Starbucks, Stop the Abuse.

John Proctor from The Crucible once said, "How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"

He was actually yelling at a Starbucks barista.

You can say that a name isn't that important. It it just a label placed on someone upon birth to merely differentiate from the other kids in the playground. But the majority of people would disagree; a name has a much more meaningful purpose, to define the roots, history, and disposition of the said individual. And if this name were to be tampered with any way, the identity would ultimately be tampered as well.

Then I come into the picture; an Armenian with Lebanese and Russian roots, born in America. My parents must've thought that they were still living in ancient Anatolia when they dubbed me "Mhair Karnik Zeitounian." (each name has an elaborate explanation that traces down my family tree) Albeit, I can boast about my uniquely rich name to David Jones standing next to me at the cash register, but David has to say his name once, and David will never be mispronounced, misspelled, or completely butchered.

That's when my identity takes temporary beatings. I've heard it all; Maher, Muhair, Mair, Myhair, and Morehair. My favorite interpretation came during my graduation ceremony at the University of Southern California, where just as I was about to be rewarded for my four years of hard work and dedication, I proceed to be publicly called "MOOhair."

Yes, the temptation is there. When the Starbucks barista asks for my name, I wanna say Mike, Tom, or Rob to save themselves and myself time to correctly spell a five letter name. But I don't. I stop and remind myself that I'm practically an alien compared to Billy behind me, and that awkward thought actually makes me happy. I'm proud with who I am, and how my people come from distant lands with history so rich it couldn't even compare to the United States.

Yep, I just wasted two minutes because I corrected the barista in spelling my name, and yep they still managed to get it wrong. But at the end of the day, my name is the only thing that's not going to change throughout my entire lifetime, and I'm not changing that for anyone.