The Three Christs of Ypsilanti - Milton Rokeach [67]
—What do you think of a man calling himself ‘Shit’?—
Joseph replied that he didn’t think much of it, but that Leon couldn’t help it. It was my presence, he said, that had persuaded Leon not to call himself Rex any longer, and he added that he felt sure Leon was happier now that he was Dung. When I asked him which of the two he thought was Leon’s real name, he replied: “R. I. Dung.”
Leon Negotiates With the Head Nurse
No human being finds it easy to call another Dung, even if that person insists on it. The female nurses especially balked at it and persisted in calling Leon by his real name. Leon’s reaction was to become generally negativistic and unco-operative. He complained bitterly that the ward personnel were mistreating him and calling him by his “dupe name.”
On January 21, a week after Leon’s formal announcement of his change of name, we invited the head nurse, Mrs. Parker, to attend the group meeting to see if we could come to some agreement as to the name by which the ward personnel would address him.
Leon, as chairman, first signed the Chairman List with his new name—Dr. R. I. Dung, Sir. Then he began the meeting by suggesting they sing the second verse of America. Joseph wanted the first verse. Leon gave in. Following the song, Leon said robustly: “And what’s on your chest this evening, gentlemen? You can get it off if you want to.”
—Do you all know Mrs. Parker?—
“I’ve seen her in the office,” Leon said. “I do not know her by name.”
Mrs. Parker turned first to Joseph, then to Clyde, then to Leon: “I know him—Mr. Cassel, Mr. Benson, Mr.—”
“And this is Dr. R. I. Dung, ma’am!” Leon interrupted.
“Well, on the records your name is Mr. Gabor,” Mrs. Parker said.
“I disagree with you, ma’am, My name is Dr. R. I. Dung.”
“Well, this is a name I don’t approve of and a word that I don’t approve of,” Mrs. Parker said, “so I’ll call you Mr. Gabor.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Leon insisted. “My name is still Dung! It’s in the Bible, and I think it’s polite!”
(To Mrs. Parker)—Is it because it’s somewhat embarrassing to you?—
“Yes, it is,” Mrs. Parker said.
“If you want me to, ma’am,” Leon said, “I can show you it’s in the Bible. D-u-n-g, Dung! … By denying my name it’s mental torture and I do not approve of it, and the psychology is warped, and I apologize if I have hurt somebody’s feelings, but I think I have not, on the merits—I do know it is in the Bible. Dung is a polite term and therefore I believe it’s acceptable, ma’am. You’re not hurting my feelings when you call me that, believe me!”
—Some of the ladies seem to feel somewhat embarrassed about using your name.—
“If I may ask this question?” Leon put in. “Did you ever hear of the word, Mr. Skunk?”
—Sure.—
“And people don’t feel embarrassed, and yet it’s a stenchy name as far as that goes. I mean considering the content of the name.”
—Since Mrs. Parker is head nurse, I asked her to come in and see if we could come to some kind of an agreement.—
“Ma’am, I still say that’s my name, R. I. Dung, and if you want to call me R. I., it’s your privilege, ma’am, to deviate from your dislike of the word ‘dung.’ I’ll give you that preference, ma’am.”
“That would be much more acceptable to me,” Mrs. Parker said.
But Clyde objected: “He’s already Rex. Why’s he changing? He’s changed since Joseph went to the hospital.”
“Mr. Benson, sir, my wife changed it for me,” Leon said. “She’s my wife so she has the same name. She has my name, Madame R. I. Dung, so the truthful joke is on her, too, but I don’t think it’s a joke personally.