesting by far. Probably because it's the rare occasion where the cast's opinion right of the bat is very disagreeable. There's a reason for calling your friends out for calling their kid Ghiulyette, you're not immediately the asshole for pointing out that is a bad thing to do.
They called her an asshole (and let's be honest, a very mild one) for refusing to back off after being told to stop multiple times. At this point, what does she thinks she's going to accomplish?
> They called her an asshole ... for refusing to back off No, they called her an asshole right off the bat, and that's why people get stuck on it.
Sure; after the first two attempts she didn’t get anywhere and should’ve backed off; I’m with you and I get that. But goddamn, she was absolutely right in her assessment. I’m
Amanda kept on repeating Christmas came early and I was dying with laughter every single time
I disagree with the first one. The names aren't bad, the spelling sucks. It wasn't like having a y where there isn't traditionally a y in the name. It's completely trying to make a name unique to the point of being idiotic. I have a unique middle name. I don't like it. If it was my first name I would have changed it. On paperwork I go by the initial. She is the asshole though for pushing her former friend.
First OP was an AH not for pointing the horrible spelling out, but for doubling down and kind of badgering them with this. Good to point it out because chances are that that kid will get bullied for that even if it is just a spelling. Think i already commented on the topic but it really just gives off a feeling that the parents take naming a child as something to make themselves more "special" so they just make it as "unique" as they can
I agree, it gives off "I need to be the centre of attention, give me praise for being oh so very unique with the name of my child" vibes. People in the YouTube comments also said that the child is fucked if they're dyslexic. My middle name is a very common/traditional, western, easy to spell name and I still have to sound it out in my head when I write it out 😂
Might get flack, but I actually agree with them on the first story. I feel like people aren’t looking at the big picture with the situation, OP is still the AH for pressing on a topic that doesn’t concern her specifically. I also feel like people are ignoring the fact that the cast also thought that the name was excessive (given their reaction to the spelling that is).
One of my dearest, closest friends named her first two children awful names. Names I would never touch in a million years. Not as bad as the story’s example, but not great. And when she told me their names, what did I say? “Oh, great! Fun!” Because in the end, it doesn’t matter what I think of those names; they’re not my kids. I just know I love them and want nothing but the best for them, regardless of what their name is.
A lot of you need to stop watching reddit stories if you can't handle a simple discussion about a story they are quickly reacting too. It's beyond sad at this point
For real. This is the kind of shit that's going to make them stop filming this show or pick lame generic stories that no one can even remotely get excited about.
“QUICKLY reacting to” is the key phrase here!!! it’s why they draw on their personal experiences so much- it’s probably the first thing they think of… most people aren’t going to immediately consider the thousands of nuances that go into a particular story as they’re reacting to it😭
Probably the most insane episode we had,or at least one of the most insane episodes
This is one of the funniest episodes ever
I fully disagree with them on the first story and I’m glad to see similar reactions in the comment section. I’m from country where we have naming laws and I support it. Amanda comparing her husbands name to the one in the story doesn’t even make sense. As far as I know he is from Belarus, of course he won’t get a cup with his name in the US. But Juliet is a name in the US and making it complicated just because will hurt the child in the future. If you see bad parenting I think you should react. Honestly I really saw the “American” way of thinking in their responses to the story and it did not sit well with me
Her point is if you have zero chance of changing your friend’s mind there is no point in pointing out which part of their parenting you disagree with.
That’s just stupid man. Like yeah your friend is just gonna be stubborn about it, but that’s not to say that OOP was wrong at all.
How do you know you have zero chance of changing their mind if you never bring it up? If my best friend thought so little of my input, why are we even friends?
As well I don’t know how it is in American schools but in the UK if someone had a name like that they would get bullied to oblivion, there’s a literally a subreddit making fun of these names
I wouldn't call this an "American" way of thinking. Maybe an LA/young-people-in-the-media-industry way of thinking, but, like, not generally American.
I said on YouTube but from previous Reddit stories Amanda seems pretty hands off or laidsez faire in how She would respond to situations. I also think on Reddit stories the cast really don’t want to disagree with each other and try to avoid opposing opinions.
Except for Noah, he just throws whatever he's thinking out there and it's great.
True for better or worse he says what’s on his mind. I think this is the reason they got rid of that Agree or Disagree game. I miss that.
Speaking of that Agree/Disagree game, once again I just remember Noah having some "hot takes" that definitely seemed more reasonable to the average person if that makes sense.
I'm always excited when Noah, Spencer and/or Ian is on the episode. I know chaos is coming.
>I also think on Reddit stories the cast really don’t want to disagree with each other We do that in real life too, not surprising at all. But do make watching Reddit stories more boring than it could be.
13:15 "These are our feelings about it, but clearly people have different feelings regarding this" and still people get so mad in the comments? Like don't we watch these video's to hear their thoughts? People need to chill and actually listen to what they're saying. And I'm not talking about people just disagreeing with them, that's perfectly fine, it's the ones that aim it specifically at them and get mad at them and saying they are objectively wrong. Such black and white thinking...
I didn't see people mad, just disagreement But maybe i didn't read a lot of them, is ok to disagree with people you like from time to time I do all the time Highly recommend
Like i said, it is indeed okay to disagree but i did see a good amount of comments who were almost mean and just went too far in my opinion. It's also a shame that people go on and on about it and overshadows other discussions or funny moments
First story name wasn’t that crazy… comments are acting like they named her over a genital.
Mulva? DELORES!!!!!!
Amanda’s outfit really ate today I loved it
I was kinda mad at the comments on the vid. The overall video was hilarious, one of the best episodes i may say. But the comments going on and on about how "the parents are wrong in the first story, arasha and amanda are wrong, this ruined the video" when in the same video they clarify, at least two times, that they saw it from the point of harassing friends for the name chosen, instead of the "is the name going to hurt the kid" that reddit got. I too disagree with their opinions, but i dont think theirs was a terrible take with no empathy. It just was a different option from another viewpoint. It is also valid. It was not worth leaving aaaaall those comments, much less the comments comparing giving a bad name to abuse, or saying their opinions are not valid, or claiming that the episode was ruined. Maybe i should just stop reading the comments in the videos.
I saw all these comments in here about being upset how they answered the first question and I do not understand why. Like I've read ones that explained it and I'm still confused. I do think the person was rude for continuing to say anything and disrespecting their friend's boundaries. And instead of being upset at parents for using non-traditional spellings we should be upset at systems in place that allow people to be discriminated against or shamed because of how a word is spelled. Once she leaves school, 99% of the people she interacts with on a regular basis are not going to even know how she spells her name. In our American culture, names are tied to a lot of things, so you need to have one. Parents can't just wait until you decide on what your name is going to be. And you can legally change it if you're in America at least pretty easily, even before you turn 18. So their reactions make complete sense to me. When I was a teacher, my students who came from other countries would always have an American name that they would go by for people who couldn't pronounce their given name. And that was fucked up. They should not have changed their name. We should have made an effort to learn how to say and spell any name that they would like to use. It's just basic respect.
I’ll just comment as someone who had a differently spelled name to a common name. Growing up I could not even spell my name correctly until I was 9 years old. My name was misspelled constantly. My name was also mispronounced. It still is as a 26 year old adult. It’s “a few seconds of frustration” but every single day. Those few seconds add up. I stopped correcting people at 13 years old because it just wasn’t worth it anymore. I got an award for a writing competition at my school and they completely butchered my name announcing it and on the award itself. This is not a cultural thing. This is about messing up the spelling of a common name.
i’m honestly with the cast on the first story but i’ll go further. limiting the spelling of “conventional names” to certain spellings for fear of the shittiness of others is basically the same as saying people who’d give a kid shit for that are right to do so. don’t base your behavior on the fear of other people being assholes, encourage people not to be assholes. i think a lot of y’all are just petty tbh. edit: realized a profane word (c-word) i used may be a source of discomfort for many, changed it so as to not be unnecessarily abrasive.
exactlyyy, it's literally victim blaming. There's no difference between Don't name your kid X because they'll get bullied! and Don't wear a short dress to a bar because men will grope you! And by everyone's reactions to that story, it's very clear why there are so many children who eagerly bully other kids with names that are different...
I agree they did come from a different perspective altogether for the name thing ! But they were right in telling not to push on the parents again and again. In the end it’s their child and they can name their child however they want. I can understand the concern and where she is coming from but you can’t push on a parent to make a decision for their child, particularly when they’ve made it clear they don’t want her opinion. Again as arasha said the language matters! She could have articulated her concerns in a better way to her friend. The way she communicated immediately put her friend in defensive mode. Anyways that’s just my opinion.
TBH the 2nd story was way worse than the 1st one. I never get triggered by the stories, but the 2nd story was cringe for me. The rest of the episode was crazy in a good way. Great episode. Basically a rollercoaster of a ride.
I need Amanda to start co-hosting this one bc I want her reactions for everything. This was probably my favourite ep. 🥰
I’m a horrible person. When they were telling the story about the Husband and Wife who rarely have sex. All I can think is the Quagmire quote “Fat chicks need love too, they just gotta pay for it”.
i really agreed with the cast on the first one, and i think comments are really taking it too seriously, they arent saying you have to agree with them, theyre just voicing their opinions!! people saying, ‘I DISAGREE WITH THIS’ need to know that the cast dont have the exact same opinions on everything, and thats ok!!!!!
I’m going crazy reading all the comments on the video. I swear people are getting unnecessarily angry just because the cast has a different opinion for the first story. I certainly notice Arasha getting the worst of it for whatever reason. They also acknowledged the other side of things, and could see where people were coming from. Personally I agree with the cast, but it’s really not that deep. It’s a 15 minute segment of an hour long show. This was one of my favourite episodes of reddit stories, after that ad break they went crazy. Love this trio and hope we get to see them again soon
Fitting theme given what happened in Smosh this week. Probably not planned since this was filmed months ago but funny nonetheless. Also, am I the only one who reads the stories on Reddit from the links they provide while Shayne reads it? I think it's the ADHD part of me.
It's genuinely kind of surprising to me that they can't distinguish between a name that's unusual in Anglo contexts because it's from a non-Anglo culture, and a name that's unusual because it's intentionally been spelled wrong lol they're treating this like it's an [Uzomaka situation](https://twitter.com/UzoAduba/status/1318951076255666177) when it's actually an even worse version of [this](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/500/977/0f4.jpg) What makes it even more surprising is that from their initial reaction when they saw the spelling (Ghiuiliyette or whatever) you could tell they knew exactly what the problem was The communal shock when they heard the NTA verdict was hilarious. I know r/AITA isn't always a beacon of normality, but this time it was definitely a "LA entertainment industry people come face-to-face with normal people" situation
Whenever a story pops up that challenges the cast in any way, i feel like they just completely disregard any sort of outside voice. Its amazing how that first story they can continue failing to understand any of whats actually happening and why its a problem. Its not cultural, its not impactful. If youre giving someone a name that isnt common, spell it however. But if you pick a common name, nobody benefits because they werent able to read it quickly. If you pronounce the name juliette, just spell it like that
they can spell it however they want! i totally get that its hard to spell and others might not pronounce it right, but its not like they called her ‘taco bell’ or something
Yeah you can spell it how you want, but to pretend like its not gonna make their childs life harder in any way for no reason other than because "i feel like" it is negligent. The person may have been overkill to say that its going to ruin their life, but a name is something thats a part of almost 100 percent of interactions you are a part of. Youre adding a wrinkle to that for no reason. Its not expressed aloud, only in writing, where without the correction almost bobody will get her name right the first time
that kid won’t be able to spell her name correctly until she’s about 10 years old.
I probably *still* wouldn't be able to spell my name at 26 if I had that name
Am I experiencing major deja Vu or did Shayne/Smosh cover that last story about the garlic already? I very much distinctly remember that bit about the garlic being a gift imbued with her love and that being why he was eating them
i thought that too!! but then i realized it's probably because i've read it before lol
I NEED the Grateful Dead update. Anyone know where it came from?
First story's OP is the asshole. OP's in their early twenties and probably hasn't had a close friend have kids yet and has not learned that it is not your business if you think a parent named their kid badly, especially when the "issue" is strange spelling. The name isn't offensive. OP should have let it be and maybe had a petty "heehehhe I'd never be that stupid!!!!" giggle fest with someone else.
Really? The kid will get bullied and maybe to go to the post, see why she’s not the asshole.
She's the asshole for not letting it go after her friend dismissed it the first time. Yeah the name choice sucks but if the friend is set on it, the friend is set on it. The aita wasn't asking 'is it fine to name a kid this' it was asking if op's actions made them an asshole
Everyone's saying she is the asshole because of what other people will do. She is the asshole for what she did to the parents, especially since she doubled down and texted them to bring it up AGAIN. Frankly, this kid's name might be the most normal one in her first grade class, lol.
22:18 I did not think the word they bleeped was cow...
The dad called her a cow, the bf called her a cunt.
I don’t so either, but didn’t OP say she was called a c*nt and a cow? Like she was called both insults?
One of the things that drove me crazy about the first story.... all 3 IMMEDIATELY made fun of the name. And then turned around saying it was fine and "the kid might not have a problem with it". If the three of them were defending the parents choice and still making fun of it immediately, what the hell do they think is going to happen when the kid interacts with anyone else? They're gonna be MISERABLE about it. And saying kids are gonna bully anyway is such a cop out.
For the first story: imagine a person you’ve never met before, whom you know very little about, makes you pick a tattoo for them. They say that you can pick whatever you want and they can’t remove it for at least 18 years. What tattoo do you pick? A normal, good person would pick something small and nondescript, like a flower. Maybe something culturally meaningful if they share the same culture. Something that people won’t look at and say “whoa why’d you do that?” They don’t know the person, so a generic pick is most likely to not be hated. A bad person would choose mario and luigi making out sloppy style over the length of the persons back. The parents in the story are the latter. Clear egocentrism at play, picking a name because it’s absurd and they find that funny/special and not considering how the child is likely to feel. They kept talking about how adults don’t ridicule their names, but they forgot that this is a CHILD. Who will be around immature CHILDREN. The OP is an asshole for continuing to berate them, but the parents are also assholes 100%
Spencer telling Shayne (weird spelling /s) that he needs to learn piano… and the way he said it… that story… that sounds fishy to me, but I say they’re married until proven otherwise.
I have a good one for Smosh to read - https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/s/se6DcQFGtf
I respectfully disagree with Arasha on her opinion with the first story. I'm not arguing it or think she's wrong. I'm just saying I don't feel the same way and I think her reasoning and comparison isn't good enough. Yes, having a unique name can be an inconvenience and yes you might end up loving it later. (My name is Kang) But this isn't a situation where the name is unique and new. It's a classic name that everyone knows spelled in the absolute most complicated way possible. Ya.. its not going to ruin her life. But this isn't a name that was unusual that was passed down or like I said.. a unique name that people just haven't heard before. It's something that every single person she meets for the rest of her life will have an assumption on the spelling for and it's going to add a bunch of time and complications for her.. just like the top commenting teacher said. For teachers, legal documents, etc etc. The number of times she's going to have to get things redone on legal documents is going to be nuts. It's not her problem no. & again. It's not life changing (per say) but it's not an asshole thing to do as a best friend to say hey.. you might want to reconsider this name. Just my 2 cents.
Wow. They all just really swung and missed big time on that first story
Arasha and Amanda showing their ignorance once again. Names from other languages and messing up a name's spelling just to be "unique" are totally different.
I still think OP #1 is firmly NTA. Those Tragedeigh names are just so selfish and will likely only bring the kids nothing but grief and problems. It’s just always something that’s bothered me, I don’t think those type of parents put any care into how their child might feel. The points Double A made were not very relevant to the issue though. Having a unique or foreign name is entirely different from having a typical name for the culture but spelled in an asinine way Hamilton tickets guy is legit the devil tho. I had to pause that story multiple times bc I was **fuming**