I have loved the name [name]Columbine[/name] since I was young, I believe it was in a book I had. Living in the UK, I have never really associated it with the high school massacre, as I assume most Americans will. [name]Do[/name] you think it would be usable over here? I don’t want to give my daughter a name that will offend people everywhere she goes, but then I haven’t noticed anyone saying the same about [name]Aurora[/name] after the cinema shooting. Perhaps because [name]Aurora[/name] was a more established name before the tragic incident?
I’m not sure what to think here, so all opinions are welcome. I like [name]Columbine[/name] a lot, but I do have other names I really like, so I can bear to part with it if that’s what’s for the best.
I think the [name]Columbine[/name] shooting resonates more for me than the [name]Aurora[/name] shooting (I say this a bit ashamedly) because [name]Columbine[/name] was one of my first memorable exposures to violence (I was 10 when it happened) versus the [name]Aurora[/name] shooting, I was shocked, but the incident didn’t stay with me like [name]Columbine[/name] does. Does that make sense?
My rambling aside, I think [name]Columbia[/name] could be a nice alternative to [name]Columbine[/name].
I feel like [name]Columbine[/name] stands out more than [name]Aurora[/name] because of the age of both the victims and the shooters. While there were child/teen [name]Aurora[/name] victims and adult [name]Columbine[/name] victims, they weren’t the majority. The prevalence of the names prior to the tragic events probably does have quite a bit to do with it as well.
I live in the U.S. and as pretty as it is, I feel [name]Columbine[/name] is completely unusable here. I’ve heard names described as unusable by U.K. posters for connections that I wasn’t aware of myself, so you may have more leeway there. Being aware of a foreign tragedy doesn’t make it as enmeshed with the public’s mind as having it happen domestically.
I’m from the UK but I do automatically think of the [name]Columbine[/name] shooting when I hear the name. It might be because we watched the film Bowling for [name]Columbine[/name] back in sixth form politics lessons, so I might have more of a stronger association than the average [name]Brit[/name]. I think also because the [name]Aurora[/name] shooting was referred to in the press as the Batman shooting/the Dark [name]Knight[/name] shooting, I don’t associate the name with it as much because I don’t hear it as much.
I think it might be best for me to avoid it then. I do like [name]Columbia[/name] too though, and also [name]Clementine[/name] which is similar, so I can let go of [name]Columbine[/name]. Or maybe use it as a middle name.