Adolph Hitler ist traurig

Adolph Hitler is sad.

Not the dead syphilitic master race world domination Jew-hating guy. 3 year old little Adolph, a New Jersey tot who can't get a supermarket to make him a birthday cake with his name on top.

Seems that his parents, Heath and Deborah Campbell, are all a-twitter because the local ShopRite store in Greenwich Township, NJ has refused to personalize the cake for Adolph by putting his name on it. ShopRite spokesmen claim that inscribing "Adolph Hitler" in confectionary sugar would be offensive and inappropriate.

More offensive and inappropriate than dooming your child to a lifetime of fistfights and ridicule by naming him Adolph Hitler Campbell? I think not.

Even the Anti-Defamation League agrees with ShopRight.

If the parents feel this strongly about it, I'm sure they could find a local bakery that would be willing to put whatever they wanted on the birthday cake. Some sugar-dough Tiger tanks plowing through a hedgerow of candles? No problem. Thin, jagged lines of dark frosting encircling the perimeter of the dessert to keep the emaciated toy soldiers from escaping? Check. Vanilla only? You know it.

I'm not certain when we crossed the line into believing that the public at large is required to support bad parental decisioning. Poor Adolph has a very tough time ahead of him because his parents appear to be clamheads. His siblings, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, will be equally challenged, although name recognition is less likely. And for those of you questioning his siblings names, I am not making that up.

Certain things are never ok, not for shock value or to demonstrate support for a discredited cause. If Heath and Deborah want to live a life of twisted beliefs, I suppose we need to be tolerant and allow them their rights as Americans, but any belief system that has the possibility to stunt the emotional growth of a child, or cause them undo pain and suffering while they are growing up in a world with plenty of significant challenges already built in should be closely examined to gauge the current and future impacts to the kids.

I imagine that pressure will be brought to bear on the parents now that this is public, and there will be much hand-wringing and complaining by the Campbell clan about how unfair it is. Perhaps someone will point out to them that assigning labels to particular groups of people based on limited, incorrect information, and then persecuting these people for what they are perceived to be is a bad practice, and we would welcome their support in condemning such behavior and practices.

After all, no group is better than any other, and we should treat everyone with respect and humility as one of the many creatures in the world. Right, Heath and Deborah?

Lieben Sie thy Nachbar.

Update 9:00 PM 12/17/08 - WalMart has demonstrated that they have no qualms with making such a cake, and so they have.