Shop Rite Refuses to Put "Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler" On Cake!
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
December 17, 2008 8:43pm CST
Heath and Deborah Campbell, whose other two children are named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, said their local ShopRite supermarket in Greenwich Township, N.J., refused to personalize a cake for their son, Adolf Hitler Campbell. The Campbells, who drive around in a car with a swastika painted on it, don't see why it's a big deal; "ShopRite can't even make a cake for a 3-year-old," mother Deborah Campbell said."That's sad."
I'm sorry, I know there will be those who disagree with me but I think naming their children as they did constitutes child abuse! The store agreed to give them the icing and leave a space on the cake for them to decorate it with their son's offensive name themselves but that didn't satisfy them. I understand they got the personalized birthday cake from a bakery at a store that censors CD's - Walmart!
http://www.myfoxspokane.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=8078147&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.3.1
"We believe the request to inscribe a birthday wish to Adolf Hitler is inappropriate," Karen Meleta, a ShopRite spokeswoman, told the Express-Times.
Barry Morrison of the Anti-Defamation League agreed with ShopRite's decision. "Might as well put a sign around their [the children's] neck that says bigot, racist, hatemonger,"Morrison said. "What's the difference?"
Any thoughts? Anyone wish to defend these parents?
Annie
3 people like this
14 responses
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
18 Dec 08
My personal opinion is that CPS should take a look at this family and the psychological damage these *lovely* parents are doing to their children before we read a story about a school shooting by some kid named Adolf Hitler. By the time these poor kids are old enough to be able to legally change their names the damage will have already been done. Some people are jerks. 
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
18 Dec 08
CPS will have a hard time proving anything unless they are phyically abusing them. it is not illegal to be a nazi or to be a racist. It is also not illegal to give your children wierd or offensive names. Heck celebrities are known for wierd names.
I agree it is not good to name your kids after horrible people and that teaching children to be racist or a nazi is not good for them or society. But all of that is no illegal.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
18 Dec 08
I tend to agree with you, spall, but I know you're right, Lil, unfortunately it isn't illegal to give your kids weird names. However, maybe something like this should be looked at and a law should be passed, although I know it would be hard to predict what someone in the future will consider an offensive name to be. I mean, a silly name like "Apple" may get a child teased but "Adolph Hitler"? That could LITERALLY get him killed!
Annie
1 person likes this
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
18 Dec 08
Oh I agree those parents are beyone stupid and are damaging their kids. Maybe CPS can look into and find something.
I agree with you annie on the whole name issue. But the problem is what one person finds offensive another doesn't. Like this couple. they are nazi's so they named their kid after people they beleive in. While the rest of us are absolutely offended. But other people like them will not be offended. Frank Zappa named his daughters Moon Unit Zappa and Diva Muffin Zappa. The lead singer of the band corn named his son Pirate (tell me that kid is not going to have issues). Celebrities are always going crazy with names. But I will agree that naming your kids after nazi's is a whole other level of wrong. But what about muslims in this country who name their kids after Bin Laden. He is a hero to them. But to most of us he is a terrorist.
It would cause a lot of issues to make laws telling parents what htey can and can not name their kids.
1 person likes this
@mcat19 (1357)
• United States
18 Dec 08
These kids would have problems being raised in that family no matter what their names were. The names simply compound the problem. However, they will probably associate with like-minded people who will think the names are wonderful. It's only when they associate with normal people that they will run into trouble. This is very sad. Hurray for Shoprite.
2 people like this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
18 Dec 08
No I will not defend these parent or any others including celebrities who give their children stupid names. Adolph Hilter is perhaps one of the most despised name in the world. If the poor kid suvives living with such an infamous name as Hilter then I hope he will legally have it changed one he is old enough and that also goes for his poor sister Aryan Nation.
2 people like this
@KaMlBob (786)
• United States
18 Dec 08
I just cannot understand why a parent would name the child after such a loathed person. Thank goodness his last name isn't 'Hitler'. If the parents are driving around with a swastika on their car, are they skin-heads and are they racist? If so, in my opinion, this is WRONG. Who is anyone to think that they are better than anybody else!? I dispise racism...also...feel sorry for those that are so blinded by their racist attitudes that they actually think they are superior! I get heated when racism is discussed because I am so anti-racist, I'm typing like a madman right now!!!
2 people like this
@murderistic (2278)
• United States
18 Dec 08
As someone who used to work at a bakery... I have no idea what I would have done in that situation!! LOL! I can imagine that it would be a totally awkward situation. It would probably go somewhere along the lines of... "haha, you're joking right?" "no, that's my son's name." "Oh.... are you a nazi?" "Yes." "Okay... you know what, lemme go get my manager and if he wants to decorate your cake for you, he can, but I don't get paid enough to do work for nazis."
A guy in Germany gets arrested for teaching his dog (named Adolph) to "heil hitler" and this family thinks that not putting "Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler" on a grocery store cake is an outrage!? WTF?
2 people like this
@syzygy (35)
• United States
18 Dec 08
I can't believe this couple was actually aloud to name their child that in the first place! How horrible for that child to live in such a household as that. I think the parents wanted drama from ShopRite to be honest. They should know that that name doesn't get a good rap and to be rejected is understandable. Although, if I was making the cake, I would just write the child's name to divert drama.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
23 Dec 08
I'm afraid you're right. As I said earlier, he'll probably get taunted and even beaten up just because of his name, or maybe because he'll emulate what he's probably taught at home, and his parents will probably convince him that their beliefs are right and the actions of those who attacked him prove they're right.
Annie
@Latrivia (2878)
• United States
19 Dec 08
I would be willing to bet parents like that would homeschool their child to keep them away from the evil, Aryan hating influences of America. He will probably never know who Hitler really was, or the evils he committed, because I'm sure his parents will have brainwashed him with white pride garbage while he's still maleable.
1 person likes this
@revellanotvanella (4033)
• United States
18 Dec 08
Lets hope he takes the initiative to change his name for societies sake because I can't imagine such a racism STILL being an issue 15 years from now. Now I know some believe racism will NEVER go away but I believe it does start with the children and if they are not taught that race is an issue then hopefully it will cease to exist for them and I just pray that my kids can live to grow up in such a society.
1 person likes this
@Latrivia (2878)
• United States
19 Dec 08
Well, on the one hand you have a store unwilling to provide a service because of a customer's name, and on the other hand, we have to ask if the parents have any right to force the store to do their bidding just because they were stupid enough to name their child after a man who personifies evil to most people.
I believe the store has a right to refuse service on certain grounds, however - they need to be well founded. We'd all be up in arms if they refused to decorate a birthday cake if the people buying it were black, or gay, or the birthday boy was named Osama Bin Cambell. I don't quite know the laws regarding how a store can refuse service to customers. Part of me says the store should go ahead and write it out, because to not do so would be discriminatory. The other part of me believes that the store shouldn't have to be forced to perform a service if they believe that said service would be inappropriate. Right now the side of me that thinks the store shouldn't be forced to do something they find inappropriate is winning out.
I do know, however, that three year old is going to be in for a VERY rough life. Imagine living in a post World War II America with the name of Adolph Hitler. I do think the parents have the right to name the kid as they did - but it doesn't say much for their intelligence (complete fools, the both of them).
1 person likes this
@iriscot (1289)
• United States
18 Dec 08
What is wrong with those parents? They probably won't believe there was the holocaust in Germany. I say shame, shame, shame on them. I wouldn't defend them and hope that I never have to see them. Those poor children will be tainted and taunted for the rest of their lives. It's too bad there are such stupid bigots in this country.
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
18 Dec 08
Giving children names like that is, without question, a form of child abuse! It's indefensible.
@revellanotvanella (4033)
• United States
18 Dec 08
I was just thinking that last part--sounds like they want to make it perfectly clear that in their household its: Hail, Hitler.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
23 Dec 08
The strange and scary thing is for a couple young enough to have small children to have this kind of hatred this many years after Hitler's time tells me the parents of at least one of them must have instilled them with that kind of hatred. It's really sad.
Annie
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
18 Dec 08
I thought my family was strange, these crazies make us look extremely normal 
I don't know why people would want to "worship" Hitler in this way. What a bunch of nuts! I can't find a defense other than insanity for these "parents".
I don't know why people would want to "worship" Hitler in this way. What a bunch of nuts! I can't find a defense other than insanity for these "parents".1 person likes this
@chameleonsdream (1230)
• United States
18 Dec 08
I've got to agree with the poster who said that the parents were looking to cause a stir with this issue. Frankly, I think they're using their kids to make a political statement, and I find it reprehensible. That said, I also have to say that I'd fight tooth and nail any attempt to regulate a parent's right to name their children any names they want. There are countries that have lists of "approved" names - I don't want to live in one. And as much as I hate to say it, I'd also be against any attempt to remove the kids from their parents' care based on their political and social beliefs. If we start doing that, where do we stop? Do we start removing kids from homes if their parents don't regularly attend an approved church and provide them with a suitable religious upbringing? Do we put kids in camps to counteract the "bad teaching" that they're getting at home? As much as I'd like to slap the parents upside the head, giving the kids bad names doesn't justify taking the kids away. I'm even uncomfortable with using "psychological damage" as grounds for interfering with the parents raising of their children - especially since I've had to defend myself to DCP for allowing my son to wear "funny clothes" to school because it "opens him to being targeted by other children". It comes down to where do we draw the line?
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
23 Dec 08
You know what, you're absolutely right and I confess to sometimes having a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to something like this but when I stop and think about it I'm against censorship and this sort of government control over parenting, which it certainly would be if there could be a law saying what we could or couldn't name our children. It IS too bad we can't somehow rid ourselves of morons like these though, isn't it?
I wonder what will happen when these kids get into trouble though; will the defense me that it's because of their names and will the parents then be blamed for the children's crimes? Will they claim "insanity due to a ridiculous name defense"?
Annie
@Troublegum (641)
• United States
18 Dec 08
What do you want to bet that kid files to have his name changed the minute he turns 18. Seriously, kids get picked on if their name is remotely close to a word that people think is funny, forget actually being named after SOUP!!
1 person likes this
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
18 Dec 08
The whole nazi thing does help either.
2 people like this
